Need RV assistance

[Dakota369]

I am new to the RV life so bear with me please. :-)
I have a older (1995) 28ft 5th wheel, and the water in the holding tank after the drive out to the campsite has a sewage smell to it??? It wasn't like this the first time out this year, and I only filled my tank about 1/2-3/4 full, but the last few times we went I filled it right up, and when we got there and the wife ran some dog water it smelled awful.
Any suggestions as to how I can get rid of this issue? I was going to dump some bleach into the tank and fill it up and let it sit, and then rinse it several tomes, but if this is a common issue that people have I would like to know what the solution normally used is!

Thanks all

D

[Albertadiver]

You might have had some old water sit in the tank for a while and it got musty.

I would try the bleach and rinse routine. Keep in mind you'll need to flush it out A LOT after the treatment. There are some commercial products you could try at most RV stores too.

[BobNewton]

Bleach is a common go to. Not to strong. Run it through the lines. It's a good a good practice yearly. Or sometimes a guy is forced into filling from a water source with a "boil advisory". I sanitize after that if it happens.

Couple good flushes and then flush the lines. All will be good.

We still typically don't drink the water straight up from our taps. But will cook with it. Maybe make coffee. Other than that bottled water.

I would also attempt filling it with your bleach solution and then go for a little boot. Should ensure every inch of the tank is sanatized.

[JB_AOL]

Originally Posted by BobNewton

We still typically don't drink the water straight up from our taps. But will cook with it. Maybe make coffee. Other than that bottled water.

I do this as well.

[oilngas]

Just an anal old guy but as others have said I take care to make sure all the tanks are clean, flushed and in good shape. My fresh water tank gets a spring flush with strong bleach water, then a coupla flushes with city (c/w chlorine) water. As other have said we use bottled water for drinking and the RV water for everything else. I also drain the tank after each trip, figuring that fresh water with chlorine in it is a prevent. In addition I use a bleach solution on all the fill fittings, hose fittings and will only use my own hoses to fill the tank. I will never fill with fresh water at a dump station, I have seen the fresh water hose used for flushing sewer hoses etc.

[fordtruckin]

They do make a fresh water tank cleaner for rvs but I would just use bleach. When I got my rpod in 2014 they said to fill the fresh tank up with bleach and water every year before you use t to sterilize it. First time I used way too much bleach and the bleach smell was there all summer.

[kevinhits]

I just had the same issue last week and found the check valve off the ptrap was defective. I would check that first as you mentioned running hot water in the sink...It is a small black PVC part that screws on under your sink. It has a seperate PVC pipe running to it off the PTRAP...I amy have a pic of it somewhere...Woodys nor Canadian Leisure had nothing in stock but Canadian leisure ordered 2 of them...one for me and one for there stock. They probably still have that one. Canadian Leisure is off Glenmore Trail if you are in Calgary.

I see now you are in Edmonton...Check for the part at an RV store there...

By the way, they are not cheap....$28 for me....

[kingrat]

Originally Posted by JB_AOL

I do this as well.

X3, and like others have said yourself included bleach treatment

[SamSteele]

Drain your tank each time. We had the same happen to us when we first started out with a trailer. Figured we would leave water in there and top off the following weekend. It was a rude surprise at the campground.


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[Girlsfishtoo]

Typical old pre heated water left in the water tank it's not worries it just smells like rotten eggs or sewer it's no big deal clean it out

[Sooner]

Is it rotten egg smell? If so, If i come home from a trip and forget to drain the water tank, hot water tank inc, i get this smell. I was told it's the hot water tank mostly due to the heating of water. I dump 2 jugs of white vinegar in the main water tank, then add water. Run through the taps(hot and cold) until you smell it. Then sit for a couple days, drain all and flush. Takes the smell away and i never taste or smell that rotten egg or vinegar after the flush.

[duck duck goose]

One alternative if you don't want to put bleach through the system is baking soda. It will remove the stink, but will not sanitize. Just mix some up with water and rinse er out.

[4thredneck]

Use peroxide.

[kevinhits]

I never dump my hot water and rarely drain my fresh tank except when I winterize... and have owned 3 trailers....Never ever had an issue till last week as I explained in an earlier post...There is a valve under the sink that the OP should look at first before doing anything else. He mentioned about hot water going down the drain and that is exactly what happened to me.....It is sewer gas and most likely the part coming off the p-trap needs to be replaced.....

[kevinhits]

Sorry about the size of the photo...Have not used Tapatalk for a few years..LOL
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[BobNewton]

Originally Posted by kevinhits

I never dump my hot water and rarely drain my fresh tank except when I winterize... and have owned 3 trailers....Never ever had an issue till last week as I explained in an earlier post...There is a valve under the sink that the OP should look at first before doing anything else. He mentioned about hot water going down the drain and that is exactly what happened to me.....It is sewer gas and most likely the part coming off the p-trap needs to be replaced.....

