What's the scoop on the poop?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
99WinAdventurer37G

99WinAdventurer37G

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 28, 2012
Posts
1,143
Location
Saginaw, TX (north fort worth area)
Ok, my 99 Winnebago Adventurer was not bought with the thought that one day I'd have 9 people in it, but; I took 9 people to my farm for fishing.  Near the end we ran out of water, (started with a full tank.) We only stayed about 48 hours, but when I was driving it back, I smelled an odor.  Both my black and grey tanks were full.  I dumped everything, and used the black tank rinse connection to refill the tank with clear water and dump it a couple of times. 

I've stayed out there by myself for a couple of weeks without filling up the tanks, or emptying the fresh water.  They prepared several meals in the MH and I told everyone to take Navy showers, and even explained to the women what that was, but... we ran out of water in about two days and filled grey and black tanks.

So my questions,

1. Why would the smell back up into the MH and how do I fix it?  (It didn't happen until 1 hour after I started driving it back.)

2. When I filled the water for the trip, I just filled until the tanks looked full, is that the correct way, or am I supposed to fill it until it overflows out the tube?

3. When I prepared it for the next outing and storage, when I hooked it up to the city water fill, it did not fill the storage tanks.  I had to disconnect the hose and put it in the fill      tube.  Isn't it supposed to fill the storage tanks while hooked up to city water?  Or is there a switch somewhere I need to flip so it will continue flowing until the tanks are full?

Thanks.

PS.  We all had a great time, everyone caught something, and I learned it is possible to sleep 9 people in a 37g when most are women.  However; it makes it hard to sleep when the women are talking and giggling until past midnight.  Lots of great memories had by all.
 
If I can get my mind off where I would put nine women in my old Bounder, I'll try to answer your questions.

I'm going to guess that, besides being full of the waste of nine party animals, the sloshing around from driving actually siphoned the water out of the shower and sink traps, and it was the gray tank you were smelling.  With nine people in the rig, there were probably more open vents and windows than you are used to, which would could draw the tank smells into the coach rather than up the vent stack.

Now, back to those nine women...  :-\ ;) 

OOOPS! I forgot to address the fresh water fill.  There should be a valve that bypasses the on-board water pump, that will allow city water to fill the tank.  It needs to be closed again when the tank is full, so that it won't overfill, and so the pump will draw water from the tank and not pump it right back in.  I'm not sure where it's located on your rig.

NOW! Back to those women ;D
 
Hey 99Win, sounds like a blast.  I can only commiserate.  My 2005 Winnebago Journey has the same issue every once in a while.  It doesn't happen all the time, but it does happen occasionally.  It is just as you state.  A while after getting on the road, the rig will suddenly fill up with that odor that is reminiscent of an out house or pit type toilet.  I have never been able to find any rhyme or reason as to why or when it occurs.  I will say this, ususally if I go around and open windows if they are closed or close windows if they are open, the smell dissipates pretty quickly.  It is definitely some sort of a ventilation issue, but I can't believe it has anything to do with the gray tank as the odor is definitely that of poop.  While this is not a fix, per se, it does tell you how to get the smell out quickly.

I will also second the question about the fresh water fill, but have never asked on the forum.  When you use the gravity fill, do you just fill until the water sloshes back out of the fill pipe?  Which makes a nice mess on the side of the MH.  As for the fill valve, again I ask the question you asked, do you fill until water starts pouring out from underneath the rig to let you know it's full?  That seems awkward and maybe even dangerous, but I have not found anyway to know when the tank is full or to make the fill stop automatically?

I am equally anxious to hear any responses.

Steve
 
Just Lou said:
If I can get my mind off where I would put nine women in my old Bounder, I'll try to answer your questions.

I'm going to guess that, besides being full of the waste of nine party animals, the sloshing around from driving actually siphoned the water out of the shower and sink traps, and it was the gray tank you were smelling.  With nine people in the rig, there were probably more open vents and windows than you are used to, which would could draw the tank smells into the coach rather than up the vent stack.

Now, back to those nine women...  :-\ ;) 

OOOPS! I forgot to address the fresh water fill.  There should be a valve that bypasses the on-board water pump, that will allow city water to fill the tank.  It needs to be closed again when the tank is full, so that it won't overfill, and so the pump will draw water from the tank and not pump it right back in.  I'm not sure where it's located on your rig.

NOW! Back to those women ;D
Click to expand...

Only 6 women, and three men. 

