Below are two answers for that Odor that just happens. I have had oder from all the tanks, fresh, grey and black. You have to know that it is caused by bacteria. That bacteria can be caused by just about anything but it will cause a smell that is not fun for anyone.
As is stated below in one of them it happens most often when there is very little water in the tank and we don’t get it dumped out soon enough. One thing I might add to the below recommendations is to always put as much water in the black tank as you can stand before use. This helps to give a volume to break down the waste and liquify the solids. I put at least 5 gallons of fresh in the grey tank and at least that much or more in the black before we start a trip. The movement helps to slosh around and get that tank ready to take on waste.
For the fresh water, I almost always drain it when we will not use it for and extended time. If we have not used it for a month or more (winter storage) I take the time to do at least a complete flush, even though it may have been dry, and generally do a double flush and by doing that I run fresh (city-clorinated water) through all the faucets to put that 5 gallons in the tanks.
I find that I don’t need to do the “Clorox” treatment as often if I do a little more care during use and before each trip. Most of this would not be totally necessary if I could be out in the motor home most of the time. It would be much smoother than but since we are not retired and can’t “full-time” or even “most-time” YET!… I do what I have to do. Read on for some really good advice and methods for eliminating that odor and care of your tanks. – WD0AJG
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Odors in our motorhomes come in many different forms and are caused by many different sources. Some odors are pleasant, like fresh coffee brewing in the morning, and some are not so pleasant. The “not so pleasant” category includes holding tank odors, pet odors, cooking, smoke, and must and mildew odors, just to name a few. Some of these odors result from normal use of the motorhome. Others stem from the motorhome sitting in storage. Today I want to give you my top seven tips to help control and eliminate some of these unpleasant odors. 1. Because motorhomes are relatively small in size when compared to a 2,000-square-foot home, odors tend to be more pronounced. In addition, motorhomes often sit closed up for periods of time, which compounds the odor problems. This leads to one of the key factors for controlling odors: ventilation. 2. Ventilation not only helps with odors, but can limit the amount of heat buildup in the motorhome, too. A quick fix for this odor-related problem is to install aftermarket roof vent covers, such as MaxxAir vent covers, over the existing roof vents. The vent covers are easy to install. A great feature of these products is that you can leave the roof vents open, even when it’s raining outside. These ventilation products will keep the air circulating throughout your motorhome and help prevent musty odors. 3. With the ventilation problem solved we can focus on other types of odors that linger in our motorhomes. These odor molecules aren’t just in the air; they get in the fabrics, carpets, ceiling, window treatments and other areas of the RV. Smoke, pet odors and musty odors can be difficult to eliminate. During my days of selling RVs I witnessed RV interiors that were professionally cleaned, but odors, like smoke, still remained afterward. I also experimented with many different odor-control products, but perhaps the best product I found for eliminating difficult odors is Fabreze. Plenty of air fresheners just mask common odors, but in many cases masking an odor won’t eliminate it. You need something that can kill the odor that causes bacteria to linger in the air, which is what Fabreze is supposed to do. After RV trips, or before storage, clean the motorhome thoroughly and spray Fabreze throughout. Don’t forget to spray the upholstery, carpet and fabrics, too. 4. To help prevent cooking odors from becoming permanent odors in your motorhome, make sure you turn the range exhaust fan on whenever you are cooking, and it’s a good idea to open a window, too. To maximize the efficiency of the range exhaust fan, keep the filter clean. On some motorhomes it is necessary to go outside and open the range exhaust fan door so the cooking odors actually vent outside. Check your motorhome owners manual for more details concerning maintenance and operation of your range exhaust fan. 5. When it’s time to put the motorhome in storage there are several steps you can take to assist with controlling and eliminating common household odors. First, thoroughly clean the interior of the motorhome. Remove all perishable food and leave cabinet doors and drawers open so air can circulate. Defrost the freezer and thoroughly clean the refrigerator. Leave the refrigerator and freezer doors cracked open. I put a small tin of charcoal in the refrigerator compartment to help absorb any odors. Baking soda works well, too. If you decide to leave your clothes in the motorhome during periods of storage, use some mothballs to help control musty odors and leave the wardrobe doors and clothing drawers open to promote air circulation. 