# Thetford loo smell



## hogan (Jun 29, 2010)

Never being one to stay more than 2 nights on a site or aire.I have now found myself having to stay on a site at Titchfield Hampshire until the first of Sept.Its a long story daughter very ill in hosp.We have been here since May 19th and our loo is very smelly.
We use loo blue and never had a problem before.Is it the fact that we are not moving therefore the chemicals are not working properly.
Or just the heat (no problem when in Spain).
I have checked all the seals and they appear all ok.
Any of you full timers got any tips?
I read on this site somewhere that people use washing powder ?

Hogan
holding his nose in wildest Hampshire


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## vindiboy (Jun 29, 2010)

I guess it could be that as you are not moving ,the waste in the cassette is not getting mixed with the loo blue so the chemical can't work properly, try giving the  cassette a shake or two so all gets mixed  up better.I live in Southampton and was wondering what the awful smell was LOL LOL LOL


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## Mastodon (Jun 29, 2010)

SOG kit works for us


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## Deleted member 2636 (Jun 30, 2010)

Got the same problem and the van has been moving. The seals appear to be in good nick. I use two of the Elsan sachets in the tank. I also have a main holding tank as well
So 1 removable tank=12L for the over-night stops and a fixed tank for 47L. Idea is that one uses the smaller tank for a day trip or simple over-nighter. You then use the WC and then transfer to the main holding tank when stopped in one place for a while

any ideas?


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## vindiboy (Jun 30, 2010)

Mastodon said:


> SOG kit works for us


  I agree with that, my van has a SOG, great bit of kit, bit wiffy when you empty the cassette though, but as you are not wasting any chemical   you can empty every day and so little smell, BUT  the original  poster  does not seem to have a SOG fitted hence his question.


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## vera (Jun 30, 2010)

*Thetford*

I read the thread on another forum about people using Washing liquid so we decided to try it on our 3 week trip to Germany and Sweden as we knew it was mainly wild camping.
I must admit it worked for us, I just bought Sainsburys own Wasing liquid I got the non bio. We just use half a cap every time we empty the loo.
And no it does not bubble up.
Maybe it is worth a try for you if it does not work you could always do your washing with it.
Sue


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## vwalan (Jun 30, 2010)

try a tea spoon of vinegar . and dont keep washing it out always try to leave a little bit in the cassette you need bacteria .good bacteria. never washed mine for years. i know it sounds bad .wash the outside but never wash the inside. treat it like a little sewage works. they use bacteria.


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## Deleted member 2636 (Jun 30, 2010)

vwalan said:


> try a tea spoon of vinegar . and dont keep washing it out always try to leave a little bit in the cassette you need bacteria .good bacteria. never washed mine for years. i know it sounds bad .wash the outside but never wash the inside. treat it like a little sewage works. they use bacteria.



There are some American products that add the requiste bacteria to the tank - don't know what they're called though

I'll try the vinegar trick because sometimes the smell suddenly wells up when you are driving along


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## Boxerman (Jun 30, 2010)

vera said:


> I must admit it worked for us, I just bought Sainsburys own Wasing liquid I got the non bio. We just use half a cap every time we empty the loo.
> Sue


Hi Sue, I was under the impression that that it was the *Bio* one that you were supposed to use as the enzymes "eat" the poo? 
We're using the Elsan organic toilet fluid (purple) and I heard about using washing tablets on here. 
Can someone enlighten me please? or should I buy some more purple Elsan fluid?. I need to use something that will not poison septic tanks. 
I'm not convinced that I want a SOG system, our toilet hatch is on the same side of the van as the sliding door and I have visions of sitting out in the sun, under the awning being wafted by the aroma coming from the loo cassette.

Frank


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## Belgian (Jun 30, 2010)

No chemicals for me, no blue (or green) Thetford or else....
I got this from a Dutchman (you now how close-fisted they are - even more than the Scotch ): 
Forget all chemicals. Buy the cheapest shampoo you find in a supermarket. 
Half a cup in the casette. 
Everything comes into liquid, and you have a good smell too (you can even choose between citron, strawberry, roses ....)
(I wouldn't recommend the contents of the cassette for washing your hair though )
Works even with SOG;
Happy smells
Leo


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## Deleted member 775 (Jun 30, 2010)

hi all we use is sink and drain unblocker from any pound shop and also a small amount of pine toilet cleaner no smell and also no solid matter when we empty ,also as the stuff we use is the same as you would use at home there are no problems with disposal in the public toilets


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## Boxerman (Jun 30, 2010)

mandrake said:


> also as the stuff we use is the same as you would use at home there are no problems with disposal in the public toilets



In towns perhaps. At home we're on a sewer system, many of the public toilets in the "wilds" of Scotland, and no doubt other places, use a septic tank which need bacteria in order to work. I should think that stuff which kills germs also kills bacteria. 
Some (if not all) toilets at piers & ferry terminals discharge into the sea, so whatever you put down them gets diluted straight away.

I use the "eco" stuff 'cos it won't do any harm no matter which type of public loo I empty my cassette into. I asked about the bio washing powder/liquid/tablets as a possible alternative to the purple Elsan stuff.

Frank


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## hogan (Jun 30, 2010)

Thanks all I have descaled with vinegar and given it a good dose of milton will see what happens in a few days.
May even try Leos shampoo idea.


