Bathroom smell and roof vent is clear

[jerwin1776]

I have a 2020 Keystone Passport 175BH and last weekend on a camping trip I waited until the black tank was at the full mark then dumped it at the full hookup site. After that I backfilled and rhino blasted the black tank a couple times.

Lots of stuff kept coming out each time I rhino blasted it, nonetheless got it pretty cleaned out from what I observed.

After that I hooked up the holding tank flush line on the exterior of the camper to flush out the black tank. Somewhere along the flush line there was a rupture or leak cause it flooded out the underbelly of the camper. (This is another topic I’m gonna start on another thread).

All that being said the black tank seemed pretty well flushed out…nonetheless that’s when the smell started coming out of the toilet area in the bathroom really bad (it’s not emanating from anywhere other than near the toilet). I checked the roof vent and it is clear (ran water down the pipe and it goes right into the black tank).

Prior to this past weekend and letting the tank get to the full mark then dumping it I never had an issue with bathroom smells at all.

Any thoughts?

 

[JRTJH]

I'm thinking you may have one of two issues.

1) You may have overfilled the black tank and the vent stack may not be "permanently glued" to the fitting on the black tank, so it leaked "black contents" out around the vent stack while the tank was full. Or you could have a ruptured black tank "near the top".

2) If "things aligned perfectly" you could have had the bathroom vent open, the vent stack from the black tank "upwind to the open roof vent" and the act of filling the tank pushed the "aroma" up the vent stack, the wind "drifted that aroma" over to the open roof vent and that same "breeze" brought the aroma inside the bathroom.

Has the aroma been present in multiple "wind directions both with the roof vent open and closed" ????

 

[{Tpc}]

Do you have any water in the bowl, to help seal anything that may escape past that seal? Its possible the toilet seal needs to be replaced and the aroma (lol) is getting past it. Regardless of the other issue, even if you suspect the tank is clean, I would venture a guess an inspection camera would show otherwise.

I am not sure if "rhino" blasting, is sending water back up the exit tube, but if you have a trailer where the gray and the black meet together and come out one tube, I doubt enough water is getting past the connection to get it super clean.

Even with the chemicals, waste products and paper don't break down as fast as you would think. As is evident sometimes when you pull that handle if you have a "clear" connector piece connected up.

Our toilet (maybe they all are, not sure) is a type that you "fill" the bowl with water "before" you flush everything down. Despite explaining this multiple times to the DW or anyone else for that matter, they don't always listen, don't understand how to do it properly, or just plain forget in the middle of the night. And that could very well be the beginning of a much longer cleaning procedure, than you would expect.

 

[NH_Bulldog]

Our 2019 Passport had a cracked toilet flange when it was installed at the factory. The issue ended up destroying the floor around the toilet and I had to do a complete removal and replacement of the floor. One quick thing you can do is to pull the floor heat register closest to the black tank and get a good look in the belly area. I can only say that what I found was not pleasant.

When you say that the vent is clear, does that mean you went onto the roof, removed the vent cap and looked down to the tank and could see the bottom? On ours, the vent pipe is inserted into the tank through a rubber grommet and had some play to move up and down.

 

[jerwin1776]

Well it’s not the vent nor the toilet. The black tank is shot and has a crack in it. Repair facility is saying it’s about $1500 for 8hrs of work in labor to replace it (not counting the cost of the tank). Dang.

 

[JRTJH]

Have you checked with your insurance company to see if there's any "creative way to consider it a comprehensive loss" ???

 

[jerwin1776]

I have not thought of that… I guess a phone call to progressive is in order any wise tips?

 

[JRTJH]

If you can convince them that a "rough road" or a "bump at a railroad crossing" so something similar is the reason for the damage, they MIGHT consider it as a comprehensive claim. Then again, they might not. I've seen some insurance companies replace the awning fabric and rails when the owner forgot and the awning filled with rain and tore away from the trailer. I've also seen similar damage and the insurance company absolutely refuse to even consider paying for "damage caused by owner"... It might be an inclusion in your policy or it might be an exclusion to your policy... I'd at least ask the question...

 

[jerwin1776]

Yeah good points. It very well could be road issue…I smoked a pot hole w the camper while driving this past weekend out to the camp site and after that is really when the stink started.

 

[JRTJH]

Yeah good points. It very well could be road issue…I smoked a pot hole w the camper while driving this past weekend out to the camp site and after that is really when the stink started.

