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Old 09-06-2009, 06:54 AM   #1
Wayne and Carolyn Mathews
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Rotten fruit smell?

I've followed the other threads on bad odors in some Montanas, but I'm not sure our bad odor is the same. When we open our Monty, we smell something that has an odor like rotten fruit--sickeningly sweet coupled with rotten. After I air out the trailer, the smell disappears, but it's back after it's closed up again, even if we just close if for a few hours.

I've stuck my nose in the kitchen sink drain--nothing bad. Ditto for the bathroom sink and shower. (No, I didn't stick my noise down the toilet, but we definitely aren't getting a black tank smell, so I didn't think bowl-diving was required at this point.) We do have a combo washed/dryer in our rig, but the smell doesn't seem to be in the closet where it's located.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Carolyn
 
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Old 09-06-2009, 11:30 AM   #2
HamRad
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Carolyn,
Have you checked for 'rotten fruit'? You should see some of the fruit we've found in ours! It was hard to recognize some of the stuff!

I'm just kidding. I'm sure you've checked for all that sort of thing.

Let us know when you find out what it is.

See you later.
Dennis
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Old 09-06-2009, 12:00 PM   #3
simonsrf
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Is Wayne using a new after shave? Fruity Burma Shave?
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Old 09-06-2009, 12:05 PM   #4
KTManiac
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Are you sure that you didn't try to sneak some apples & oranges into California, and forgot where you hid them?!
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Old 09-06-2009, 12:58 PM   #5
exav8tr
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The only thing I have heard of smelling like rotten fruit is rotten fruit or a diabetic in crisis.
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Old 09-06-2009, 04:00 PM   #6
Wayne and Carolyn Mathews
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No, no rotten fruit anywhere nor no new aftershave--but thanks for the suggestions. If I could narrow down the area from where the odor originates, that would help. But there isn't any one area that has a concentration of it.

OK, keep the brains working. I want to figure this one out before I go broke buying air freshener.
Carolyn
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Old 09-06-2009, 04:15 PM   #7
Mrs. CountryGuy
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I don't think propane smells the way you are describing, but, I just keep thinking, propane.

SIGHH

One web site I found says propane smells like rotten eggs, so, I guess that is out.

Do you have water in all the traps??? If they dry out, they let smells in.

Well, one thing Carolyn, you are making this guessing game interesting!
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Old 09-06-2009, 06:12 PM   #8
jpkelpe
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Is there any chance some fruit may have fallen behind a drawer or in a corner of the cupboard, or some other crazy place? I sometimes forget to take my bread out of the oven and boy do i have a great Science experiment.
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Old 09-06-2009, 06:33 PM   #9
Icehouse
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Carolyn, let me know what brand of air freshener you're buying. I'll go buy stock in it and you can help my economy!!!
Good luck finding the smell. This is going to be an interesting thread to follow!
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Old 09-06-2009, 06:40 PM   #10
KTManiac
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Another one for you Carolyn.

I was just working on the space below my refrigerator to turn it in to storage. Anyway, some time in the process, I removed the bottom piece of plastic trim on the fridge. It was gooey from something that had spilled inside the fridge and leaked down behind the trim. It was kind of stinky.

It's just a thought.

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Old 09-06-2009, 06:53 PM   #11
simonsrf
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Wayne have the girlfriend over with the cheap perfume?
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Old 09-07-2009, 06:22 PM   #12
Waynem
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Sounds like something smelly going on.
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Old 09-07-2009, 06:45 PM   #13
Wayne and Carolyn Mathews
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Smells a lot like that rotten/sweet smell of antifreeze, among other things.

I do have water in all the traps, unless the one for the washer is dry. I'll know if that's the culprit when I run a tub of clean water through it as soon as I can get a drain attached to it.
Carolyn
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Old 09-08-2009, 06:47 AM   #14
exav8tr
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Carolyn, We have the 3400 and yesterday the front cabinet, where we keep our spare fridge, was putting out an awful odor. This is the one with the W/D hookups. We have never used these. I ran some water out of the faucets, with a hose to outside, and poured some hot water/bleach solution down the drain pipe and no smell today. It is funny it came up all of a sudden, however, it DID NOT smell fruity or like antifreeze, more like stagnant water or toilet water.....Just maybe this is your problem????? Good luck finding it. I read somewhere that foul odors was the biggest deterrent to RVing. Need to nip those suckers in the bud as soon as possible........
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Old 09-08-2009, 09:48 AM   #15
KTManiac
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Phil,

I disconnected and capped off those lines for the W/D where they T off of the main water lines down in the basement. Simple to do and easy to re-connect if you ever need to install a W/D. One less thing to worry about as far as water leaks and foul odors.

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Old 09-08-2009, 11:56 AM   #16
kdeiss
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I am thinking propane!
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Old 09-08-2009, 03:45 PM   #17
Driftwoodgal
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Old 09-09-2009, 10:14 AM   #18
sreigle
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If none of the above, might there be something in the furnace ducts or belly? Or, could it be in a locker and the odor is wafting through the fresh air return? I forgot which rig you have but our fresh air return is open to the water connection center, water pump, and some water lines. And something in the basement storage could seep under the water connection area cover, too.
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Old 09-13-2009, 08:08 AM   #19
zman08
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Carolyn,
Your comment about how the odor was similar to antifreeze hit home with us. We only got the smell at the bedroom sink. It would go away after running water and/or using the sink. So I did what KTManiac did and as soon as I popped the lines running to the Washer I got the sweet fruity/antifreeze smell. I drained the water out of the lines let them dry out good and capped them off. I also capped the Tees underneath the sink.

Good luck running this down.

Mike
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Old 09-13-2009, 10:10 AM   #20
sreigle
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Carolyn, I assume when you said you'll run a tub of water through the washer to fill the trap when you get a drain connected that you mean when connected to sewer.

In that case, can you reach the drain and pull out the hose from the washer? If so, can you pour some water down that pipe or bring a hose in from inside and run a gallon or so of water down the pipe to fill the trap?
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