6. This brings us to the least favorite topic when discussing odors in our motorhome: RV holding tank odors. The good news is there are some effective methods for controlling these odors, and it doesn’t involve strong chemicals that can be dangerous to humans, pets and septic systems. First, it would probably be helpful to explain why we sometimes get a bad odor from the RV’s black water holding tank, especially when you are traveling. Motorhome holding tanks are designed with a vent pipe going from the holding tanks to the roof. The holding tank odors accumulate in the tank and can’t really vent outside because there is no air pressure to force these gasses (odors) up and out of the vent pipe. The real problem occurs when wind blows across the vent cap on top of the RV roof, and this air pressure escalates when you are traveling. The higher air pressure forces air down the vent pipe, pushing the tank gasses (odors) to the only other way out of the system, the toilet. Whenever the air pressure is higher inside the holding tank, than it is inside the RV, the odor escapes into the RV by way of the toilet when it is flushed. The good news is there are aftermarket RV products that will help solve holding tank odor problems caused by the design of the RV wastewater system. These products are basically a redesigned breather system that attaches to the top of the vent pipe and actually draws the fumes out of the holding tank. These products work when the RV is stationary and when it’s moving. 7. Another problem associated with RV holding tank odors is the use of strong chemicals to help control these holding tank odors. Some of these formaldehyde-based chemicals are dangerous to humans, pets and the septic systems that we empty our holding tanks into. Because little water is used, in comparison to a domestic wastewater system, RV holding tank wastewater is far more concentrated. The organic strength from the mixture in an RV holding tank can be 15 to 20 times stronger than a typical wastewater system. This problem is compounded when the RVer gets some odors from the holding tank and dumps even more chemicals in the holding tank in an attempt to control the odors. I am a big advocate for saving our RV dump stations. I recommend using a holding tank treatment that is environmentally friendly and safe to use in septic systems. Enzyme-based holding tank treatments, combined with a redesigned vent breather system, can effectively control holding tank odors. Don’t be afraid to put some holding tank treatment in the gray water holding tanks, too. When the gray tank is empty add some water, and the holding tank treatment, to the sink drains to help keep the gray water tank free of odors. I add some dishwashing liquid to the gray water tank periodically to assist with breaking down and grease and keep the holding tank clean. So it’s safe to say, with proper ventilation and a few good aftermarket RV products you can eliminate all of the tough odors commonly associated with enjoying our motorhomes.
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By Mark PolkYour motorhome is a very small confined space for you and your loved ones to enjoy your leisure time. There are few things worse than spoiling this time with a foul smell in your vehicle and / or living space. There are three common causes of bad odour in a motorhome – waste water, malfunctioning toilet and dampness.
Bad smells caused by the waste water are common to the novice motorhome owner. After all you only wash a few dishes, brush your teeth, wash your hands a few times, how bad can the odour be? You’ve only put five or ten litres of waste water in the holding tank. You will find that the smell is not too bad on day one or two, but if not emptied soon it will start form quite a pungent odour after a while. This is then magnified if left stagnant for a while and then you decide to take a drive. Of course the smell will come back up the sinks plugholes. There are a number of precautions you can take to eradicate this problem. Firstly you can use tablets that de-odourise your waste water tank. They dissolve in your tank and modify the odour of your waste water. It is also recommended that you rinse clean your waste water tank, at least once a year with a cleaning agent. It’s also good practice to plug your sinks when in transit.
A malfunctioning toilet is an obvious source of foul odour in your leisure vehicle. Thetford are the most common manufacturer of motorhome toilet and they usually provide simple instruction to follow on toilet usage and functionality. Make sure that you toilet cassette is properly sealed and that there are no leak or cracks. A cheap or inappropriate chemical agent may not be working properly in your toilet. If you have kids, make sure to train them properly in the usage of you particular motorhome toilet. It is good practice to not allow your cassette not reach maximum capacity. For example, my current toilet cassette has a maximum capacity of 20 litres, with a warning light activating at 17 litres. I always try to empty at about 12 or 14 litres.
The final common cause of a bad odour in you leisure vehicle can be dampness. Usually the result of you motorhome not wintering too well, dampness can be difficult to cure and can cause a typical damp type odour in you van. The only solution is to track the source of the dampness, which is usually poor ventilation or a leak, and eliminate as soon as possible, before this causes even more problems. Happy motorhoming. Here’s wishing you many happy days in your motorhome, with a fresh smell filling the air.
AboutMotorhomes.com promotes best practice when it comes to caring for your leisure vehicle. For all about motorhome maintenance, motorhome accessories and all you need to know about campers motorhomes …enjoy AboutMotorhomes.com.
Author: Myles Long
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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