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## vwalan (Jun 30, 2010)

having worked in the sewage industry i think all the blue ,green, eco ,stuff is not really what you need it causes real problems on small sewage works . here in cornwall its a night mare .good systems piosoned by the so called eco products .having discussed this with the scientists and the site operators . thats how i advise vinegar. i know not cleaning the inside seems wrong but you do need a real bacteria to build up. i leave mine even for months when its not in use dirty it builds the bacteria. getting the right paper or burning it bit like in spain is a good way. even inks from wrappers put down a toilet with cess pit is enough to kill the bacteria. i keep saying bacteria its that that eats the s--t. never mind keep smiling .cheers alan.


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## Deleted member 2636 (Jun 30, 2010)

How much vinegar would you use?


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## Boxerman (Jul 1, 2010)

vwalan said:


> having worked in the sewage industry i think all the blue ,green, eco ,stuff is not really what you need it causes real problems on small sewage works .



Hi Alan, I would appreciate your opinion of the stuff I'm using:
Elsan Organic Toilet Fluid
I switched to this because the blurb says it uses "biological technology" and I assume it is OK for septic tanks.
What exactly does vinegar do?

Rgds
Frank


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## vwalan (Jul 1, 2010)

i spoke to an operator last year when this came up. he thought it was wording and not a great advantage over the other stuff. likehe said why addanything . bacteria is free. as for the vinegar it apears it helps the anorarobic digestion of the s--t. i aint no chemist. i asked lots while i worked for the water company. about sewage and about cleaning water for drinking. . that why i bought a ceramic filter with silver for drinking the real bad water ..silver is a purifier, .but try no addatives in the toilet and dont wash the insides .its free it works. if you dont think so revert back .it takes awhile for the bacteria so dont expect it over night.most things in life are very simple if you use nature .if you have a cesspit at home they add dead sheap full of worms and stinking to get bacteria..dont go putting dead mice in your cassette though . small children work fine ,ha ha.


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## Nosha (Jul 1, 2010)

Just a thought... but on about our second day in France (30-32c) my wife complained the loo stank, I thought I had forgotten to add the 'blue', emptied loo, still smelly, then realised it WASN'T the loo, but the shower tray!!!!

U bend had dried out in heat and us using the site showers so waste water tank was 'venting' up through the shower plug hole! Poured a cup of water down the shower tray plug hole and NO smell.

Worth a try!!


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## vwalan (Jul 1, 2010)

that can be a problem they also empty when travelling. best get a flat piece of rubber and keep over the plug hole . you can buy emergency plug hole covers in pound shops come with rubber push on tap connectors as a kit. .always have a push on connector and short piece of tube good for getting water out from wash basin taps. and filling containers .


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## Randonneur (Jul 2, 2010)

We have been using biological washing tablets in our loo since last year after reading about their use on here. 
Buy the cheapest tesco or any other make bio tablets about £3.00 a box of 48.

Chuck in two with a pint of water after you've emptied your cassette. They have the enzymes that digest the poo and also leave a nice soapy smell, not the elsan / thetford chemical smell. And best of all they are available anywhere there is a shop or supermarket. You could also use one in your flush water tank when you top that up.

Are you sure the smell is your loo and not your grey water tank??

We sometimes found on ours that a sewage type smell tends to come back up the sink outlet pipe if its been standing for a while then you drive it and it starts sloshing around. We now use our bio tablets in there as well and it seems to keep it smelling sweet.

This works for us, at least it's cheap enough to give it a go if you want.


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## tony (Jul 2, 2010)

hogan said:


> Never being one to stay more than 2 nights on a site or aire.I have now found myself having to stay on a site at Titchfield Hampshire until the first of Sept.Its a long story daughter very ill in hosp.We have been here since May 19th and our loo is very smelly.
> We use loo blue and never had a problem before.Is it the fact that we are not moving therefore the chemicals are not working properly.
> Or just the heat (no problem when in Spain).
> I have checked all the seals and they appear all ok.
> ...



hi i do hope your daughter gets better soon & everything gets back to normal.
tony


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## WandrinStar (Jul 3, 2010)

Sorry to hear about your daughter, hope things are improving ...

I thought I would just let you and other members know about an amazing ecological Dry Waste system you can use as an alternative to Thetford and other chemical waste systems with the portapotti etc.  its a waste acceleration system using a gel which is similar to that used in disposable nappies.  They are landfill-approved and in the 5 years I've been using them while camping have never had a problem with them smelling whatsoever...

they're called Wagbags (nothing to do with footballers' wives though perhaps they should be!) and WAG stands for Waste Activated Gel.  they are part of a system called the PETT.  The Pett Toilet System

I buy my WAG bags from a company called EPS goggles:  EPS Goggles UK
 - don't ask, it's complicated!  - based in the UK.   They really are worth a try and particularly suited to wild campers who may want to even take one or two out and about for when and if they get caught short out on a wallk/hike etc.!

hope this is useful/helpful and really do hope your daughter gets better pronto
Chrissie


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## Kris (Jul 4, 2010)

To activate home septic tanks we use Eparcyl in France.  It is a powder to pour down the loo every week.  Quite expensive though.
A cheap sollution is plain yoghurt.  

Kris


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## maingate (Jul 4, 2010)

There has been a bit of a niff from our Thetford lately, especially when driving on A roads.

I emptied and cleaned out the cassette yesterday and decided to do something about the visible limescale deposits. When I stripped out the lip seal, I cleaned up the area and the rubber seal. It came up like new and there is no need to change it.

I believe that this is where the smell was getting out of the cassette as it would not have been airtight. Hopefully it will be fine now.


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