There is another valve near the fresh water fill which I probably forgot to switch back after I dewinterized it this year.  That explains why it filled just fine from the city water last year and didn't this year. 

Steve N Dee, the smell did dissipate quickly, but I did smell it when I got parked at the wal-mart to restock before the next trip, yet before I went to the CG to dump the tanks and refill the fresh water. 
 
Steve, the gray tank can smell worse than the black tank.  Think of all the little particles of food that get washed down the sinks.  We had a friend who arrived at our house complaining about the terrible odor.  Hers turned out to be bits of chicken and it was worse than awful.  She learned that you really need to be careful about letting food get into the tank.  I'm scrupulous about making sure the drain is in the sink to catch food.

You're right about ventilation.  For some reason this motorhome draws air in such a way that we sometimes get odors when driving.  We didn't in previous ones.  Jerry added a Venturi pipe on the toilet vent to help suck the air out instead of in.  Also, if you have a fan on and flush the toilet that also will bring odors inside.  Such are the joys of RVing!  ;)

I can't imagine nine people in a motorhome!  I'm surprised the OP didn't run out of water and fill the tanks faster than he did!

ArdraF
 
ArdraF said:
Steve, the gray tank can smell worse than the black tank.  Think of all the little particles of food that get washed down the sinks.  We had a friend who arrived at our house complaining about the terrible odor.  Hers turned out to be bits of chicken and it was worse than awful.  She learned that you really need to be careful about letting food get into the tank.  I'm scrupulous about making sure the drain is in the sink to catch food.

You're right about ventilation.  For some reason this motorhome draws air in such a way that we sometimes get odors when driving.  We didn't in previous ones.  Jerry added a Venturi pipe on the toilet vent to help suck the air out instead of in.  Also, if you have a fan on and flush the toilet that also will bring odors inside.  Such are the joys of RVing!  ;)

I can't imagine nine people in a motorhome!  I'm surprised the OP didn't run out of water and fill the tanks faster than he did!

ArdraF
Click to expand...

I couldn't imagine 9 people in there either, but that's what inviting 3 people to go with me turned out to be.  I was surprised that all the women wanted to fish.  They also made some kind of fish soup, so I bet that contributed to the smell.  After I dumped the tanks, all smells went away.  They were some Ninja cleaning women though.  As a single guy, I don't do a whole lot of cleaning.  Even after the weekend at the lake, when they finished with it, the MH inside, was cleaner than it had been for some time.  Who else brings a vacuum with them?  I never heard of such a thing.  I guess they know me well enough, to know I wouldn't have one.  They must of been cleaning the inside while I was putting up the awnings, letting down the jacks, pulling out the blocks, etc..

The smell didn't start until I stopped driving about an hour later.  I had them all head for home, while I headed to the CG to flush the tanks, etc..  But that's what it must have been, grey water with the fish scraps.  I went back a couple of days later to check on it and it still smelled clean.  I'll have to check out that venturi pipe to put on the grey and black tanks.  I thought the Venturi pipe was only for the Generator exhaust. 
 
il ad one thing here. our MH will syphon the water out of the toilet bowel when we go down the road, im guessing the seal is wore some on mine and thats why it does it, but when it does syphon down after bouncing down the road and man does it smell. i will stop and run some water in the bowel to stop the smell. i also add lots a sewer perfume to the black water tank and some down the grey tank too.....  just a thought check the toilet next time see if its empty...
 
Simple fix.  Tell 'em the shower & toilet doesn't work.  :p

We haven't showered in Harvey yet.  We walk to the showerhouse in the evenings or mornings.  And I have a 'no poop' policy.  Walk your butt to the showerhouse or pit toilet.  Of course I grew up camping without the luxury of toilets and showers, relying on what the campgrounds offered.  Ditto when we were raising kids.  So we walk, it normally isn't that far.  Of course we haven't *boondocked* yet...  Or eaten Mexican while we're on the road... 8)
 
nuttyzoomzoom said:
Simple fix.  Tell 'em the shower & toilet doesn't work.  :p

We haven't showered in Harvey yet.  We walk to the showerhouse in the evenings or mornings.  And I have a 'no poop' policy.  Walk your butt to the showerhouse or pit toilet.  Of course I grew up camping without the luxury of toilets and showers, relying on what the campgrounds offered.  Ditto when we were raising kids.  So we walk, it normally isn't that far.  Of course we haven't *boondocked* yet...  Or eaten Mexican while we're on the road... 8)
Click to expand...

