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Old 07-03-2023, 08:35 AM   #1
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Newbie Question - My RV Smells

We went on a two day trip and returned home with the black and gray tanks at 25%. After a few days sitting in the driveway it smells inside. I flushed a deodorizing packet before we headed home from the trip but that didn't seem to help.

We're headed back out for another two day trip in a few days. Do I have to empty the tanks after every trip to keep it from smelling?
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Old 07-03-2023, 08:50 AM   #2
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Originally Posted by stevenapril View Post
We went on a two day trip and returned home with the black and gray tanks at 25%. After a few days sitting in the driveway it smells inside. I flushed a deodorizing packet before we headed home from the trip but that didn't seem to help.

We're headed back out for another two day trip in a few days. Do I have to empty the tanks after every trip to keep it from smelling?
Always, always, always - dump your black and gray tanks when breaking camp or on the way home.

And always, always, always add back at least 5 gallons of freshwater - never let your gray and black tanks go dry.

Read up on”the Geo Method” - YouTube is your friend there.
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Old 07-03-2023, 08:52 AM   #3
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be sure to refil p traps after dumping. sometimes, the suction caused by dumping both tanks is too much for the venting system, and the ptraps under the sinks, and shower drains are sucked dry, allowing sewer gas to enter the coach.
ive found the kitchen sink drains stink more than the bath sink and shower drains.
thats why i put deoderant down the sink drains as well. it doesnt hurt.
just my opinion. i know there are others,.
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Old 07-03-2023, 10:54 AM   #4
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A "deodorizer" or other treatment isn't going to make a 50 gallon tank of sh*t smell nice. There's no more of a chance of smells inside while sitting vacant as occupied if the vent system is sound. I've gotten into the habit of just putting the drain stoppers in the sinks and a disc stopper for the shower between trips, and that minimizes anything coming up in the event of a dry trap.

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Old 07-03-2023, 11:36 AM   #5
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A "deodorizer" or other treatment isn't going to make a 50 gallon tank of sh*t smell nice. There's no more of a chance of smells inside while sitting vacant as occupied if the vent system is sound. I've gotten into the habit of just putting the drain stoppers in the sinks and a disc stopper for the shower between trips, and that minimizes anything coming up in the event of a dry trap.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
I filled the traps with water and the smell went away. I'll find some stoppers for all of the drains to prevent this in the future.
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Old 07-03-2023, 12:45 PM   #6
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I filled the traps with water and the smell went away. I'll find some stoppers for all of the drains to prevent this in the future.


Your tank vent might be stopped up and sucking water out of traps . You might could run sink for a second to fill after dumping.
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Old 07-04-2023, 08:45 AM   #7
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Always, always, always - dump your black and gray tanks when breaking camp or on the way home.

And always, always, always add back at least 5 gallons of freshwater - never let your gray and black tanks go dry.

Read up on”the Geo Method” - YouTube is your friend there.
I've never, in over 40 years, added water to the tanks after dumping. Replaced one gray valve in all that time, pretty sure because of it being worn out after being around 18 years old.

As far as smell, it should not matter how much is left in the tank. Something's wrong with the plumbing if it stinks when sitting in a driveway. In this case, looks like a P trap issue. Water inside a trap does not normally dry up/evaporate in just a few days.
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Old 07-04-2023, 09:45 AM   #8
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I've never, in over 40 years, added water to the tanks after dumping. Replaced one gray valve in all that time, pretty sure because of it being worn out after being around 18 years old.
Good for you!

Your use characteristics and your procedure for dumping (when you do dump) may be outside of that of the typical user.

If you flush your tanks clean every time you dump - you won’t have a problem storing dry, and you’ll be less likely to have odor issues.

I’m always surprised to hear of people having issues with their dump valves that require total replacement.

Thought I was going to have to replace the “new to us” 20 year old gray dump valve as it was a bear to open and close.
Then the black valve did the same thing.
Read up on all the shade tree mechanics advice about drilling a hole in the valve body, installing a zerk fitting and filling the valve body with grease.

