smell after black water drained - RV-Dreams Community Forum

vonda · RV-Dreams Community Member

smell after black water drained

Barbaraok · RV-Dreams Family Member

Smell where? Outside, when adding water, etc.

LarryW21 · RV-Dreams Family Member

Just can’t beat shaking the black tank up driving down the road.

vonda · RV-Dreams Community Member

After i empty the black tank. Keeping in mind it has never been flushed with grey water or high pressure of any sort in at least a year.

A-S Travelers · RV-Dreams Family Member

vonda wrote:
After i empty the black tank. Keeping in mind it has never been flushed with grey water or high pressure of any sort in at least a year.

Assuming you are smelling the order while inside the RV......

-- The seal between the bottom of the toilet and metal ring the toilet attaches to may have deteriorated and allowing fumes to come up. Here is a link to the seals used on the toilets. Which one you need depends on your toilet. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=rv+toilet+seal&crid=11NYGQAEQ8KLO&sprefix=rv+toilet+se%2Caps%2C241&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_4_12

-- Does your toilet bowl hold water for several hours, or does the water leak out in 20-30 minutes? Leaky seal will allow fumes to come back up into the RV. Calcium from the water builds up on the seal causing it to leak. Turn off the water in the RV, holding open the toilet flush valve, use your hand (rubber gloves recommended) take paper towels and spray cleaner and scrub off the flush valve. Don't drop the paper towels into the black tank. When you finish cleaning, use silcone faucet grease to rub on the flush valve. https://www.amazon.com/Danco-80360-Waterproof-Faucet-Grease/dp/B000DZFUNY/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3VJVH6BDPOC1P&keywords=silicon+plumbers+grease&qid=1552910969&s=gateway&sprefix=silocon+plumb%2Caps%2C292&sr=8-3 If the toilet continues to leak you need a new flush valve or rubber seal. Sometimes it is easier to just replace the toilet than to try to fix the flush valve.

-- Use this type of spray rod to stick down the toilet and spray out the black tank. https://www.amazon.com/Valterra-A01-0184VP-Master-Blaster-Nozzle/dp/B000BGHYDO/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2DVLFI6W9X4AP&keywords=rv+black+tank+wand&qid=1552910310&s=gateway&sprefix=rv+black%2Caps%2C240&sr=8-4 That is assuming you don't have some sort of bends in the drain from the toilet to the black tank that will keep you from getting the rod down to the tank. .

-- Take a hose up on the roof and flush down the black tank vent pipe. The cap should just pop off of the top of the vent pipe. Some have a bit of a flexible hinge on one side of the cap so work it up from all sides until it comes off.

vonda · RV-Dreams Community Member

The odor is both interior and exterior but my toilet holds water. I will try the wand as I can not move the unit to agitate the black water tank. It was bad when I emptied it Saturday. I added extra water and it subsided. I thank you all so very much for your advice. Regards, Vonda

vonda · RV-Dreams Community Member

Fairly sure, after everything that I have read this weekend, I understand what needs to happen to prevent this horrid smell in the future. Again many thanks. I was just told to open the black tank once a month and use as little RV paper as possible. The previous owner saw me coming and I needed a home. It will be fine once I get the black water tank cleared out a bit.

Barbaraok · RV-Dreams Family Member

How big is the tank and why are you only dumping it once a month? Your stationery, hooked up to sewer, correct? DOUBLE the amount of water you use (or triple it) and go pull the dump handle once every 10 days. Always put in 5 gallons, or so, of water after you dump. Throw some baking soda in to help the bacteria and things should improve.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Agree with Barb. If your black tank is left open, then the solids won't be flushed out unless one uses a lot of water with every flush. We are currently in a park where they suggested we leave the black tank valve open and use lots of water. I just can't do that. We do have a trash can next to the toilet where we put the toilet paper after use, but I refuse to leave the black tank open.

Terry

RonC · RV-Dreams Family Member

vonda wrote:
I live in a stationary 5th wheel and the grey water is directly sent to the sewer. The black water, however, must be emptied at least once a month. Then I get the odor. I have been here one year and have never ran the grey water into the black water holding tank. (I can't do this) I just open the black water and it flows to the sewer line. I then close it, put a chemical in the tank and fill the bowl several times, calling it good. I will check the vent in the am, inserting snake to be sure it is good. Will replace vent cap, making sure it is sealed. I will also use detergent and calgon. Should I run the hose through a window to further flush and try to rid the smell? I'm reading all these posts and I am very thankful you are here.

Vonda ... after reading this post, those of us who are RVers ASSUME that the black tank valve is closed and that you dump it once per month ... but honestly, I'm not sure you can go a month without dumping, so I'm just verifying ... that you keep the black tank CLOSED in between dumpings. As Barb suggested ... use A LOT of water when you flush. By doing that, you will probably need to dump more often (10 days is a good guess). IF you have been leaving the black tank valve OPEN between dumpings. You have built a "poo mountain" ... which is a definite source of oder. By closing the black tank in between dumpings, you will eventually soften and remove the poo mountain. I don't mean to confuse the issue, but I just wanted to use more exact language to be sure we were all on the same page. Many newbies think when they are hooked up, the tanks can all be open and that is not true, particularly the black tank. That "stuff" needs to kept wet and sloppy so that when the black tank valve is opened it flows out of the black tank, as designed.

Regards,

Ron

just a bit more. When you close the black tank valve, verify that the valve is actually closed (the trickle of water should STOP as a result of closing the valve). If the trickle of water doesn’t stop, that means your black tank valve is leaking. This is not good because your black tank must hold water in order for it to function as a holding tank. If the Black tank valve leaks, the liquid in your waste will drain out, leaving the solids behind ... creating the poo mountain.

-- Edited by RonC on Thursday 28th of March 2019 06:43:20 PM

vonda · RV-Dreams Community Member

Ron, My blackwater handle is broken.....I'm filling the tank with tons of water and it seems to have subsided but after all the reading I have done, I am sure I have a mountain in there. It's been set up this way for 10 years the prior owner stated....Vonda

RonC · RV-Dreams Family Member

Vonda ... I'm confused. In your original post you said

"I just open the black water and it flows to the sewer line. I then close it, put a chemical in the tank and fill the bowl several times, calling it good."

If your black water handle is broken, how are you doing this? The only way you will get rid of the poo mountain is to close the black tank so that liquid is retained in the tank between dumpings. Otherwise this will lead to an expensive tank flush by a company that does such things. If your black tank valve control handle is broken, I'd suggest you get it fixed.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Follow up on Ron's last post. If one's toilet is like ours and drops its contents directly into the black tank, one can do some flushing and cleaning using a garden hose in order to get rid of the "pyramid of death." (Don't ask me how I know this.) However, if the "mountain" is pretty large, it will take a lot of flushing with the garden hose down through the opening in the toilet to the tank. To some degree, the end of the garden hose can be moved around a bit to help "dissolve" the pile.

Without the possibility of a tank flush system on the RV, one can get one of these at RV parts places and insert down into the tank. This will allow the nozzle at the end to spray around some on the sides and other areas near the bottom of the tank by raising and lowering the nozzle end.

Camco RV Flexible Swivel Stik with Shutoff Valve

Even though we have a black tank flush system on our fifth wheel, I still carry one of these in our "basement." One never knows when it can be loaned to a person in need of cleaning their tank.

Terry