Motorhome smells like rotten eggs

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I actually struck up conversations with a few RV owners I've seen around town and at the RV park.  Nobody seemed to know what the problem might be.  I even talked to someone at the RV dealership, but they seemed to be more new-RV sales people than having knowledge about the ins and outs of RV troubles.

My best friend has a motorhome very similar to mine.  I have been calling her and she's been trying to help but she's six hours away so can't come here very easily and between her hectic schedule and mine, it's hard to get much time on the phone.  I so appreciate that there is a forum like this that has helped with some ideas as to what to check.
 
I just wanted to re-interate the battery issue,,,,
I drive a school bus and we are taught to notice the rotten egg
smell as this means the batteries are over charging.
Stands to reason if they are low on water they are boiling dry,
and also, in hot weather (like in arizona) we have to check the
water level often. If you do have to add water, make sure you
add distilled water and not faucet water.
I hope you have solved your issue with the rotten egg smell.
 
SORRY, you've all got it wrong....Your rig has been parked down wind from a chicken egg ranch, that you weren't aware of... ;D

Ray - no 'thanks' necessary, always willing to help... ;)

 
Well, Mexray, I think some coyotes got all the chickens coz our motorhome stopped stinking today - coincidentally right at the same time as my husband refilled the batteries with water!  We took it for a drive today and the odour is gone!

Carson, LOL!  I see your spelling of "neighbour"!  Do you see my spelling of "odour"?
 
ava said:
I just wanted to re-interate the battery issue,,,,
I drive a school bus and we are taught to notice the rotten egg
smell as this means the batteries are over charging.
Stands to reason if they are low on water they are boiling dry,
and also, in hot weather (like in arizona) we have to check the
water level often. If you do have to add water, make sure you
add distilled water and not faucet water.
I hope you have solved your issue with the rotten egg smell.
Click to expand...

Ya know, I said to my husband, "Aren't we supposed to use distilled water?  I've seen that done on other batteries in the past."

He was using our drinking water we get in 5-gallon jugs from a water store (the community well water where we live doesn't appeal to my tastebuds and after seeing what it did to our old hot water tank, all the more do I not want to drink it!) and hoping that was good enough.
 
Distilled water is theoretically better for batteries, since it has no minerals. But the amount of minerals that would be required to damage a battery and the length of time it would take make it a moot point. Most batteries only last a few years and it would take longer than that for the minerals to do damage.
 
I see your spelling of "neighbour"!  Do you see my spelling of "odour"?
Click to expand...


What's unusual about that??  That's the way they supposed to be spelled!!!........... Heh, heh ;D
 
Even if the date dots are not punched out, which are done when purchased, most batteries have date codes on them from the manufacturer.  It will be a small round label, usually on the side of the case, and have a letter and number in it.  The letter is the month, A=January, B=February, etc. and the number is the last digit of the year.  This will be the date that they were manufactured.
 
Here we go again! Isn't it funny that we cause a lot of our own problems via ignorance or forgetfullness. And again; it is really necessary to read your manuals, read RV related books and ask questions! Routine maintenance is really not that hard and a checklist works wonders. BTW-I screw up now and again too!
 
mdbass said:
Here we go again! Isn't it funny that we cause a lot of our own problems via ignorance or forgetfullness. And again; it is really necessary to read your manuals, read RV related books and ask questions! Routine maintenance is really not that hard and a checklist works wonders. BTW-I screw up now and again too!
Click to expand...

A manual would be nice.  Our motorhome didn't come with one.  As for RV related books, stuff on the internet, such as in here, is about it for me right now, with no other resources yet.
 
You can download manuals for most appliances and systems. That's all that would have come with the RV anyway.

I don't think any of the manuals would have helped you  with this problem, though. They are pretty high level and more inclined to CYA for the manufacturer than to help a typical owner solve problems.
 
Last Saturday we picked up our rig from the dealer & drove home, about 75 miles.  While driving I noticed an odor that wasn't there when we first got in.  It was stronger in the galley area than anywhere else.  After it was parked for a day or two I noticed the odor was gone.  I read the comments in this post this morning about the in-line vents at the galley & bathroom sinks.  I removed the one in the galley to take it to Home Depot with me to make sure I got the right thing.  In the 20 minutes I was gone the coach filled with the odor that I smelled before, even though I covered the opening with an old wash cloth.  I'm glad I read your suggestion.  Thanks for the help.
 
When you pour your holding tank deodorant in your black tank, also pour a bit down the sink , lavatory, and shower to help eliminate the possibility of grey water odor also.  Grey water can get quite stinky and smell somewhat like rotten eggs itself.  This is  very prevalent in units that have sat a while, and had the water evaporate in the p traps.

Mike in Tx
 
Also be aware that this condition may set off one of your sensors. I believe our CO2 (or maybe propane) sensor alarmed. It took me awhile to finally track down the culprit-dry batteries. Have installed new batteries and a watering system for them since.
 
I don't know if this will help... Don't pour Beer into the grey or black tank and let it sit.

  I believe all those nice little yeasty germs and bacteria may find it to be fun stuff. Makes them grow and start to throw a party down there. The result: many more yeasty germs and bacteria.

  I have no scientific data to substantiate this, except my P-trap of the kitchen sink plugged up totally one time and it was full of slimy stuff, yuck... only left-over driplets of Beer went down there over time.

  Who knows, sometimes theories come true.  8) ;)

  I guess we need volunteer testers out there to prove the theory.

  Carson FL 95? today



 


 
 
Beer, at or at least unpasteurized beers, have plenty of active yeasts. But so do many tank chemicals - any of the enzyme types. And most any food will likely contribute its share as well. Just about any organic product is going to contribute living things to the tanks.
 
Nice comeback, Gary.  I luv your sense of humor..  I still have a lot left.

Carson, Lecanto, Fl  94.6?
 
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