Ooo that smell, cantcha smell that smell?

[TurboZinke]

We’re traveling from Arkansas to Yellowstone in our 2005 country coach allure 470. We are having an occasional, very strong odor. It smells like sulfur. It has happened twice, and it is powerful. Oddly, the smell seems to be most concentrated in the front of the bus. I emptied and flushed the black tank, and I emptied the grey tank. It did not seem to help much. I just parked in a rest area and the nose of the coach was a little downhill. I smelled it on the outside this time. But it doesn’t smell in any of the under compartments. We have been traveling for days, and there is plenty of water in each of the sink traps.

We are also having a stench in the bathroom. I replaced the floor seal and the bowl seal because it wasn’t holding water in the bowl. I thought that was how the odor was getting into the bathroom, but the bathroom still smells. These two smells are different and seem unrelated. But the DW has a nose like a basset hound, and I’ve got to do something, or we’re going to have to tie her onto the roof like Granny Clampet.

Any ideas??

[AaronColo]

Originally Posted by TurboZinke

We’re traveling from Arkansas to Yellowstone in our 2005 country coach allure 470. We are having an occasional, very strong odor. It smells like sulfur. It has happened twice, and it is powerful. Oddly, the smell seems to be most concentrated in the front of the bus. I emptied and flushed the black tank, and I emptied the grey tank. It did not seem to help much. I just parked in a rest area and the nose of the coach was a little downhill. I smelled it on the outside this time. But it doesn’t smell in any of the under compartments. We have been traveling for days, and there is plenty of water in each of the sink traps.

We are also having a stench in the bathroom. I replaced the floor seal and the bowl seal because it wasn’t holding water in the bowl. I thought that was how the odor was getting into the bathroom, but the bathroom still smells. These two smells are different and seem unrelated. But the DW has a nose like a basset hound, and I’ve got to do something, or we’re going to have to tie her onto the roof like Granny Clampet.

Any ideas??

Severely over charged batteries possibly? Next time you smell it check and see if your batteries are hot.

[ByeTheWay]

When I have had the sulfur smell it was from the fresh water tank. Probably picked it up along the route. At your next full hook up park you may want to sanitize the fresh water tank. I use a bleach mixture followed by several rinses. The recipe can be found on line.

[BRex45]

Make sure that all of the drain traps that lead to your grey water tank have water in them.

Some pretty rank smells can emanate from the sink, shower or washing machine drain lines if the traps have dried out.

At times our Fantasitc Fan in the kitchen area, when exhausting out, will pull air down via the bathroom Fantastic Fan vent, which is somewhat near the black and grey tank vent pipes. We used to get a few wonderful whiffs that way until we figured it out.

[gilbour]

Look for the Anti-Siphon Trap Vent. Usually found under the kitchen sink and sometimes the bathroom sinks. It will cost about $3 ea to replace. It can be ordered over the internet or bring in to a hardware store to show them what you need. The rubber seal deteriorates over time.

[Electra 225]

Originally Posted by AaronColo

Severely over charged batteries possibly? Next time you smell it check and see if your batteries are hot.

I agree, check this. It happened to me once and I luckily caught it before an explosion! I yanked the batteries (2) out immediately and replaced them. One of the batteries took over 90 minutes to cool to the touch from extremely hot to warm! The smell is what alerted me to the problem.....very strong at front of coach.


(this was on my Canyon Star)

[CoCoDave]

Originally Posted by gilbour

Look for the Anti-Siphon Trap Vent. Usually found under the kitchen sink and sometimes the bathroom sinks. It will cost about $3 ea to replace. It can be ordered over the internet or bring in to a hardware store to show them what you need. The rubber seal deteriorates over time.

While not discounting the other suggestions I can confirm that the tank vents will allow odors into the coach.

Here's a broken tank vent connection that took awhile to isolate. Odors were experienced mostly outside the coach.



Here's a montage of typical tank vents. Ours uses the one in the lower right corner for the sinks and shower. There are three, if I remember correctly



This one is for the black tank and it's under the bathroom sink.



Maybe Eric Clapton will have a suggestion?

FWIW

[smlranger]

Also, I can heartily recommend Happy Campers holding tank treatment. That stuff just works better than a anything else we've used over the years.

[Old-Biscuit]

Originally Posted by TurboZinke

We’re traveling from Arkansas to Yellowstone in our 2005 country coach allure 470. We are having an occasional, very strong odor. It smells like sulfur. It has happened twice, and it is powerful. Oddly, the smell seems to be most concentrated in the front of the bus. I emptied and flushed the black tank, and I emptied the grey tank. It did not seem to help much. I just parked in a rest area and the nose of the coach was a little downhill. I smelled it on the outside this time. But it doesn’t smell in any of the under compartments. We have been traveling for days, and there is plenty of water in each of the sink traps.

We are also having a stench in the bathroom. I replaced the floor seal and the bowl seal because it wasn’t holding water in the bowl. I thought that was how the odor was getting into the bathroom, but the bathroom still smells. These two smells are different and seem unrelated. But the DW has a nose like a basset hound, and I’ve got to do something, or we’re going to have to tie her onto the roof like Granny Clampet.

Any ideas??

2 different distinct smells


1) from front of coach....sulfur smell
Battery/Batteries BOILING
2) Bathroom.that is the AAV (Air Admittance Valve)
They OPEN when draining grey tank so negative pressure is not created on sink drain line which would suck the 'P' Trap dry.
When they don;t CLOSE the grey tank odors came back inside RV
GREY STINKS!

[deandec]

Our routine odor problem is the clothes washing machine.

It's P Trap drys out due to lack of use.

The solution is to run a rinse cycle through the machine.

The grey tank order can be ugly. Our washing machine is right next to the toilet room.

[TurboZinke]

WE FOUND THE SMELL. Driving between Thermopolis, WY and Cody, WY we got another big stinky smell in the front of the mh. The DW went to the bathroom and said no smell there. Then she stuck her head in the kitchen sink and said it was for sure coming from the drain. I had her turn the pump on an fill with water. Then we put the drain stopper in. The smell went away immediately.

We had done dishes that morning so I am surprised the trap would be empty. I guess it could've sloshed out? Here are pics of trap and the vent thing for grey water tank.

[wsmcycle]

Maybe there is some kind of one way valve in that vertical stand pipe. If not, it would vent nasty gray water smell under the cabinet and escape into the room. Pee uuu. Maybe the one way valve is stuck open.

[Roy1]

Originally Posted by wsmcycle

Maybe there is some kind of one way valve in that vertical stand pipe. If not, it would vent nasty gray water smell under the cabinet and escape into the room. Pee uuu. Maybe the one way valve is stuck open.

I agree you should replace the vent in the verticle pipe the seals go bad and it will smell pretty bad. New vents are only a f ew bucks at Home Depot in the plumbing department .

[CntryCoachRV]

Originally Posted by Roy1

I agree you should replace the vent in the verticle pipe the seals go bad and it will smell pretty bad. New vents are only a f ew bucks at Home Depot in the plumbing department .

Can that be replaced by just unscrewing it? Appears to be very tight.