natural ways to deal with toilet stench?

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maverik

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Jan 27, 2010
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28
Hey all,

went rving last year in a rented jayco. was super fun but the toilet was the stink! now we are buying a rig and was wondering what we can do.

I know the RV shops sell this chemical junk with cancer warnings all over to help with the odor but was wondering if there was a more natural alternative such as vinegar, lemon juice, etc that we could add to the tank to prevent the smell from seeping in every flush or on hot days?

Thanks!
 
maverik said:
a more natural alternative such as vinegar, lemon juice, etc that we could add to the tank to prevent the smell from seeping in every flush or on hot days?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Sounds like a vent pipe problem on that rental rig. These pipes sometimes slip down into the tank and fail to do the proper job of venting the sewer gases. Thus they vent into the RV with each flush.  On my rig this will happen when the tank is 97% full.

Check into the library for descriptions of environmentally friendly enzyme treatments for sewage. One variety is called seazyme.
 
Either there was something wrong with that Jayco plumbing or it had been abused (not unusual with rentals).

We seldom use any chemicals and have no stench problems. Even when the RV sits for awhile unused. Black water tanks don't stink naturally - the natural bacteria dissolves the waste and liquefies everything. Drain the tank only after it gets  near full, flush with some fresh water afterwards and don't worry about it.
 
maverik said:
Hey all,

went rving last year in a rented jayco. was super fun but the toilet was the stink! now we are buying a rig and was wondering what we can do.

I know the RV shops sell this chemical junk with cancer warnings all over to help with the odor but was wondering if there was a more natural alternative such as vinegar, lemon juice, etc that we could add to the tank to prevent the smell from seeping in every flush or on hot days?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

If the plumbing is in order, you should not have bad smells. We never use chemicals although some a short time we did. The holding tanks in RV and motorhomes are not septic tanks and they simply can't function as one given their design. The chemicals are a waste of your money.

Are your tank level indicators working properly? Check on that. It you black tank gets really full you will notice some odor although it won't be a real strong stench.

One thing I found with the Bounder we once had - if the toilet does not seal water tight, it will smell, especially when you turn on the fan without also having other windows open. The fan will draw the smell up through a toilet that doesn't seal well. Testing is easy, get some water into the bowl. If it drains away quickly you should get it repaired.
 
I recommend that you Google and then try the Geo method.  I've used it for years in all weather conditions with never a problem.
 
One thing many of us do is to start with 4-5 gallons of water in the black tank. 

After you dump, close the valve then go inside the rig, fill the toilet to the top and flush 4-5 times.

This also does a surprisingly good job of suppressing odors without having to add chemicals or enzymes.
 
Lou's technique is the same one we've always followed.  I've never put a chemical in my RV toilet yet.  We'll get the occasional whiff of "black odor" but it's often been due to having the fan running when we flush.  As stated earlier, that draws the odor right out of the blank tank into your RV.  A little different than home, where most of us are used to running the fan throughout the entire event and for awhile afterwards.  ;)  I usually send down an extra toilet bowl full of water with every *ahem* certain kind of bathroom visit, to make sure there is always enough liquid in the tank to overcome the solids.  It makes the dumping procedure go smoother too.
 
Ours smelled really REALLY BAD. everyone who would use it would have to hold their breath.

we had it for more then 4 weeks with 4 adults and 1 child and dumped (lol) the tank every chance we got.

I swear I tried everything, fan, no fan, extra water, no water, etc etc.

I'll give some of these tips a try and will let yall know what works!
 
The problem with dumping every chance you got is that you might have been leaving solids behind, which eventually become trapped on the walls of the tank like spackle.  Although in your case I understand why you weren't wanting anything in the tank.  ;)  Did it still stink when it was empty?  It sounds pretty likely that there was an exhaust pipe problem as previously mentioned, leaving the rising odors nowhere to go except into your rig.
 
Simple!  Just don't rent the same unit again!  :)

Thanks for the "refresher", framly!  I remember reviewing all this kind of info over the years hanging here, but now that I'm ready to get my new unit after being out of RV's for 10 years, it helps to reinforce some of the learnings.  I had forgotten the advice to only dump when there's a significant amount in the black tank and that a properly-functioning system should have little to no odor.  Very cool!!

