sewer smell from outdoor kitchen sink

[MJM-NY]

This was my 1st time camping with my 2012 Laredo, i just picked it up from the dealer. I noticed as I was looking around the outdoor kitchen that there was a noticeable bad smell. I remembered reading that the sink drains into the black tank, so i stuck my nose into the drain and i could smell sewer fumes. I thought maybe it needs water to fill a plumbing trap, so i ran some water but it didn't help much if at all.

Does anyone know if there is a trap in the plumbing or if there is a remedy to this issue?

Sorry for all the questions, this was my 1st camp weekend with this trailer and there are a lot of new things to figure out!!

[chuckster57]

You may have a Hepvo trap under the sink

https://hepvo.com

The inner membrane may have dried out or got torn. It also needs to sit correctly for proper operation.

Time to investigate under the sink.

[flybouy]

Ours will smell if the water evaporates and it is a hepvo trap. They are cheap and easy to replace. If we're not going to camp for a couple of weeks we just pour a cup or so of vegetable oil in the drain. It won't evaporate and it helps lub the dump valve.

[MJM-NY]

i'll check to see tomorrow, as far as i remember though, there isn't much of the plumbing that is visible under the sink in the outdoor kitchen, maybe 6-8" and then it goes under the trailer. I would have to cut into the plastic under layment to access i think??

[chuckster57]

Look for a drawer under the sink, or a removable panel held in by squarehead screws.

[MJM-NY]

will do, thanks!!

[MJM-NY]

so it looks like I do have a hepvo trap, should i take it apart and inspect it just order a new one?

[flybouy]

so it looks like I do have a hepvo trap, should i take it apart and inspect it just order a new one?

You can take it off and look inside. Should be a "flap" inside that creates a sort of one way valve. They are very inexpensive. I keep a spare in my parts bin.

[MJM-NY]

i didn't even think to measure the pipe, any idea how I can tell if it's 1.5" or 1.25"? My trailer is offsite and not near my house.

[chuckster57]

Looking at your pics, the ribs are UP, I believe the link the posted said the ribs would be DOWN.

[flybouy]

Chuck is right, if the picture is right side up the valve is upside down.

[MJM-NY]

great, i will make that correction next time i'm at my storage area...thanks everyone!!

[ken56]

You gotta love this site and all the help people are willing to offer up. I don't have an outside sink so I had no idea about these traps. Now I do and if I ever have to call upon this knowledge in the future for others now I am able to.

[flybouy]

You gotta love this site and all the help people are willing to offer up. I don't have an outside sink so I had no idea about these traps. Now I do and if I ever have to call upon this knowledge in the future for others now I am able to.

Just an FYI, some units use the drains in the shower as well.

[JimSchwenk]

Just an FYI, some units use the drains in the shower as well.

I have one black and two gray tanks on my 26RB. a couple,of weeks ago I was emptying out and decided to run water in the kitchens outside and inside and open and close tank valves, trying to figure out how things are plumbed since my belly is closed up.
I never heard of the outside kitchen going into a black tank. Learn something new every day... As far as I can tell, my bathroom sink and shower, AND the outside kitchen sink all go into one gray tank, and the inside kitchen goes into the other one.
I believe I can also tell by how fast the different tanks fill up based on what drain I've been running water into the most.
What started this was trying to determine which gray tank served which stuff. It appears the rear valve empties the front kitchen waste water, and the forward one takes care of the aft bath and outside kitchen.The black valve is in between the two gray valves.
Go figure...

[apachewolf]

You call $ 40.00 cheap when a regular trap runs about $ 4.00?

[mrskeebler]

We have had the same problem with our 2010 Laredo. We purchased another hepvo valve but when my husband installed it, it leaked. Is there a wrong way to install it? He put the old one back on and now it leaks too! ugh! I thought I had found a cheap but not so cheap fix. ($45 on amazon).
Any advice would be appreciated.

[MJM-NY]

they can be easy to cross thread, so be careful. I think I also might have used some teflon tape on the threads. the ribs are supposed to be pointed down, but when i tightened mine they ended up towards the ceiling. Not sure why it matters, i was just happy to get it re-installed since it's tight quarters!!

[JRTJH]

... the ribs are supposed to be pointed down, but when i tightened mine they ended up towards the ceiling. Not sure why it matters,

It matters because the HEPVO valve is supposed to completely drain when not actively flowing water. If it is installed with the ribs up, there is a "depression" that will hold water. With most gray water, there's enough soap solids, dirt and food particles to harbor bacteria and feed them. When installed with the ribs down, the device completely drains and will not support "gunk growth"...

These drawings should help explain why the ribs need to be down.

[flybouy]

You call $ 40.00 cheap when a regular trap runs about $ 4.00?

I just looked at this and got sticker shock. When I replaced mine it was about 5 years ago and when I picked it up at an rv supplier it was $14 so I bought a spare one just in case. Looks like I should have bought a bunch of them! By the way, the reason I had to replace it.... we were camping and my niece was "helping" cook, washing off corn silk in the outside kitchen. When I went back outside her husband (our family cousin Eddie, every family has one) was standing there with his Leatherman multi tool in one hand and a ball of corn silk and the flap from the Hepvo valve in the other and you know what eating grin on his face. He looked as proud as one of our Brittany Retrievers with a mouth full of recently deceased squirrel. He said "I unclogged the drain, there was rubber down inside of it. Took some pulling but I got it!" Gee thanks Eddie (not his real name), I'm sure I'll remember that the next time it clogs up.

[MJM-NY]

thanks for the info, makes sense....i will try to twist it to the correct position.