I'd go with the free. Easy to do. And sanitize the system for good measure anyway route first.

Rather than start with the hard to find expensive part route.

[bat119]

I've have had a trailer on a seasonal lot for the past 4 years, when we don't visit for a couple weeks a rank sewer smell comes through the drains when you run water for the first time. My theory is that the water in the P traps evaporates allowing the gases from the grey tank to come through the drains. Running water in all the sinks and the tub stops the smell from coming through.

[kevinhits]

Originally Posted by BobNewton

I'd go with the free. Easy to do. And sanitize the system for good measure anyway route first.

Rather than start with the hard to find expensive part route.

I agree

[Sask Bearman]

Originally Posted by bat119

I've have had a trailer on a seasonal lot for the past 4 years, when we don't visit for a couple weeks a rank sewer smell comes through the drains when you run water for the first time. My theory is that the water in the P traps evaporates allowing the gases from the grey tank to come through the drains. Running water in all the sinks and the tub stops the smell from coming through.

Yes and the P traps are usually not real large in these units.

[raab]

Did you use well water? I found using city water took away any problems.

[EZM]

Strongly suggest you look at used a few years old. You are going to save tons of cash as these things depreciate quickly.

The market is saturated with trailers and RV's now as many people had to buy (and finance) new because they didn't have the cash to buy used.

Most of these, as SNS mentioned were hardly used.

[couleefolk]

We use a product called Happy Tank, seems to work good, but then we haven't run into this problem yet, knock on wood.

[Jmaccan]

Here is the link to the Atwood instruction sheet showing how they (a common manufacturer of RV water heaters) recommend the 'rotten egg' smell be flushed out.

http://www.atwoodmobile.com/images/W...ceTri-Fold.pdf

I've also noticed that when the smell is prevalent people generally need to change their anode rod (just my experience, I've seen lots of chewed up anodes when looking at other people's tanks)

[Dakota369]

Thanks everyone for the advise! I will report back on my level of success.

D

[jaywroe]

Originally Posted by Dakota369

Thanks everyone for the advise! I will report back on my level of success.

D

Always leave your tank open for air to circulate and you'll never have this problem again. You have to leave the drains Open.


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[70chevy]

Originally Posted by raab

Did you use well water? I found using city water took away any problems.

I work at a rv repair shop and what we have found is well water will have a nasty smell to it

[Mountain Guy]

Originally Posted by kevinhits

I never dump my hot water and rarely drain my fresh tank except when I winterize... and have owned 3 trailers....Never ever had an issue till last week as I explained in an earlier post...There is a valve under the sink that the OP should look at first before doing anything else. He mentioned about hot water going down the drain and that is exactly what happened to me.....It is sewer gas and most likely the part coming off the p-trap needs to be replaced.....

I as well have never drained the water in the holding tank or hot water tank thru the season....sometimes going 5 or 6 weeks between uses and have never experienced sewer smell to the fresh water.
But getting sewer gas because of the check valve doesn't make sense because the sewer and grey are not the same tank.
Saying that I've smelled some nasty grey water from grey tanks. I attribute that to draining dish water down the drain...we don't put dish water down our drains so we've never had the nasty grey water smell.
My guess is bad water in your tank.

[kevinhits]

Originally Posted by Mountain Guy

I as well have never drained the water in the holding tank or hot water tank thru the season....sometimes going 5 or 6 weeks between uses and have never experienced sewer smell to the fresh water.
But getting sewer gas because of the check valve doesn't make sense because the sewer and grey are not the same tank.
Saying that I've smelled some nasty grey water from grey tanks. I attribute that to draining dish water down the drain...we don't put dish water down our drains so we've never had the nasty grey water smell.
My guess is bad water in your tank.

Uhm no....It was the check valve cause it fixed the issue....reason why I know this as my Fathernlaw had the same issue....Just so you know...

FYI....always have done dishes in the trailer for the past 25 years....and no smell. You can think otherwise and that is ok too....

[Mountain Guy]

Originally Posted by kevinhits

Uhm no....It was the check valve cause it fixed the issue....reason why I know this as my Fathernlaw had the same issue....Just so you know...

FYI....always have done dishes in the trailer for the past 25 years....and no smell. You can think otherwise and that is ok too....

Can u explain how ''sewer'' gas gets into the fresh water system again.
I'm not following you.
Never mind...

[kevinhits]

Originally Posted by Mountain Guy

Can u explain how ''sewer'' gas gets into the fresh water system again.

I'm not following you.

Never mind...

Has nothing to do with the fresh water...How do you explain that? Just curious?


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