Actually that is the main reason I bought the MH.  The shower is just GREAT!  It's not a little one like in my old trailer, but a big garden tub with plenty of room to turn around, and a shower head that is pointed down on my head instead of at my belly button.  And out at my farm I don't have facilities yet, thus the need for the MH. 

As for facilities when at a CG, I haven't seen too many I'd want to use.  The last one I was at, they were more like toilet stalls with a shower instead of a toilet. 

In my MH the floors are cleaned with Pine sol just like at home, so I'm more comfortable with the smell as well.  I found out on a recent 4,000 mile motorcycle trip with friends, that I'm not really a tent type of guy.  One night I stayed with them in a CG in a small tent, and had to walk to the bathrooms.  So for the next several nights, I asked, what time are ya'll getting up in the morning?  I'll be back then, I'm going to the hotel now.  It turned out to be a wonderful trip when I worked within my own comfort zone.

 
I remember having an awful smell in my RV thinking it was the black tank. I tried all various of cleaners etc, and it still remained. Long story short, the culprit was the water heater needed to be drained. The water had become very stale and started to smell up the cabin.

 
I have learend that if the roof vent fan is running and no windows are open it will draw from the drains giving that swer smell in the cabin.  open a window and presto, smell goes away.
 
I only have a Class C, but you might have plumbing like mine is:
The bathroom sink drains to the black tank. I think this is to offset the liquid/solid content. I had in the past, the tank vent (up on the roof) get plugged with a bees nest. The inability to freely vent would create a vacuum - pressure - vacuum cycle while driving, and just like a plumbers helper, work the water out of the bathroom sink trap. Removed the nest and I'm good to go.


I figured it out when I was in the process of dumping the tanks and my wife happened to be in the bathroom using the mirror when a sudden sucking sound from the sink drain scared the...ummm...sfuffing out of her.


Check to see if your vent is blocked. I had to remove the plastic cap from mine to reveal the nest. I re caulked everything after replacement.
 
Don't know if this has been mentioned. Sometimes the roof vent can make enough vacuum, at highway speeds, to empty p-traps. When you slow down enough, the vacuum lessens and your tank can vent through the drains. Try filling all p-traps and putting wadded wet towels over drain openings when on the road.

Bill
 
Carefully!! I see no reason why that won't work. But you could also flow water down using a garden hose. You will likely have to remove the small vent cover to do either and re-fasten it down with new caulking when finished. Be careful not to push the vent pipe down further. Some have been known to slip down into the tank and bury the end in 'stuff' after the pipe was  improperly attached during the building process. This would, of course, defeat the vent once 'stuff' was added to the tank.
 
You should be able to run a snake down the vent from the roof. Sometimes there is a Y in it, though, with one branch to the gray and the other to black. If you have only one vent on the roof, there will be a Y for sure. If you have two or more roof vents, probably not.

You can also use a hose to send a stream of water down the vent. If open, the water just runs into the tank (don't overfill!).
 
driftless shifter said:
Don't know if this has been mentioned. Sometimes the roof vent can make enough vacuum, at highway speeds, to empty p-traps. When you slow down enough, the vacuum lessens and your tank can vent through the drains. Try filling all p-traps and putting wadded wet towels over drain openings when on the road.

Bill
Click to expand...

This may happen but shouldn't!! Each sink/shower drain line should have an anti-siphon valve in it to prevent just that and to prevent any vacuum created during dumping from doing the same thing. If this does happen to you, check the anti-siphon valve in the drain line and replace it if needed. They can usually  be found hidden nicely, high underneath kitchen and bathroom cabinets. (I had to remove several cabinet drawers to spot mine, they were well hidden!!)

New ones can be purchased at most hardware stores selling plumbing supplies.
 
Gary RV Roamer said:
You should be able to run a snake down the vent from the roof. Sometimes there is a Y in it, though, with one branch to the gray and the other to black. If you have only one vent on the roof, there will be a Y for sure. If you have two or more roof vents, probably not.

You can also use a hose to send a stream of water down the vent. If open, the water just runs into the tank (don't overfill!).
Click to expand...

Thanks Gary!  At the CG I will be able to hook up my hose and run some water down it before I hook up.  I do have two vents up there, and I recently calked them.  I went on the roof and replaced all the calk on all items.  That way I won't have to purchase another snake, I have two, one at the farm, another at the S&B, none with me, and I won't be back there for weeks. 
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 1,180 (members: 12, guests: 1,168)

Forum statistics

Threads
131,934
Posts
1,387,761
Members
137,684
Latest member
kstoybox
Back
Top Bottom