Community Forums

brobox · 08-14-2016, 06:21 PM

Ron, I made a post earlier, but my hot spot is having problems today. Gary and Lynn said basically the same thing. The plumbers putty is not needed, I did it for the P trap drying out during storage. My under sink vent let go during storage and that was aweful! My factory installed vent was also loose, but it did not seal.
I changed them all and sealed the washer hose not to experience that again. My washer hose was a rest stop fix, the plumbers putty came a couple of days later.

ComerD · 08-17-2016, 04:50 PM

Thanks to everyone for the engineering ideas to fix the sewer smell in my middles bathroom. I have implemented most of the fixes. I examined the washer hose and the length did not come close to the P trap but I went ahead and sealed the hose in the drain with plumbers putty. I have capped off the air vent under the middle bathroom sink for now. I have not yet installed the rooftop 360 vents but will do so once we are out of Maine and stop long enough to have a pair delivered. We have not moved since the fixes so I'm not sure if these steps have fixed the movement smell problem.

However, just yesterday we turned on the exhaust fan in the rear bathroom and the sewer smell in the middle bathroom was immediately overwhelming. Once the fan was turned off the smell eventually subsided. Very Strange. I had the vent pipe under the middle bathroom capped off so the smell could not have come from under the sink. It really smelled like it was coming from under the toilet. So now I have a sitting still problem that is probably linked to my movement problem.

Any additional ideas?

brobox · 08-17-2016, 06:05 PM

Did the middle bath have water in the toilet?

ComerD · 08-17-2016, 07:00 PM

Yes, standing water in the toilet. Started the fan in the middle bathroom and the smell did not go away until after I turned off the fan in the back bathroom.

brobox · 08-17-2016, 07:06 PM

Did you happen to flush a toilet with the fan in that bathroom running?

ComerD · 08-17-2016, 07:08 PM

Yes, in the rear bathroom while the fan was on and then the smell started. Just wondering if the fan exhaust is somehow blowing air into the black tank vent on the roof? Not sure where the black tank exhaust pipe is on the roof but just a thought.

jestal · 08-17-2016, 09:10 PM

Comer, Just a wild guess but I chased the sewer smell in the middle bothroom of our Anthem for quite awhile with no success. Then the guillotine valve (white ball valve that flushes) mechanism broke so I had to take the toilet apart to fix it. Our toilet is in two pieces. The porcelain bowl actually sits on a plastic pedestal base. I unbolted the halves and corrected the problem I had with the valve. The smell remained on occasion. My temporary fix for the guillotine valve then failed so I got more determined and just removed the toilet from the floor to carry it outside to work on it. Discovered that the seal from the toilet base to the closet flange on the floor was twisted and out of position from the Entegra factory. Fortunately the kit I had ordered in the mean time for the gullotine valve rebuild included a new closet flange seal as they must have assumed I would remove the toilet to do the fix. Put it all back together, the guillotine valve works great, fine tuning on the linkage now allows the foot feed to let water in the bowl before flushing (which it would not before), the bowl holds water with the new guillotine valve seal AND the occasional sewer smell is gone for good. It was sewer gas leaking past the twisted out of position seal between the toilet and the closet flange at the base of the toilet. In your SB toilet that is usually a wax ring in my experience but in the coach it is a very large foam o-ring that is not that hard to misinstall so care in seating the toilet is rewarded with a properly sealing seal and no smell. That was my story.........

Hint...the "base" of the toilet is a wrap around plastic shieth that is connected behind the toilet with an o-ring or rubber band. Very easy to remove and the toilet attachment to the floor is very obvious. Very simple to loosen and lift up to check the seal if you suspect that may be the problem. I think you could do it without even disconnecting the H2O line is it is like the one in our antique 2013.

ComerD · 08-18-2016, 05:00 AM

Al, that is good data. I have a Thetford Aria Deluxe II toilet in the middle bathroom. During the "smell" events my nose leads me strait to the base of the toilet each time. It appears that when there is any movement of air in the coach, i.e. when the coach is underway or when the ceiling fan is on, that is when the smell returns. I have suspected that the toilet base may have a problem like you suggested. I have never removed this type of toilet so I will have to do a little research on removal but that will definitely be my next corrective action. Thanks for the good information.

jestal · 08-18-2016, 08:46 AM

With a quick glance on google I can tell that your toilet is an obvious upgrade over the model in our '13 but it seems to use the same seal so I suspect the problem could be the same.

BTW...I had the same problem with the rear macerator toilet more like yours! But I caused it when I had to remove the toilet to retrieve a Clorox wipe that got flushed by accident and jammed the pump. That foam seal really is just a vapor seal and is quite easy to get dislodged if not careful. Yours looks easy to check with the floor mounting bolts easily accessible. You only need to pick it up 2 or 3 inches to retrieve the seal and replace it if you have enough hands. I would get a seal ahead of time as you will probably want to replace it anyway if you do unbolt and inspect. Good luck!

gm77979 · 08-18-2016, 01:52 PM

I had a the same issue on mine, I changed the vents, shortened the washing machine hose and still had the issue. I noticed a small leak and found that my sink drain line (hose) had a crack in it, this is where my leak and smell was coming from. The section of hose that had a crack in it was the section of hose that moves in and out with the slide out. Instead of sliding it pinched and finally leaked. My fix was to replace the 1 1/2" drain line.