Bad smell from the shower area

[Philip May]

We have a 2005 Dolphin and have odor problems from the grey tank since we bought it. The smell is worse if we haven't dumped the grey for a day or two and if someone takes a shower. It seems to come from the electric control panel strangely enough. Have tried all combination of chemicals and drain cleaners, but nothing really fixes it. Wondered if anyone else had the same issue or found a solution?

[Philip May]

We have a 2005 Dolphin and have odor problems from the grey tank since we bought it. The smell is worse if we haven't dumped the grey for a day or two and if someone takes a shower. It seems to come from the electric control panel strangely enough. Have tried all combination of chemicals and drain cleaners, but nothing really fixes it. Wondered if anyone else had the same issue or found a solution?

[bsinmich]

I have found the gray tank can smell as bad as the one you know smells bad. One possibility is the vent line that goes through the roof could be too low into the tank and any liquid blocks the free flow of air. Where is the control panel located? If it is inside and near the vent pipe there could be a possible break in the vent. Good Luck.

[Rick 2005 Dolphin 5376]

We also have a 05 Dolphin. We dealt with the very same problem as you are now. Remove the two screws that holds the electric panel closed in the hall (behind the shower). Open the door. Look to the left and remove the paneling that's mounted in the left hand corner behind the shower enclosure. The panel is mounted at 45 degrees in the corner. The vent pipe runs up through that corner. We had to finish installing that pipe by drilling a hole up through the roof and adding a few feet of vent pipe. Seems the good-ole-boys at NRV forgot to finish the job. I have the vent pipe routing on a PDF for a 5376 if you want it.

[TXiceman]

Look under the kitchen and bathroom sinks. There is probably a line that looks like it has a screw on cap there. It is a reverse flow or anti-siphon valve. These can leak of get stuck. Unscrew the thing and take it inside to disassemble and wash. If it does not start to seal better, you may have to replace it.

Ken

[M&EM]

Had the same issues and worse in ours during first cross country trip. Turns out the "P" Trap under the shower drain was cracked and allowing grey tank odors to come up around the electric panel.
Finally discovered it as the crack soon became a water leak that flooded our basement.
Repair I did on the road was to use a Home Depot rubber pipe coupling held in place with 2 spiral clamps. Very awkward place to get to!!

I have always had and still do have slow gray water drainage and suspect vent pipe is improperly installed.

Marty

[Rick 2005 Dolphin 5376]

Since he stated that the smell was coming from the panel behind the shower I'm going with the vent pipe not finished going up through the ceiling. For 3 months we were trying to figure out where the smell was coming from. P-traps, and vacuum breakers on the pipes weren't the problem. The smell was coming from behind the electrical panel. I had to finish bringing the vent pipe up through the roof. Some ABS pipe, hole saw and a RV360 vent solved the problem. NRV's owner services was nice enough to send me a PDF of the vent pipe routing. One last thing would be to walk the roof in search of 2 vents. We had only one, the black tank vent.

[Philip May]

Rick,

Thanks so much for the reply, that does sound like the problem. If you have a PDF that you could to email to me at philip_may@earthlink.net that would be fantastic. Will let you know what I find when I investigate!

[Fred and Bonnie]

FHIW I always use toilet chemical in the gray tank, just too much going into that tank that can cause odors.

Fred

[Rick 2005 Dolphin 5376]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Thanks so much for the reply, that does sound like the problem. If you have a PDF that you could to email to me at philip_may@earthlink.net that would be fantastic. Will let you know what I find when I investigate! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I sent you the PDF to your eMail address. Good luck

[Rick 2005 Dolphin 5376]

Phillip. What ever happened with the smell problem? I really enjoy helping here but it seems that a common thread in most car and rv forums is that someone will ask for help, many people will chime in and offer assistance and then we never hear from the thread starter again.

[JB Driver]

We had a similiar problem in out last NRV coach. The fix was to take the panel off as the vent pipe goes to the overhead next to the panel. Got some spray on insulation that they use in the construction industry to plug areas where pipe are routed in the framing. Found all the joints in the vent pipes and spray the area with the insulation material.

[Jestme13]

Another fix is, don't let DriVer use your bathroom.............

[Bill Davis]

My wife sometimes complains of a bad smell in the shower area. But that is only when I am getting in. When I am getting out, the bad smell is gone. Go figure.