When we dump, bad smells in 5er...

[snfexpress]

Whenever we dump, we get this chemical like smell in the 5er in and near the closet that is plumbed for a washer/dryer (2006 3400RL).

I put teflon tape around the end cap and tightened it down, real well, but my poor wife still has to leave the 5er when I dump.

Any thoughts? Dealership says normal to have some smell when dumping, and I tend to disagree.

[rickety]

I agree with you, it is not normal to smell up the inside of the Monty when you dump. Mine never smells, I have the 3280rl that is plumbed for the washer dryer combo and have had no problems with smells. Make the dealer work on it until you are satisfied Our ladies have to put up with eough living with us men, they shouldn't have to put up with the kaka smells too

[CountryGuy]

First thought, be sure you are using enough water, the more water the better, less paper, more water.

Are you running ANY fans, while you are dumping??? sometimes that will pull in the "flavor" from the outside vent that is on the roof.

Could be you have a broken pipe, vent pipe, something like that.

Also, check on the roof to see if that vent pipe has a birds nest or something.

Some of the guys will happen along soon and offer some more suggestions.

[Countryfolks]

Do you get the smell when dumping all of the tanks or only one of them? You might try keeping some water in the drain trap of the W/D drain. It may also be a bad airlock device. We have 2 of them, one in the wall between the shower and the closet [where your W/D is] and another behind the silverware drawers by the stove.

Skip

[DHenry]

I also agree that you should not have smells in your 5er when you are dumping. Check to see if you have anything blocking the toilet vent on the roof. Sometimes a bird or wasps will tend to build a nest and shut off the venting process and then you could get the fumes to back up into the 5er.

[Roamingusa]

quote:Originally posted by snfexpress

Whenever we dump, we get this chemical like smell in the 5er in and near the closet that is plumbed for a washer/dryer (2006 3400RL).

I put teflon tape around the end cap and tightened it down, real well, but my poor wife still has to leave the 5er when I dump.

Any thoughts? Dealership says normal to have some smell when dumping, and I tend to disagree.

snfexpress, We have a 2006 3400RL also and we discovered our washer drains into the black tank. I don't know if this has anything to do with it or not. We had a mobile rv repair guy here and he said we would have problems with odors when it gets hot. It's been hot here, and so far...knock on wood no problems.We do have a w/d.

[OntMont]

I agree with most everyone (except the dealer). We did have a problem with a defective vent in the bathroom, under the sink counter. These are black things that look like a cap on the end of the plumbing. They are supposed to have a diaphragm in them to let air in, but not out. That was the source of our problem. Depending on your unit, there may be 2 or three of them, usually near a sink or the shower. They are just threaded on, so it is not too hard to take them off to inspect them, and they only cost a few $ at any place that sells plumbing fittings. (...or if you are real lucky, you'll be camped next to a good friend like JLBOZ60 who just happened to have a surplus one in his trailer - Thanks again John!)

A couple of other things, only dump one tank at a time. Make sure that your washer/dryer is plumbed with a trap, and that the trap has water in it. You can also buy wind driven vent caps that suck odours out of the tanks. I think they are called RV360 or 360RV (do a search on RV vents)

Good luck, (I'd almost bet $ that you have a defective plumbing vent)

[stiles watson]

I agree, it ain't normal. I think there is some validity in checking how your W/D connection is plumbed. Ours is plumbed into the gray water tank. The only problem we ever had came as a result of me forgetting to open the drain valve while running the W/D. On spin cycle, we got a geyser in the lavoratory. Dianna happened to be standing beside the machine and quickly shut it down, so the mess was minor. Now we have a little sign on the W/D, "Open the drain valve".

[snfexpress]

Thanks, everyone. I will take to dealer after looking at the vents.

We don't have the W/D, but the plumbing for it and there is no trap.

Great suggestions, everyone - Thanks again.

[ols1932]

Bad smells are not normal. Some of the chemicals used in the black water tank seem to contribute to "after dumping" smells. We've found that Snow Fresh and Breakup Plus seem to be very good and squelching odors.

Orv

[sreigle]

We recently started getting the same sewer gas odor you mention when dumping. Ours, however, is coming from the kitchen area. That's at the opposite end of the montana. But it is where drain and water pipes come out of the basement, headed for the sink. I suspect we have a small leak in the dump line in the belly and the odor is coming into the coach from the small space around the pipe where it enters the living area. Yours might be coming up from similar space around the washer drain or water pipes. Vicki says we also get that odor out of the washer/dryer closet, which is next to the water closet on ours and thus very close to the black tank.

[snfexpress]

After all of these posts, I felt more comfortable telling the dealer that I want them to find the cause of the odiferous culprit. Even so, to get an appointment, it will be June 26, since we are leaving on our BIG trip on June 9 and won't return until the 22nd - going to see the grandbabies.

[snfexpress]

OntMont,

I think you are correct about what might be causing our problem. It got so bad in Lake Havasu (115+ degrees) that it was smelling horrible without dumping. I taped plastic over the vent in the W/D ceiling and also over the vent in the floor of the toilet area. Now, no smells.

Now, another question: I want to clean out the black tank - sensors not working properly. Can I use Draino or something to help clean it out on our next leg of driving?

[TheCoachPotatoes]

Do not use Drano as it could do a lot of damage! There was an article published some time ago and it has been discussed on this forum regarding using calgon water softner in the black tank. We use a half of a bottle and add some water. You can also use some laundry detergent along with the calgon. While you're driving it will agitate and break up the tissue. It helps to make the tank slippery. Does a really great job. We have noticed that after it is used you can get a good reading on our tanks. Maybe someone can come up with the article. I was unable to find it but several people on this forum have had great results.

[TheCoachPotatoes]

I think I found the article I was talking about.

http://www.newrver.com/publish/holdingtank.shtml

Hope this helps!

[richfaa]

That is a excellent article.If you follow those rules you will have little problem with your tanks or gauges We picked all of that stuff up over the years from experienced campers and we do not have oder problems and our gauges have always worked properly.

[Wagonmaster]

I replaced our factory vent cap with one from camping world. Its spins freely with the wind and has a small impeller in it. We have had no odors since. I think it was on or about 20 some dollars. Jack

[snfexpress]

Thanks, all - off to the grocery store for some Calgon - "Take me away..."

[snfexpress]

Update -

I called Keystone and spoke with Denny in customer service. He told me that some Montanas have left the factory with the vent pipes not fully glued and seated between the vent pipe in the wall and the pipe that goes to the roof.

I told him that my dealer was reluctant to remove the wall to determine if this was the problem, worrying about getting authorization from Keystone. Denny's reply was "Have them call me."

Well, to make a long story short, the joint was not glued properly and was apart in the wall, letting out all the bad smells.

Thanks to Keystone for a no hassle authorization to remove the wall in W/D closet and thanks to Traveler's RV in Reno for following through and finding this problem. I helped the tech to put in a new pipe and all is good!

And, as an aside, we now have 10,000 miles on our March '06 delivered Duramax. We have been exploring our wonderful country and just love it!

Michael & Kathy
2006 3400RL
2006 GMC 3500 Ext Cab LB 4x4 Duramax

[CountryGuy]

Wonderful! And your post will be helpful to other MOC members!

Enjoy that rig!