Community Forums

Mrfoto · 06-08-2016, 07:02 PM

I just got home Sunday, unloaded everything, wiped down everything, disinfected bathroom, etc. Today I went into coach and PHEW, IT STUNK! So walking around and sniffing, it appears the odor is from gray tank. I presume all the water sloshed out of P-Traps on way home. Any way to disinfect the gray tanks? I have gone around to all the drains and poured some extra water into drains to seal P-Trap. Any other suggestions?

Nana25K · 06-08-2016, 07:23 PM

Nothing worse than gray tank smell
1. Under your sinks are valves. They often go bad with age. Easily replaced from any hardware store
2. We clean our gray every few months. Just before travel, after dumping, I dump a cup of baking soda down the drain, follow with a glug of vinegar. After its done foaming I follow with a tea kettle of hot water. This helps clean yuk out of the drainsI add a squeeze of Dawn, turn on the taps, fill the gray tank about 3/4 full
After arriving at next stop we dump the gray. It is amazing how nasty it can look some time, floating grease, small bits of food, hair, etc.
We are careful about what gets in there from the kitchen but some just does.

Ray,IN · 06-08-2016, 08:55 PM

Under each sink you'll find an automatic vent valve. The name is an air admittance valve. It is a simple design, it uses a rubber circular flap to seal the odors out, while flexing easily to prevent draining water from pulling a vacuum in the plumbing. This rubber flap gets gummed-up, or hard from age, and fails to seal.
Replacement is the easiest and IMO best choice, as it simply screws onto the pipe.

Dutch Star Don · 06-08-2016, 11:39 PM

Every so often, just before a trip, I throw a bottle of grey tank cleaner in and add some water. I let it slosh around until we reach our first overnight stop and then drain it.

The secret......wipe off your dirty dishes and avoid rinsing anything oily down your sinks.

guardrail53 · 06-08-2016, 11:55 PM

I wouldn't think on a 2015 coach, the valves would have gone bad under the sink! Probably just sloshed the water out of the traps, as you said!
As the other posters have said, try to wipe the plates and dishes of most of the stuff before washing them is helpful, but you will still get the odor from time to time! Just the nature of the system. Cleaning the black and the gray tanks when traveling is a good idea also! Hope this helps! Rail!

Mrfoto · 06-09-2016, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don

Every so ien, just before a trip, I throw a bottle of grey tank cleaner in and add some water. I let it slosh around until we reach our first overnight stop and then drain it.

The secret......wipe off your dirty dishes and avoid rinsing anything oily down your sinks.

Thanks Dutchstar Don for reply, but not familiar with bottled grey cleaner? I thought about using some black tank liquids, but was leery. I guess I will have to do the 1 cup of bleach in 1 gallon of hot water and some Calgon water softner and detergent.

Ray,IN · 06-10-2016, 02:08 PM

I've used a camping trailer, or MH for many years. I've never had a odor from the grey water tank unless the air admittance valve was not sealing properly. I've never had the water in the P trap evaporate or slosh out either.
The only grey tank problem I've encountered was sewer flies getting into the grey tank by coming up the open sewer hose from the CG sewer system.

Mrfoto · 06-10-2016, 04:23 PM

Well, last night the smell was worse! I had sanitized, flushed and reflushed the grey tank, poured Pine sol and water in all the Ptraps on Wednesday. So now it smells like a dead animal, probably a mouse in the kitchen full wall slide. I have pulled out drawers and found there is a wood wall, then a 4" inch corridor with all the wiring and pipes, then metal exterior wall. No access to corridor. Tried using hand mirror to no avail. Dang it, I will have to live with the smell until it totally decays I guess. No fun!

egwilly · 06-10-2016, 04:35 PM

Paper towels are your grey tank's best friend! Remember, its a holding tank, not a city sewer system. Grease and food buildup is the worst!

DGBPokes · 06-10-2016, 07:26 PM

Y tube has a RV doctor tip for cleaning the grey tank. I haven't tried it yet, but makes real good sense.

Fill the grey tank half full. Add 1/3 of a bottle of liquid dish washer detergent like DW uses in stick and bricks. Pour in morning you are going to drive all day. The point was that nothing is better designed to cut grease and crud than dishwasher detergent.

MtnTrek · 06-10-2016, 09:31 PM

Great suggestions here. In hot weather grey tanks can get as offensive as black tanks. In addition to wiping plates and pans, we have good strainers in the sink drains, and use lot's of water.

Wally'world usually has a citrus grey tank additive.

Third of a bottle of Dawn, bet that gets frothy??

We've always had good luck using periodic applications of; 1/2 cup Borax and a cap of HE (low foam) laundry detergent A&H, 1/4 cup of bleach in each tank.
The Borax much like Calgon helps dissolve the calcium carbonate left behind from excessively hard water. The release of crud is noticeable through the clear slinky fittings on those tank flushes.

Best of luck with the rapid dehydration of that pesky rodent!

Happy trails.