Toilet or waste water smell?

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Deleted member 12539

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Well, I have an embarrassing problem ..:eek:
Even though we have tried almost (because there must be an answer) every cure, our loo or waste water drains stink of rotten eggs!
After using the van, we come home, empty the waste tank and the cassette loo, and park it up in the garden.
It might only be a week later, that I empty the fresh water tank and refill fresh, load up for the weekend and off we set to the smell again!!!

I have tried leaving the plug caps in the sinks and shower, filling the u bends with coca cola, milton, smelly cleaner, flushing all drains with copious amounts of fresh water before a trip, flushing the drains after coming back from a trip, but something smells, and I suspect it to be the drains, but can't get rid.
Any other ideas would be appreciated.... :idea:
 
I am probably well wrong here, and probably very wrong, but still worth checking.

i once had a similar faint smell in the van, only really smelled it after van sat at home locked up, tried the wastes etc, still nothing. eventually traced it back the water heater, there was a very small weeping from the gas compression fitting, after re setting the fitting the smell disappeared. so it was gas.

worth looking at maybe.
 
al n sal said:
I am probably well wrong here, and probably very wrong, but still worth checking.

i once had a similar faint smell in the van, only really smelled it after van sat at home locked up, tried the wastes etc, still nothing. eventually traced it back the water heater, there was a very small weeping from the gas compression fitting, after re setting the fitting the smell disappeared. so it was gas.

worth looking at maybe.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the idea al n sal, but thankfully I can rule out the water heater because my heater runs off diesel or 240v..
All idea welcome tho :egg:
 
Take the toilet cassette out for a while and see if the smell continues. It could be that the rubber seal to the top of the cassette needs replacing and is allowing gases to escape.
 
We had a similar problem, i use detol down the drains when returning from a trip but still occasionally get the smell when the motor home is moving. It is deferentially the waste drains for us and not the toilet as when the sink plugs are in, no smell.

regards
 
Croftland1 said:
Take the toilet cassette out for a while and see if the smell continues. It could be that the rubber seal to the top of the cassette needs replacing and is allowing gases to escape.
Click to expand...

Will certainly try that... thanks.
That should answer the question as to if it is the loo or the waste pipes...:confused:
 
We also had this problem. We dismantled the kitchen and bathroom drain pipes including the plughole fixtures, which were very gungy. We soaked and scrubbed the pipes and fittings, then reassembled everything. This sorted the whiffy problem. We regularly pour down a solution of bicarbonate of soda which is great for keeping smells at bay when the van is not being used for a while. Hope this helps.
 
I've had this "Rotten Egg Smell" in motor vehicles twice, cause = Batteries boiling due to the Alternator regulators malfunctioning.
 
Are the water traps in the Basin and the shower full of water? the water acts as a seal similar to the bottle traps in your domestic sink at home, if the water evaporates or is lost due to sloshing as you drive you lose the seal and get a wiff from the waste tank, OR is there a piece of rag / cleaning cloth somewhere in the Van that has gone wiffy due to Bacteria, I have had this happen in our previous van.
 
I have used a suction sink plunger on the kitchen sink drain, not to alleviate smells but to improve flow, and I'd recommend you try this on your drains too.

The mechanical action shifts trapped debris far better than any other method, it doesn't involve the use of chemicals, and once you have the plunger the cost is zero ...
 
We had the same as alandsal, on an autosleeper that we once had, it was 15 months old, some times the smell was terrible another time nothing, I checked the drains toilet and I couldn't find where it was coming from. Like I said you could go for days with nothing then another time it was unbearable. anyway I finally traced it to the cooker connection, autosleepers had only connected the gas supply hand tight and forgot to tighten it up, hence when the van moved it disturbed the connection, and another time parked up it would seal. The other thing to try if it is drains pour the cheapest orange squash you can buy down them, this attacks any bacteria and leaves the drains smelling sweet.

John.
 
Try this. that,s:have how i stopped mine make sure you empty your waste tank before you leave for you return home. Put 2lt of coca cola into the waste When you get home empty the tank rinse out leave 2lt of clean water in the tank and that should stop it. :wave:
 
Had this with a car once. The drain for water running down the windscreen had got blocked under the bonnet. Once found it only took a couple of seconds to clear but did it stink?

Richard
 
After 5 months on a site in Spain last winter we had drain smells. This I cured with some caustic soda. I drained the tank and then as we were still using it added the causic solution before we set off. At the next dump point loads of brown sludge came out. The smell was gone and has not returned. I also used it on the cassette and it does kill the smell for a while. We are full timing so the van is not left to stand without the services being used.

I found that a Spanish toilet descaller worked very well at taking the limescale deposit off the cassette interior. We carry two cassettes so I can put one to soak in this solution for 24 hours while using the other. I have not encountered any seal problems using these methods.

Be carefull with caustic and do not add water to it, but mix a solution in a jug adding the caustic to the water, a tea spoon in the recommended amount but initially I used a table spoon in error. It did work well though. The swilling while driving also aided the process. Do not leave it standing in the pipes while parked up at home, as it can eat through plastic.
 
Get a cup full of bio washing powder, mix it up with water in the sink or shower and then drain it into the empty grey waste tank. It will stop all smells.

Peter
 
John Thompson said:
After 5 months on a site in Spain last winter we had drain smells. This I cured with some caustic soda. I drained the tank and then as we were still using it added the causic solution before we set off. At the next dump point loads of brown sludge came out. The smell was gone and has not returned. I also used it on the cassette and it does kill the smell for a while. We are full timing so the van is not left to stand without the services being used.

I found that a Spanish toilet descaller worked very well at taking the limescale deposit off the cassette interior. We carry two cassettes so I can put one to soak in this solution for 24 hours while using the other. I have not encountered any seal problems using these methods.

Be carefull with caustic and do not add water to it, but mix a solution in a jug adding the caustic to the water, a tea spoon in the recommended amount but initially I used a table spoon in error. It did work well though. The swilling while driving also aided the process. Do not leave it standing in the pipes while parked up at home, as it can eat through plastic.
Click to expand...

I agree with John, but I used slightly more than he has, the muck had to be see to be believed. Don't like chemicals, but sometimes.............

We have also had peculiar smells. Our heating is a wet system and some of the antifreeze escaped from a bad joint. Horrid whiff

Note to self, tighten all joints now it's the cold weather!!
 
JohnsCrossMotorHomes said:
Get a cup full of bio washing powder, mix it up with water in the sink or shower and then drain it into the empty grey waste tank. It will stop all smells.

Peter
Click to expand...

We have stopped using toilet blue and moved over to bio liquid. It seems to brake "things" down better and reduces toilet smells.

Richard
 
Tbear said:
We have stopped using toilet blue and moved over to bio liquid. It seems to brake "things" down better and reduces toilet smells.

Richard
Click to expand...

Hi Richard

Do you mean bio washing liquid or bio toilet liquid? Asking because: a) I am just about to disinfect the grey tank and had been advised to run diluted toilet blue through all the waste points and then top up the grey tank and leave for a few days. Would rather use washing liquid / powder. And b) not happy with performance of toilet blue in the toilet and would prefer to use something else.

Regards

Les
 
Loads of Ideas

Ok, will try each and every one til it stops reaking of rotten eggs!:sucks:
Shopping list this week:

Bio liquid and powder, caustic soda, orange squash and 2ltrs of Cola please! :tongue:
Thanks for all the suggestions peeps! :)
 
Sounds like the contents of some spotty oiks stomach after a night out!
 
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