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Old 06-29-2019, 04:58 AM   #1
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New Aire Black Tank

We've got a 2019 New Aire 3341 that we are very happy with but we've got an issue that has become more noticeable lately. We just finished a 5 day boondocking stretch. The location had no dump site on site so we drove about 120 miles to a campground where we've dumped tanks and are prepping for our next 7 day boondocking spot.



During the drive we began to detect a very noticeable black tank odor inside the coach.



Does anyone have any suggestions on how to figure out what is going on? Anyone else experience this in their coach? Any ideas?



We'll be at Camp Newmar in September and I'm going to put this on the list, but in the mean time, I'm hoping someone here has some ideas on what could possibly be a solution
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Old 06-29-2019, 05:11 AM   #2
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Things to consider:


Black tanks can get really stinky in hot weather.


Were you traveling with any roof vents open? Open roof vents while moving pull air out of the coach and can cause tank odors to enter coach. This is especially true if someone uses the toilet while moving.


Maybe vent pipe is not properly sealed at black tank?


Grey tanks can stink as bad as black tank. You might have a vacuum breaker at kitchen or bath sink or washer/dryer location that is stuck open, allowing grey tank odors to enter coach.
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Old 06-29-2019, 05:27 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by smlranger View Post
Things to consider:


Black tanks can get really stinky in hot weather.


Were you traveling with any roof vents open? Open roof vents while moving pull air out of the coach and can cause tank odors to enter coach. This is especially true if someone uses the toilet while moving.


Maybe vent pipe is not properly sealed at black tank?


Grey tanks can stink as bad as black tank. You might have a vacuum breaker at kitchen or bath sink or washer/dryer location that is stuck open, allowing grey tank odors to enter coach.

We don't travel with the vents open so I don't believe that is a contributor to the problem.


It is nearly impossible to even see the black tank because it is hidden behind the wet bay panel but I have never noticed a strong odor in the wet bay to make me suspect that there's an unsealed vent at the tank.


The vacuum breakers are interesting, I'll pay more attention to the grey tank plumbing as I continue trying to search for the source.
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Old 06-29-2019, 05:54 AM   #4
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We used to have a foul smell in our half bath whenever we were driving. After installing cyclone roof vents the smell is totally gone. Just look for them on Amazon. They are very easy to install.
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Old 06-29-2019, 06:22 AM   #5
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If your half bath has a gravity head make sure you have a good bit of water in the tank. This will help keep odors from working their way up from the rubber gasket that seals the down pipe.
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Old 06-29-2019, 05:43 PM   #6
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Similar issue...

I noticed the same issue with my Ventana. Mostly if my tanks are "kinda" full. Usually I dump and spray clean my tank before I depart and have no problem. If I am at a location for a week with no dump facility until my next stop, I will notice the wonderful odor while driving....From what I can tell through reading various posts...probably will install the "Cyclone" mentioned above (or another brand). This seems to fix the problem for most if it's not the thingie under the sink for the gray tank. I also always close my vent covers so that's not the issue.
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Old 06-29-2019, 05:54 PM   #7
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Don't know what your issue is, but Happy Camper chemical will kill the odor, until you figure it out. Normally, we don't add anything to our tank as we dump it every 2.5 days. When it's really hot out, I will add some of the Happy Camper, it even smells better while dumping.
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Old 06-29-2019, 06:39 PM   #8
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I have this too. I’m pretty sure it’s gray tank. It smells like black tank but I know it’s gray. Most likely the breakers mentioned.
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Old 06-29-2019, 07:25 PM   #9
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Following the thread. I’m on a 6000 mile trip and started noticing the odor while driving. Filled all the traps with water but still getting the occasional odor.
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Old 06-29-2019, 07:52 PM   #10
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Steve-

We have had this happen only once on our New Aire. Like you, we had been camping without access to a dump, and we had to travel with the black tank full to our next dump opportunity.

I spoke to the macerator toilet company (Thetford?) and they suggested checking the valve under the toilet. As I understand it ,its basically like the gray tank valve under the sink. When next at Newmar they checked it, but found no problem.

Recently I read a blog post (can't remember where) about how, when the black tank gets full, the waste obstructs the opening to the vent pipe and the odors can't vent. This seems to explain our one-time occurrence. Maybe that is part of what's going on?
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Old 06-30-2019, 07:09 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don View Post
Don't know what your issue is, but Happy Camper chemical will kill the odor, until you figure it out. Normally, we don't add anything to our tank as we dump it every 2.5 days. When it's really hot out, I will add some of the Happy Camper, it even smells better while dumping.

We do use Happy Camper - but only for the black tank. I never considered also trying it in the gray tank. I'm going to give that a try at the next opportunity to see if that can help. Thanks Don!
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Old 06-30-2019, 07:16 AM   #12
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Steve-

We have had this happen only once on our New Aire. Like you, we had been camping without access to a dump, and we had to travel with the black tank full to our next dump opportunity.

I spoke to the macerator toilet company (Thetford?) and they suggested checking the valve under the toilet. As I understand it ,its basically like the gray tank valve under the sink. When next at Newmar they checked it, but found no problem.

Recently I read a blog post (can't remember where) about how, when the black tank gets full, the waste obstructs the opening to the vent pipe and the odors can't vent. This seems to explain our one-time occurrence. Maybe that is part of what's going on?

How does one check that the gray tank vacuum breakers are working? I verified that each sink has one installed although I can't tell if the shower drain has one.


For the toilet value - how do you check that its working correctly? Does the valve operate in a way that can be visually inspected?



Sorry if this is obvious, I just don't have the experience to know what to look for.
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Old 06-30-2019, 09:19 AM   #13
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The grey tank can smell just as bad or worse than the black tank if not taken care of. To me, the grey tank has more of a sour odor and I can tell the difference between the grey and the black. As mentioned Happy Camper works well to help with this problem.

I had a bad air admittance valve in the half bath. It is in the cabinet below the sink. I could smell it when I opened the cabinet. It is easy to change and the ones at Home Depot and Lowes are better made (see attached). I had no problems with the kitchen or other bath. It says in the directions not to use plumbers grease, but Newmar does. Not sure if that has something to do with the rubber seal and the problem.

There is also an old thread with a picture that says Newmar sometimes makes the connection on the toilet in the half bath too short and the toilet tends to loose water. My coach on rare occasion will loose enough water in the toilet that the black tank odor will come in the coach. The smell can get bad but flushing the toilet stops it. So watch the water level in the toilet.
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Old 06-30-2019, 07:09 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveUpp View Post
How does one check that the gray tank vacuum breakers are working? I verified that each sink has one installed although I can't tell if the shower drain has one.

For the toilet value - how do you check that its working correctly? Does the valve operate in a way that can be visually inspected?

Sorry if this is obvious, I just don't have the experience to know what to look for.
Sorry, I don’t know the answer. Newmar checked the toilet valve for me. I believe one assumes they are working until symptoms indicate they are not. Maybe someone else can be more definitive.

Since you have a 2019 you should still be in warranty. I suggest reporting it as a warranty item.
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