Wiff of the grey

[Jake21]

Occasionally we get a sniff of the grey tank when washing dishes or just hanging near the kitchen sink. This happens when it is empty and all the way to full. Is that normal?

Thanks,
Jake

[Jim_HiTek]

No, not normal. Have you been able to trace it? I mean, is it also under the sink? Could it be drifting out from the roof vent and into the kitchen window?

[Jimmy F]

We had a similar problem. We thought it was the auto air vent under the sink staying open. Replaced it with one from Home Depot...nope not the problem.

Finally we discovered it was coming from the washing machine drain.
We hadn't used the machine for a while and with the hot weather the water in the trap had evaporated out so when we emptied the sink it would push some of the air out of the grey tank up into the coach.



Jimmy

[daveshan]

Look under the sink for something like this


A bit closer view. This is the vent mentioned above, it's best known by the slang name "cheater vent" may not be legal by code in your state. <$3 at Home Depot, changed out all of ours to get rid of the smell when traveling, one twice as the one from HD was DOA. Now we can drive with the roof vents open and no smell.

[DrivinMyHome]

Originally Posted by daveshan

...This is the vent mentioned above, it's best known by the slang name "cheater vent" may not be legal by code in your state. <$3 at Home Depot, changed out all of ours to get rid of the smell when traveling, one twice as the one from HD was DOA. Now we can drive with the roof vents open and no smell.

When you say changed it out, do you mean to a different style of vent, or just changed the cap to a new one? I'm having the EXACT same problem and would like to get it fixed ASAP as it stinks of rotten eggs. Not to mention, the wife fills the tank fairly quickly (having to dump every 2-4 days), so the stink seems to happen often!!

Today I smelled it coming out of the tub drain, but evaperation shouldn't be the culprit since we used the shower yesterday evening...

[jeep820]

Originally Posted by Jake21

Occasionally we get a sniff of the grey tank when washing dishes or just hanging near the kitchen sink. This happens when it is empty and all the way to full. Is that normal?

Thanks,
Jake

You may want to flush your hot water tank..sometimes you will be amazed.:-)

[daveshan]

Originally Posted by DrivinMyHome

When you say changed it out, do you mean to a different style of vent, or just changed the cap to a new one? I'm having the EXACT same problem and would like to get it fixed ASAP as it stinks of rotten eggs. Not to mention, the wife fills the tank fairly quickly (having to dump every 2-4 days), so the stink seems to happen often!!

Today I smelled it coming out of the tub drain, but evaperation shouldn't be the culprit since we used the shower yesterday evening...

Changed it out for the same type of unit. The purpose of these vents is to act as a vacuum break so the water going down the drain doesn't siphon the P-trap dry letting stink in. In an ideal world the mfgr would have piped the vent to the stack same as in a stick and brick.

Sadly these cheap *** vents are what we get. If they get stuck closed then the water gets sucked out of the P-trap and stink comes up from the drain. If they get old and leak when they're closed or stick open anything like an exhaust fan running or driving with a window or vent open will pull stink into the coach.

If the 2nd one didn't work in my kitchen I was going to get some 1 1/2" x 3/4" NPT reducers and pipe the vents to the stack using 3/4" hose.

I'd be willing to bet 99% of odor problems are directly tied to a bad vent. It all could have been prevented if the mfgr had just spent a few more $$ to run them to the stack.

[pumper9x9]

whack the pop off vent and see if it goes away also make sure all your drains have water in the p trap

[Senior Chief]

Also check your battery compartment for a hot (overcharged) battery- a battery going bad will let off a rotten-egg smell as well.

[Jake21]

Originally Posted by daveshan

Changed it out for the same type of unit. The purpose of these vents is to act as a vacuum break so the water going down the drain doesn't siphon the P-trap dry letting stink in. In an ideal world the mfgr would have piped the vent to the stack same as in a stick and brick.

Sadly these cheap *** vents are what we get. If they get stuck closed then the water gets sucked out of the P-trap and stink comes up from the drain. If they get old and leak when they're closed or stick open anything like an exhaust fan running or driving with a window or vent open will pull stink into the coach.

If the 2nd one didn't work in my kitchen I was going to get some 1 1/2" x 3/4" NPT reducers and pipe the vents to the stack using 3/4" hose.

I'd be willing to bet 99% of odor problems are directly tied to a bad vent. It all could have been prevented if the mfgr had just spent a few more $$ to run them to the stack.

Can you send the the link to the valve at home depot? I can't find it on their website.

Thanks

[daveshan]

Google search for "cheater vent" 3rd link. Here's a good description of the vent and its function. CLICKY

Interesting thing, they vary widely in price, locally they're $2.95 putting in a few different Zip Codes for stores I found them as high as $5.95

Just walk into any Lowes/HD, find a guy in the plumbing section and ask for a "cheater vent"

[Jake21]

Changed the cheater vent. No change in the smell. Could the hot temps outside and the cool temps in the RV be causing this?
J

[DrivinMyHome]

Originally Posted by Jake21

Changed the cheater vent. No change in the smell. Could the hot temps outside and the cool temps in the RV be causing this?
J

I changed mine as well and, like you, didn't notice a change(though for less than $3, it's worth it to change it anyways). I've noticed that this problem shows up in the heat of summer (when it's over 100 degrees out). This week we are in SoCal and haven't had a problem with the smell. I'm sure it will come back next week when we get back to Arizona...

Any other ideas on how to solve this stinkin' problem?

[tinkerreknit]

Originally Posted by jeep820

You may want to flush your hot water tank..sometimes you will be amazed.:-)

Yep you might want to try it. It won't take long and could be the solution.