| Author |
Message |
DAVE SPURGEON (63.25.78.105)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, October 30, 2001 - 10:45 pm: | |
COULD SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME HOW TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM OF BLACK WATER ODOR WHILE IN MOTION? I HAVE NO PROBLEM WHILE SITTING. I USE ODORLOS DRY CHEMICAL IN MY 40 GALLON BLACK TANK. AS SOON AS I START GOING DOWN THE ROAD, MY TOILET STALL SMELLS LIKE AN OUT HOUSE. I UNDERSTAND THE STUFF GETS ALL STIRRED UP, BUT SURELY SOMEONE HAS COME UP WITH AN ANSWER TO THIS ISSUE.
I AM ALSO INTERESTED IN INSTALLING LARGER HOLDING TANKS IN MY MC8. WOULD APPRECIATE ANY LEADS ON WHO TO CONTACT. |
Jojo Colina (Du1jec) (24.20.237.69)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, October 30, 2001 - 11:36 pm: | |
1. Make sure you leave some water in the toilet.
2. Make sure all drains have p-traps installed to keep the odor out. Run some water into drains to make sure p-traps have water prior to moving.
Some installations I have seen seem to forget the need for p-traps on all drains since this takes up room under the coach.
When I bought my coach it did exactly what yours did until I installed a p-trap in the shower drain.
Hope this helps. |
Jim Ashworth (Jimnh) (172.160.110.52)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, October 31, 2001 - 8:02 am: | |
Don't run with the driver window open and close off the vents in the entry door. Also eliminate any air leakage at the front sides of the bus, including the floor. Reason: As the bus goes throught the air, low pressure is created at the entry door and driver window area. At 70 mph this is sufficient to suck holding tank air out through the traps, even if they have water in them. Flushing the john in motion is nearly suicidal as far as letting odor into the bus is concerned! If you can't eliminate the passage of air, try going to a formaldehyde based holding tank deodorizer and drain the tank frequently.
Jim |
R Johnstone (Chilebrew) (164.64.174.66)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, October 31, 2001 - 1:52 pm: | |
JoJo and Jim are correct. You don't even need 70MPH to create low pressure in side. Your toilet isn't sealing, or something else connected to your black tank isn't sealed. When you've corrected this, you've just masked the real problem: your chemicals are killing the aerobic bacteria that should be decomposing the waste; when you dump, you're poisoning that system.
In short, you shouldn't have stink to start with. Make sure your tank's vent is open to the outside; make sure air can get TO the tank (those little buggers need to breathe, too); flush it out to get rid of the chemicals; give it a live starter such as used for septic tanks. When the bacteria are happy, you will be too. |
Steve Sanford (208.187.23.125)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, October 31, 2001 - 2:42 pm: | |
If you p traps are full of water the most likely sorce of the smell is the toilet. I had the same problem before we changed to a newer china toilet. Come to find out the smell was coming from the overflow protection in the toilet, not the seal. You may want to check that. STeve |
Scott Whitney (63.151.69.220)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, October 31, 2001 - 3:40 pm: | |
I think Jim Asworth's advice is spot-on with the low pressure situation. I notice that effect, too, with a curtain near my head. It will get sucked clean out the window if I forget to close the driver's window . . . Personally, however, I would diverge on the use of formaldehyde and lean more towards R Johnstone's thoughts there. Maybe only as a last resort kill the bugs, but you haven't really solved the problem that way, just masked it. In my old RV, I used to use a potion of bleach and Pine Sol. THAT was a mistake. Never could get the smell right. . . Now in my bus with a brand new sewer system, I go 'all natural' and it works great. Keeping the little $^!+ eating bugs alive is the best symbiotic relationship you can ask for inside your tank(s), IMO. Of course, the traps, proper venting, and no leaks are crucial to any sewer system.
Scott |
Jim Ashworth (Jimnh) (172.153.182.140)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, October 31, 2001 - 4:38 pm: | |
I, too, use enzyme treatment. It's Roebic Lab's holding tank treatment. Only place I've found it is online from DSS Enterprises (www.tryrk.com). My suggestion for formaldehyde was for a quick fix to get rid of the smell until a more permanent solution was found.
Jim |
Gene R (12.13.175.48)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, October 31, 2001 - 6:10 pm: | |
Something else to think about. When my tank is full and I open the dump, the stuff goes out so fast it sucks all the traps dry. Even with a good 2 inch vent in the system, the larger dump pipe pulls more air than it can get thru the vent, so the traps become a source for air and lose their water. If I don't remember to run water into them before driving, I will have the smell also. With the water in the traps, I have absolutely no odor down the road with the drivers window open. FWIW. Gene R |
C. Ray Powell (Raypowell) (205.188.197.163)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, November 01, 2001 - 7:13 pm: | |
This was my odor problem when in transit with front window open.
The vent pipe thru the roof had slipped down a little and was partial venting into the ceiling cavity.
C Ray |
Ted Calvert (Chowbus) (192.132.225.130)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, November 01, 2001 - 7:31 pm: | |
From a discussion, from the June, '01 Archives.
Subject "Plop, plop, Whiz, Whiz, etc.:
"For the Little Stinker vent cap go to
WWW.LSLPRODUCTS.COM"
I'm going to try this.
Ted. |
RTS Matt (12.64.12.72)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, November 01, 2001 - 10:19 pm: | |
Okay Dave,
It seems you have no shortage of advice, but are you saying when you flush the head you get the smell under way?
This was the problem I had in my bus. If you used it under way it would make you almost pass out. What was happening was while under way air was being forced in through the vent cap. If you open the head to flush you get a nose full.
So how I took care of the problem was to pull the old round vent cap off and install a new Vac-U-Jet vent. (cost $13.99) This is the description on the package: Removes odors from holding tanks and toilets through a wind vacuum created while traveling. You know that even sound technical. I bought mine at a local RV Dealer.
Hope this helps.
RTS Matt |
rcook (198.207.223.228)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, November 02, 2001 - 11:34 pm: | |
My tanks were not vented by the previous owner. I vented the tank and then put on the Vac-U-Jet vent and I can travel and flush on the way with no problems with odors.
Rod
4905 |
drivingmisslazy (65.141.56.242)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, November 04, 2001 - 9:13 pm: | |
My toilet had two small overflow holes near the to of the toilet. I plugged them with silicone and viola, the odors were gone. These overflfows go directly to the holding tank with no trak of any kind. |
Jim Stacy (12.87.110.179)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, November 04, 2001 - 10:39 pm: | |
The toilet overflow port is another path to the holding tank around the toilet valve. The purpose is to send excess water to the holding tank if the supply valve for the stool sticks open.
This path is through a clear vinyl hose that has a dip in it to act as a trap. The stool water supply valve is supposed to add a smsll amount of water to this line every time you flush. If this doesn't happen or the line is not properly routed, you can get tank odor.
The most effective chemical we have used is equal parts of ammonia, Pine Sol and Dawn dish soap. I don't know about keeping litle critters alive, but it sure works great.
Jim Stacy |