Quote:
Originally Posted by Hawkeye bus
I get smells when dumping the tanks both inside and outside. All of posts I agree with. Still should not pull water from trap when dumping. Did the best as I can in cleaning the vent stacks. When tank is half full is when the problem starts. We can sit at a campground and have no real problems, but still have a small problem. Tank is pulled in about 2" on black water tank.
Had a Winnebago that had no smells and when dumping it was fast which good venting helps.
Being a retired engineering, and construction manager with good contacts and mechanical skills I will work on the issue.
Had to rework the passenger side tank door so I can get easy access.
I love my Tiffin Bus and as it gets older will need more work which is normal. Most people think the bus is newer than it is.
Thanks for all responding to my message.
Byron
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Welcom to IRV2 Byron,
Smelly odors are a pain in the butt. There are several sources and there is not one silver bullet that will be the cure all, including changing vent caps. One thing we do have to figure out, is it a grey tank smell or a black tank smell. Both can be uncomfortable. Grey tanks if not properly maintained can be a real stinky source, sometimes exceeding the black tank. I think we can agree that if both of the tanks are emptied, flushed and clean then the soucres will have been eliminated.
I'm sure you have your own method of draining and cleaning. As far as cemicals to mask the odors and or coat the inner tank walls, I'll leave that up to you. That is a subject on it's own and can be debated untill the cows come home.
If you have confirmed proper venting, drained and completely flushed all contents and put a little lipstick on the pig with a little tank additive and or deodorant, then all should be good, yes/no?
If foul odors continue then either the tanks were not emptied or flushed 100% or there is not proper air flow thru the roof venting system. Regular housekeeping more times than not will greatly decrease the chance of foul odors. Or in engineers terms, Eliminating the source will greatly reduce the problem.
A couple of house keeping practices we use:
1) Always leave 10% clean water in the black tank AFTER you drain/dump. That help reduce clumping. (I'm assuming you never leave the black tank valve open all of the time)
2) Use a clear section of drain hose/connector to monitor contents being drained from both tanks.
3) Never fill tanks to 100%. Black or Gray.
4) Be careful of what goes down the sink drains. Remember, we do not have garbage disposers and these are HOLDING tanks.
5) Never use a "Disinfectant" type dish or hand soaps INSIDE the coach. (Dawn Blue label). That will counter-act against any tank additives you put in.
6) If you do not have a flushing system installed, get one. "Flush-King" is a good alternative and hose mounted. Be sure and use it every time. It only takes one flush to foul things up.
7) When you empty you tanks, flush, flush again, and flush again. Many times I refill the black and gray tanks to near capacity with clean water, drain, then refill about 50%, drain, then refill about 10-20% to leave as starter fluid.
Remember we do not have septic systems, rather a holding tank system. Maintaining these rigs are totally different than at home were we flush it and forget it. Best of luck.
On edit; Is your rig one that has had the wet bay floor replaced? If so, check all of the flange connections where the drain and vent lines connect to the tanks. Many times (Tiffin included) repair shops will suspend the tanks when the old floor is removed. When the new floor goes back in and the tanks are droped back down the connection between the two will crack or seperate causing a air/fluid leak. This too can be a source of odors. Just say'n
Pressure has built up in the tank. It smells bad then but if vented by the fan the smell goes away. If you have a dry P trap, the odour will be continuous. Refilling the P trap should cure it. If a sink vent (cheater vent or auto vent) is stuck open replace it or take it apart and spray silicone or lube with GE 111 grease on the rubber/neoprene diaphragm valve. The auto vent is inside the MOHO so you can smell it if it is stuck open. The P traps loose their water by siphon sometimes when you make a dump. If your dump hose runs perfectly on plumb to the sewer it can drain so quickly that it pulls the water from a P trap to get venting, especially if the auto vents are stuck closed. You can get a better (slower) dump speed and stop sewer gas from entering your tanks when the main dump valve is open if you allow the dump hose to dip near the sewer fitting so that it is lower than the rest of the line and creates it's own trap. Auto vents should be replaced now and then. P traps can be eliminated entirely by a new valve that requires no water. Available from RV shops. With respect to the vent blockage it is common for the bottom of the vent to plug when the tank has been left too full and then emptied and then sat for a while. The cure is to use the flush connector every time you dump and to use it for 10 minutes (time it) for the first few dumps after you notice the problem, and for 3 min. from that point forward every time.
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