Sewer odors

[DonandBonnie]

We have been using the low cost orange liquid toilet treatment from Wally World for about the past year now. It has worked pretty well until recently. We usually empty the black tank once a week or sometimes longer if we are going to be leaving a campground. Starting about a month and a half ago, after five days the bathroom fills with sewer odors every time we flush. After the odor returns the water in the bowl doesn't immediately drain when the foot pedal is depressed. Instead an air bubble forms then pops, spraying liquid within the bowl and occasionally outside. Without the odor the liquid drains as intended with no bubble. When we notice the odor we dump the black tank, until last time on 5 day intervals rather than seven. This past interval was only a three days until the odor returned.

When we dump we always use the black tank flush. This past dump it ran for a little over an hour. After dumping we have been using 4 oz. of the orange treatment followed by a gallon of water down the toilet from a jug. Our concern is that since the orange treatment has worked for almost a year, do we have another issue that might be generating the odor. We don't want to change treatment brands if something else is the cause.

Any thoughts?

[K0LCB]

Sounds like you are getting a build up. Exam with a flashlight

[kdeiss]

If you are only flushing once a week sounds like you are not using nearly enough water.

[hickory]

We too, only dump once a week but I dump two nearly full bowls of water after each flush. We've done this for three years with never an odor.
We use an orange drop in and a few tablespoons of Calgon after dumping.

[jimcol]

I would check to insure your vent is not blocked or obstructed.

[Ozz]

I agree with the posters about an underlying problem. The vent, as Jim states would be my first check. We have an '07, I have never used any odor additive with no problems. You might get a wand type flusher, or just take a hose and flush from the stool down. Dump the tank, with a clear fitting on the dump line, flush from the stool for a time, checking to see if any solids come out the drain.
When you flush each time with normal use, run the water with the flush pedal for a bit.
You can get on the roof and examine the vent, even take the hose and run it down from there.
If that doesn't do the trick, hire a Plumber with an inspection camera and have the system checked out. That is not normal.

[DonandBonnie]

We should mention that we traded for a new 3720RL in mid November. It was a little more than a couple months after acquiring the new rig that the odors started.

We do have a clear discharge tube and do not turn off the black tank flush until the water runs clear. We use a Sewer Solutions macerator system which does slow the discharge flow out of the tank. We've used this system for more than two years with no previous odors as a result.

The vent is a possibility. Will get that checked and report back.

[bncinwv]

We used the orange additive for years until I read an interesting post on a boating forum that I belong to. Keep in mind on most boats that the vent system is near the waterline and if there is a noticeable smell of any kind, you will know it immediately (been there, done that). We still keep the orange TST as a backup but have switched to a product called Odorlos. The results were immediately noticeable. Read some reviews on it. We use it on both our boat and the Montana now and are extremely happy with the results. Just a suggestion and not a recommendation as usual, but the stuff works!
Bingo

[hookman]

We use a product called Happy Camper. It works very well breaking down the solids and eliminates odors. They also have a product that cleans build ups. You can get it on line and at some RV stores. It is biodegradable.

[MikeM]

Speaking from experience (bad, not good), I would highly recommend that you dispose of the Sewer Solution at your earliest convenience. While it seems like a good idea, it does not allow your tank to drain properly and eventually results in buildup that will require power cleaning. While this may or may not be what's causing your current problem, it will help avoid future problems.

[MARK A]

quote:Originally posted by jimcol

I would check to insure your vent is not blocked or obstructed.

What he said..

Mark

[rmthelen]

X2 ON BLOCKED VENT

[jsmitfl]

Richard are you saying it was a blocked vent?

[rmthelen]

Yes, I was agreeing with the blocked vent statement on an earlier post.

[WeBeFulltime]

I agree with the blocked vent group. We have been full timing for 5 1/2 years in 2 different Montanas and never have an odor problem. We use nothing but plenty of water and dump at about 10 days.

[TLightning]

You don't need anything but water. Why does anybody put a deodorant in the black tank? If you can smell the black tank odor or the deodorant odor, you have a problem with your system and/or something is amiss with the plumbing. We don't use deodorants in the toilets at home because the system is vented...just like your RV. If you insist on an additive, use Calgon which will aide in dumping...anything else is a waste of money.

[DarMar]

In our camp we feel the need to add to our septic system to help with odors. After years of using Calgon and Pinesol we have just recently switched to the Happy Camper product along with a dash of Calgon in each tank fill.

[Virginia Young]

We just don't feel that the installed tank flushes do that great a job. Most times, we run the hose in the toilet and flush really well with it. Haven't had any problems.

When our previous Montana started "burping," I used a plumber's snake down the vent pipe to see if that was the problem. It wasn't. That's when I decided the tank flushes didn't work so well.

[DonandBonnie]

We're working through this by default. We dumped this past Monday with the black tank flush running. While it was dumping we filled the commode with water. When the clear discharge tube ran clear, we flushed the commode. The force of the water turned the clear discharge tube brown. We repeated the commode water dump three times, each time driving more deposits out of the tank. If we can reach or exceed a week without the odors returning, then we have solved the problem. If not, the roof vent is next.