I'm having a macerator installed so I can pump out from my home pad to my front sewer cleanout without doing an un-neighborly, politically-sensitive dump in my front yard with the rig parked wrong-way in the street. :) 

Having extra water in the black, along with a good gray chaser makes a lot of sense in this case.

Gordon
Can't sleep all week - taking delivery Friday!!
 
We have noticed odor when driving and occasionally when parked.  Never have figured out for sure if it is black or gray.  At any rate, I recently installed Cyclone Sewer Vents which utilize a venturi effect to "pull" odors out the roof vent where they are supposed to go.  We haven't been on the road since installing them, but there is little doubt that they will work. 
 
On rental rigs if you've a lot of oder, put in 4 bags of ice and fill over 3/4. Drive for awhile and let the cubes break whatever is stuck inside and then dump.

If an older unit, sometimes the vent pipe connects to both black and gray so run a little water into the sinks so the p trap has a water block on oder. ::)
 
A shot of water softener is useful for breaking down the solids. We flush the tank with freshwater (luckily we have a simple attacchment and built in system), add fresh water and then the softener. Also, there's no substitute for letting Mother Nature work and allowing the tank to fill before dumping. Funny how valuable repeat suggestions are. If a lot of us are doing it, it must work.
 
Using chemicals and remembering when you are driving down the road the bumps along the way can often times shake the water in any of the traps ( no toilet trap) so when you stop run a wee bit of water in your sinks ans showers...
 
Regarding allowing the black to approach full before dumping, can I assume there's no problem dumping only the gray water should it reach full well before the black? We just picked up the new rig and correct dumping is one of our big concerns. We did an overnight camp at the dealer's delivery park and I just filled both tanks by running water into them and dumped black then gray before we left. I did that to check both the tank sensors and dump valves. All worked well and logically it seems you could dump gray anytime so long as you have sufficient gray when time to dump black. Just would like this confirmed by some experienced folks. We definitely don't want the dreaded stench!!!

Thanks from the new guys! 
 
Yep you can dump the gray any time, as it will fill up quicker than the black.  In a "full hookup" situation, many times you just leave the gray valve open so it drains straight out until you need to fill up the tank a bit.  It is a good idea to have a fairly full gray tank to dump right after the black, to help rinse out the hose.  You'll get the timing down after you camp for awhile, regarding how much water you use on trips and knowing when to dump.
 
crackodawn said:
If the plumbing is in order, you should not have bad smells. We never use chemicals although some a short time we did. The holding tanks in RV and motorhomes are not septic tanks and they simply can't function as one given their design. The chemicals are a waste of your money.

Are your tank level indicators working properly? Check on that. It you black tank gets really full you will notice some odor although it won't be a real strong stench.

One thing I found with the Bounder we once had - if the toilet does not seal water tight, it will smell, especially when you turn on the fan without also having other windows open. The fan will draw the smell up through a toilet that doesn't seal well. Testing is easy, get some water into the bowl. If it drains away quickly you should get it repaired.
Click to expand...
I was wondering about that-so my bowl should hold water like a regular toilet?? If so, is it just a simple seal replacement??


edit: Moderator fixed broken end-quote tag
 
Yes, it should hold water. In most cases the seal around the valve simply needs cleaning. Whether it is the sliding plate or ball type, bits of solids or paper often get lodged in the seal edges and let water seep out. Cleaning with an old toothbrush or a L-shaped piece of soft wire often does the trick. 

Seal replacement is not technically difficult, but you need to remove and disassemble the toilet and that can be awkward since there usually isn't much space to work in. You can get seal kits at most RV stores or order online. You must have the toilet make and model to get the right parts.
 
  I used the chemicals for years and only quit after starting to dump the black water into our own septic system. Several friends advised I was inviting disaster with this practice 'cause the RV System is designed for the chemical treatment.
  Reading these posts affirms my decision to quit the chemicals.
This year I will modify my gray tank and add a second water pump to use gray water for flushing.
 
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