Thought I would try a shot of dry silicone on the valve stem - darn near knocked myself out as I fell over when pushing the stem back in it slid so easy.

Everyone’s specific use eliminates absolutes when it comes to solutions and remedies - again, it’s kinda like hand-grenades and horseshoes.
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Old 07-04-2023, 10:53 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by Mudfrog View Post
I've never, in over 40 years, added water to the tanks after dumping. Replaced one gray valve in all that time, pretty sure because of it being worn out after being around 18 years old.

As far as smell, it should not matter how much is left in the tank. Something's wrong with the plumbing if it stinks when sitting in a driveway. In this case, looks like a P trap issue. Water inside a trap does not normally dry up/evaporate in just a few days.
I agree the P Traps should not dry out that fast... need to figure out how to determine if there is an issue with them... any suggestions? For now I put stoppers in all sinks/shower and put some water in the sinks/shower to ensure it's sealed... that seems to solve the issue.
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Old 07-04-2023, 12:05 PM   #10
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I agree the P Traps should not dry out that fast... need to figure out how to determine if there is an issue with them... any suggestions? For now I put stoppers in all sinks/shower and put some water in the sinks/shower to ensure it's sealed... that seems to solve the issue.
Stoppers in the drains or water in the traps - your choice. But if the traps are going dry, you might want to make sure you don’t have a trap leak - otherwise, you might try keeping the coach on at least 3 wheels to insure the traps don’t get dumped out.
FWIW - no difference in the plumbing for a MoHo than for a home relative to sewer smell - other than one is generally more mobile than the other.
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Old 07-04-2023, 12:19 PM   #11
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I never leave my MH tanks with anything in it except clean water when it is stored. Dump your tanks before storage and you will find a big difference in the smell.
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Old 07-04-2023, 08:23 PM   #12
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Good for you!

Your use characteristics and your procedure for dumping (when you do dump) may be outside of that of the typical user.

If you flush your tanks clean every time you dump - you won’t have a problem storing dry, and you’ll be less likely to have odor issues.

I’m always surprised to hear of people having issues with their dump valves that require total replacement.

Thought I was going to have to replace the “new to us” 20 year old gray dump valve as it was a bear to open and close.
Then the black valve did the same thing.
Read up on all the shade tree mechanics advice about drilling a hole in the valve body, installing a zerk fitting and filling the valve body with grease.

Thought I would try a shot of dry silicone on the valve stem - darn near knocked myself out as I fell over when pushing the stem back in it slid so easy.

Everyone’s specific use eliminates absolutes when it comes to solutions and remedies - again, it’s kinda like hand-grenades and horseshoes.
That's for sure! There are many variables such as how a person uses their rig, the efficiency of the plumbing, etc,,,.

I do try to represent with my posts, the experiences I have had over the years. They're what has worked fine for me and are certainly not set in stone.

I'm all about keeping things simple, and imo, holding tanks, at least on the RVs we've owned, have always been very simple to deal with. I don't flush the tanks or add water to them after a dump. But as they say, ymmv.
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Old 07-04-2023, 08:38 PM   #13
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I agree the P Traps should not dry out that fast... need to figure out how to determine if there is an issue with them... any suggestions? For now I put stoppers in all sinks/shower and put some water in the sinks/shower to ensure it's sealed... that seems to solve the issue.
Not positive but I think I read someplace, maybe in these forums, that the person's tank developed a negative pressure inside it while traveling down the road. Venturi type effect maybe? If so, I suppose it could be enough to suck a P trap dry and that it was dry by the time you got home. Really no ideas otherwise..
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Old 07-05-2023, 07:35 AM   #14
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Not positive but I think I read someplace, maybe in these forums, that the person's tank developed a negative pressure inside it while traveling down the road. Venturi type effect maybe? If so, I suppose it could be enough to suck a P trap dry and that it was dry by the time you got home. Really no ideas otherwise..
That seems like a reasonable explanation as I'll refill the traps and it's fine now. I'll just refill them every time I get home.
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