Bad smell in camper

[Ronb 2]

We are camping this weekend and have noticed a foul smell in the camper.  It appears to be coming from around the stovetop area ( not a propane smell).  I removed the top kitchen drawer and found a plumbing vent pipe under the stove which is where  the smell appears to be coming from. Haven’t had this issue before.  Camper is only a month old so the grey tank should not need to be sanitized yet.  Any suggestions.  I’ve been trying Oliver service all day but cannot get anyone to the phone.  

 Thanks,

Ron

 

 

[Mike and Carol 540]

You shouldn’t have any smell.  I would check to make sure that vent pipe is securely connected to the rest of the plumbing under the sink.  Our vent pipe was loose where it attached to the top of the black tank, which resulted in some smells our first couple of months.  It was easily repaired.  Try sending an email to Jason.  I emailed him with a question this week and had a reply in about an hour.  Mike

Edited April 17 by Mike and Carol

[DavePhelps 20]

That vent pipe you see behind the drawer has an air admittance valve on the top. It allows air to go in to vent the system, but doesn't let air out, for obvious reasons! Kind of like a back flow preventer in a water line. These valves have been known to fail now and again so that could be a reason. If Oliver installed it right, it should screw off for easy replacement, haven't checked mine lately. For what it's worth, I also always add Happy Camper black tank treatment to the gray tank as well, especially in the summer, it works great for both tanks. Follow the pipe down to the tank, check all the connections, the problem could also be as Mike described above. Good luck!

Dave

 

[Patriot 295]

On 4/17/2020 at 5:05 PM, Ronb said:

We are camping this weekend and have noticed a foul smell in the camper.  It appears to be coming from around the stovetop area ( not a propane smell).  I removed the top kitchen drawer and found a plumbing vent pipe under the stove which is where  the smell appears to be coming from. Haven’t had this issue before.  Camper is only a month old so the grey tank should not need to be sanitized yet.  Any suggestions.  I’ve been trying Oliver service all day but cannot get anyone to the phone.  

 Thanks,

Ron

 

 

Ron,

Hoping you got your issue resolved. Any thoughts and feedback appreciated on what the issue was. 
-Patriot

Edited April 22 by Patriot

[bugeyedriver 38]

Are you sure the smell isn't coming from the galley sink?  If the p-trap goes dry, grey tank smells can enter the trailer.  If this is the issue, adding water into the trap will keep the smell where it belongs . . . down there.

[Ken_Judy 22]

After dumping the grey tank and hitting the road, the next time we stopped  there was a strong odor in the camper. Normally there is not much of a rush of water wen draining the grey tank but under the right circumstances like fullness of the tank and tilt of the camper you can get a pretty good flow going. What I thought was  the big flow might have caused the water in the pea trap in the shower floor drain to be sucked out allowing the odor to come up and into the camper.  Another time my wife accidentalIy sucked the water out of the shower p-trap while vacuuming the floor.  That could cause odors to infiltrate the cabin as well.  I  filled it with water and had no further issues.  

Edited May 7 by Ken_Judy
Additional thoughts

[The Shackelfords 40]

I'll have to remember this next time the misses asks me what that awful smell is when we lay down for the night. 🤥

[John E Davies 476]

So are any of you folks with cabin smells using a grey tank treatment? That won’t make burping go away, but at least the burps smell vaguely scented and vaguely lemony fresh.... sort of.

John Davies

Spokane WA

Edited May 1 by John E Davies

[Mike and Carol 540]

2 hours ago, John E Davies said:

So are any of you folks with cabin smells using a grey tank treatment? That won’t make burping go away, but at least the burps smell vaguely scented and vaguely lemony fresh.... sort of.

John Davies

Spokane WA

Good question.  When we’re camping we don’t use anything in the gray tank.  The black tank gets a detergent pod and a little Calgon water softener.  When not camping we add Happy Camper to both tanks.  Happy Camper has no odor and just looks like a white powder but we have not had any odors.  I do keep plugs in the sinks when not camping to slow evaporation from the traps.  We’re also careful with what we let go down the drain into the gray tank.  Mike