Hmmmm Just joking of course, but I wouldn't use the phrase you posted in a conversation with the insurance company... The bolded part may get law enforcement involved (in some locations) if the insurance company reports it "verbatum"

 

[jerwin1776]

Hmmmm Just joking of course, but I wouldn't use the phrase you posted in a conversation with the insurance company... The bolded part may get law enforcement involved (in some locations) if the insurance company reports it "verbatum"

Lmao…yeah another good point! Smoking pot vs smoking a pot hole are two vastly different things! Being military I’m gladly relegated to the latter vice the former.

 

[JackieHWard]

I have a 2020 Keystone Passport 175BH and last weekend on a camping trip I waited until the black tank was at the full mark then dumped it at the full hookup site. After that I backfilled and rhino blasted the black tank a couple times.

Lots of stuff kept coming out each time I rhino blasted it, nonetheless got it pretty cleaned out from what I observed.

After that I hooked up the holding tank flush line on the exterior of the camper to flush out the black tank. Somewhere along the flush line there was a rupture or leak cause it flooded out the underbelly of the camper. (This is another topic I’m gonna start on another thread).

All that being said the black tank seemed pretty well flushed out…nonetheless that’s when the smell started coming out of the toilet area in the bathroom really bad (it’s not emanating from anywhere other than near the toilet). I checked the roof vent and it is clear (ran water down the pipe and it goes right into the black tank).

Prior to this past weekend and letting the tank get to the full mark then dumping it I never had an issue with bathroom smells at all.

Any thoughts?

Get a water wand and clean the throat of the toilet. Unless wet some before doing no. 2, stuff can stick to the plastic throat going from toilet to the black tank.

 

[firestation12]

Well it’s not the vent nor the toilet. The black tank is shot and has a crack in it. Repair facility is saying it’s about $1500 for 8hrs of work in labor to replace it (not counting the cost of the tank). Dang.

For future reference, after you replace the black tank), make sure you never fill the black tank with the dump valve closed for more than 3 minutes. To do so runs the risk of over filling and damaging the new tank.

 

[rlh1957]

I have a 2020 Keystone Passport 175BH and last weekend on a camping trip I waited until the black tank was at the full mark then dumped it at the full hookup site. After that I backfilled and rhino blasted the black tank a couple times.

Lots of stuff kept coming out each time I rhino blasted it, nonetheless got it pretty cleaned out from what I observed.

After that I hooked up the holding tank flush line on the exterior of the camper to flush out the black tank. Somewhere along the flush line there was a rupture or leak cause it flooded out the underbelly of the camper. (This is another topic I’m gonna start on another thread).

All that being said the black tank seemed pretty well flushed out…nonetheless that’s when the smell started coming out of the toilet area in the bathroom really bad (it’s not emanating from anywhere other than near the toilet). I checked the roof vent and it is clear (ran water down the pipe and it goes right into the black tank).

Prior to this past weekend and letting the tank get to the full mark then dumping it I never had an issue with bathroom smells at all.

Any thoughts?

Beware of foul smells coming up the shower drain from grey tank.
Below shower screen debris & hair can collet and sour. The old HepvO can get clogged old moldy at the rubber backflow valve and let in black tank like odors. Took my HepvO out all gummy and smelly and replaced with low profile P-trap.

 

[DutchmenSport]

I'm pretty meticulous with my holding tanks, between back flushing, rinsing, using a toilet wand, and driving with some water in the tanks to slosh around, I don't use chemicals.

However, we do have a washing machine that drains into the bathroom grey tank and I back flush. (we seem to do a lot of laundry) so laundry soap is always being back flushed into the black tank. I back-flush EVERY dump. That helps keeps smells at bay.

But one thing I do every now and then is to use an enzyme eater. I tried different brands and they all seem to respond about the same. Rid-X for septic tanks does not work so well. It has to sit longer to work work.

But every year during peak camping season (and when the weather is high heat - Summer), I'll get a bottle of enzyme drain cleaner and put a teaspoon down the black tank, and both grey tanks after every dump until it's gone. After dumping, I still do my normal back-flush and then add another teaspoon to each tank. This way, the enzyme is constantly being added over and over, dump after dump.

Well, the bottom line is, I don't have bad smells coming from the black tank. Is it the repetative laundry soap from the washing machine being backflushed into the black tank? Or is it the enzyme? All I know is, it works.

 

[rlh1957]

HepvO has nothing to do with tank maintenance. That shower strainer will keep getting putrid even after putting freshener down it.