Foul odor from cold water tap - Montana Owners Club

scattershot · 08-29-2007, 12:56 PM

Hi... I have a 2006 2955RL. Last time out, I noticed a foul odor coming from the cold water tap in the bedroom sink. It's not the same as the hot water tank odor you get once in a while, and it only occurs at this one location, and only with the cold water. One time it smelled like sewage or urine, and today it smelled like rotting fruit. Neither is acceptable, to say the least! Anyone else have this problem, and what should I look for?

BTW, it's intermittent, as it only lasts for a few minutes right after I open the faucet.

Thanks,
Gene

rogue · 08-29-2007, 01:02 PM

Gene, does it happen every time you turn on the cold water, or the first time each day, on only if not used for a week? These might give some additional clues.

thundercat · 08-29-2007, 02:02 PM

Gene, turning on the cold water may be coincidental to the problem. Just under the sink there is a vacuum breaker for the gray water tank that may not be closing properly all the time and will produce some very foul odors. Just a thought that might bear checking out.

ols1932 · 08-29-2007, 04:47 PM

I only have one question: Have you had your unit sitting unused for any period of time with water in the fresh water tank? If so, this could be the source of the odor. The water system is a closed system so I doubt if anything got into it. It sounds like algae buildup to me.

Orv

EagleRunner · 08-29-2007, 07:07 PM

I agree with Orv on algae build up. In hot weather, it only takes a week or two to sour a tank of fresh water. If what you smell is a rotten egg odor, then you have algae build up in your fresh water lines and quite possibly in the tank itself.

A flush of the lines and tank with fresh water will typically solve the problem. In severe cases you may need to add some water treatment to kill the algae.

Dustytuu · 08-30-2007, 03:03 AM

Try a little bleach in the full fresh water tank, also run it through your plumbing, let sit overnight Then drain. Refill and add a little baking soda. Let sit over night and drain and then fill with fresh water.

scattershot · 08-30-2007, 04:50 AM

Thanks for the tips. I don't believe it's the fresh water tank, since water I drained from the tank drain doesn't smell and none of the other faucets are affected.

The problem seems to occur when I turn on the water for the first time after sitting, but then recurs periodically over the course of a trip. The first time I noticed it was when we returned from a trip and didn't dump our black or gray tanks because we were going back out in a week. I can't imagine why those tanks would have any connection whatsoever to the fresh water system, but maybe the vacuum breaker has something to do with it. I'll check it out. Is it user serviceable, or do you have to buy a new one.

BTW, I have run bleach through the system, and will follow up with the soda.

Please keep the suggestions coming, since we brush our teeth in there, and don't want any creepy crawlies coming through the water system!

Gene

bsmeaton · 08-30-2007, 05:49 AM

Gene - just a thought but if you have the W/D hookups in the front closet that dead end, you may have bad water backed up in those lines and its getting back into the system when you initially open the line.

scattershot · 08-30-2007, 09:06 AM

I hadn't thought of that, but I'll sure check it out. We had the unit plumbed for a W/D, but don't have one hooked up.

I knew I could count on you guys! I'll keep you advised on the saga. Keep 'em coming.

Thanks,
Gene

scattershot · 09-06-2007, 08:00 AM

Well, the Clorox flush seems to have worked for now. I'm planning to install a shutoff valve to the W/D line someplace where I can get to it, too, just to avoid the problem Brad mentioned.

Thanks again for the suggestions.
Gene

bw2 · 09-06-2007, 10:22 AM

Does this occur the first time using the faucet after traveling and setting up? I had that a couple of times and I believe the trap did not have enough water to make a seal and was allowing the grey water tank to leak the odor. I now run a little water into the sink to make sure the trap has a good seal

scattershot · 09-08-2007, 05:00 AM

That may be a related problem. I was thinking of putting RV antifreeze into the trap (doesn't evaporate)between trips to prevent the problem.

Thanks

Glenn and Lorraine · 09-08-2007, 07:52 AM

I had the same identical problem in my 04 2955 that Gene is describing and to be honest nothing mentioned above cured it. Mine started just months before we traded and I never did get it corrected and to this day I still have no clue to the problem. AS it was traded with the problem still existing I first checked to see if Gene happened to buy a used 04 2955 in Florida. I we relieved to see he has an 06.
If I hadn't used the water in the vanity within the past 6 to 8 hours we had the odor and time of day was not a factor. We could use the at 10PM when going to bed and the odor would be there when we got up at 7AM. If we didn't use the vanity until that evening the odor was back. If we let the water run for 20 or 30 seconds the odor always disappeared. We also never had the odor in the shower or the kitchen sink. At that time I never used the freshwater tank or the pump, so that could not be the problem either.
It had nothing to do with the gray water odors coming up thru the trap.
As the 04 didn't have a W/D compartment it also wasn't plumbed for one either.

I did try the Chlorox thing and it worked for a short period of time. However I never tried the baking soda.

I will be very interested to hear about the cure.

BTW-As full timers our rig never sits at all without us using the vanity. Not even for a day.

scattershot · 09-08-2007, 05:41 PM

Thanks, Glenn. Looks like I may be fighting this for a while, then.

Gene

Bill and Lisa · 09-12-2007, 07:57 PM

Thanks for the timely post. We were definately experiencing the rotten egg odor. When leaving the CG in SC today, drained the system and refilled with fresh water with bleach. Will drain on Saturday when we leave for Goshen. I had to take an air compressor to my tank drain line as it was clogged with either antifreeze solution or a reddish alge sludge - not a lot but enough to keep the water from draining.

Bill

CampingCrazyShirley · 09-13-2007, 08:14 AM

We too have the same problem, however, it also happens in the shower. Never in the kitchen. It's pretty bizarre. I have not a clue as to what to do or where to search. The smell goes away after the water runs a bit and then it will be fine for awhile and it could come back the next morning. Things that make you go hmmmmmmmmm.

Chuck and Carol · 09-13-2007, 01:19 PM

We had the problem until Chuck tapped off the lines to the pipes to a washer and dryer if I had one. The smell went away completely.

kjtogo · 09-14-2007, 11:01 AM

We recently had a similar problem and it turned out to be a high sulfur content in the well water we filled with.

scattershot · 09-14-2007, 12:31 PM

That was Brad's suggestion, too. I'll get that line blocked off and report back.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

scattershot · 10-12-2007, 10:50 AM

Well, here's an update. Brad was right. We have the hookups for the washer/dryer, but we don't use them. When I run the bathroom faucet, stale smelly water is trapped in the w/d lines and gets flushed out when I turn on the faucet.

Thanks, Brad!

I solved the problem by installing shutoff valves in the w/d lines close t where they are "T'ed" into the freshwater supply.. That keeps the water from sitting in those lines and getting smelly.

You may also like: