Need Help

amb97 · Aug 1, 2009

We just started full timing 3 weeks ago. We have ran into several problems.

1. Gnats, No matter what I do I can't get rid of them. I have tried flying buy spray, vinegar traps,etc.

2. Ants, everywhere not just in the kitchen, they are even in the bed. Set out the little ant motels no luck

3. We are hooked to sewer and the toilet smells horrific. I hate to use it.

Any suggestions are appreciated!! Thanks

geodrake · Aug 1, 2009

Welcome aboard ABM97! I am sure you are about to have the time of your life. We are not quite full timers, but we spend a lot of time on the road.

We just finished a gig as campground hosts for the National Park Service and were parked in one place for two months. There we had ants. Just a few. Each time we went to the kitchen sink we would find maybe one or two small ants. We put out the ant hotels sprayed, etc. but really could not get rid of them. It seemed to be related to rain, but I was never able to decide if it was better or worse with rain. Somewhere I read that ants would not cross Borax. I poured it around every motorhome part that touched the ground. ...................... Apparently the ants had not read that.

Gnats too!

I guess it kind of goes with living in the woods.

You say that you are hooked up to sewer. You definitely do not want to leave your black water or gray water valve open when hooked up. This is just an invitation to odors and insects to "come on in." It is also a good idea to keep a loop in the sewer hose to form a trap, like those under your sink. We have found that it is imperative to do a through job of rinsing when emptying the black water tank. That seems to do as much good as anything to keep down odor.

seilerbird · Aug 1, 2009

George is correct, the gnats are coming from keeping your black water tank open all the time. You want to wait until you are at least three quarters full before opening the valve and emptying it out. Since you have kept the valve open what happens is the liquid drains out and a brown pyramid forms in your black tank. You will need to flush the black tank out until the pyramid is gone to eliminate the odor. If your black tank doesn't have a flushing port you can simply open the black tank drain valve and hold the flush handle down. Then take a garden hose and stick it down into the tank via the hole in the bottom of the toilet and flush the pyramid away. You can shine a flashlight down the hole in the toilet to monitor your progress. The pyramid might be several months in the making and it might take you up to a half an hour to remove it.

The alternative is to have your black tank removed and professionally cleaned but that is expensive. You do not need to have the grey tank handle closed. It can be open when you are hooked up to the sewer.

Happy flushing!

Rick and Cheryl · Aug 1, 2009

Gnats: Hard to control them, certain geographical locations seem to have more of them than others.
Ants: Ants tend to seek water and food. Since they dont fly, inspect the parts of the rig that touch the ground, including hoses. I use a fire ant killer which tends to discourage most of them, by spreading it around the legs of my rig, and hoses. Inside, clean and vaccum more frequently. Food crumbs scream for ants. We use a household bug spray around the slides and doors to discourage all types of bugs.
Sewer smell: You dont say or maybe even know what smells. Is it your tank or coming up from the sewer hose outside. If its coming from outside, just close your valves, but from the sounds of it, its coming from your one of your tanks. Try flushing liberally with water, and some low suds soap with a bit of bleach, til the water runs completely clear. If that doesnt work, get some rv waste treatment bottles at Walmart, and use them for awhile,,maybe that will help.

Need Help

amb97

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geodrake

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Rick and Cheryl

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