Hi. We have a 24' travel trail that never moves as it is on our campsite full time. We visit every weekend and I am having troubles with blank tank odor. Since it is just 2 of us it seems a bit unusual. At the end of each visit I empty the black tank followed by the gray. When I am finished I fill up the blank tank with 4 to 5 gallons of water and then add the blue deodorizer (liquid) or sometimes the blue drop in packets. It does not seem to smell to much the first night but by the second night it has a very sour smell. I know it is not supposed to smell "good" but the smell goes throughout the trailer after flushing. I must be doing something wrong?
1 week black stink (sour)
- Thread starter kmill99
- Start date
G
Guest
Guest
Re: 1 week black stink (sour)
nash is right ,, but one other thing ,, IMO i would use the stuff containing formiyhide "how ever u spell it" it works much better ,, but i don;t see why u should be having a problem if u dumped ,, u did have full hooks ups right ?? not a dump station ,, that is one reason ,, that i "will not " use toilet for anyting other than liquids ,, the bathhouse has plumbing better then mine ,, so i use theirs ,, and the showers also ,, better to use their stuff then mess up mine :approve: :approve: :approve:
nash is right ,, but one other thing ,, IMO i would use the stuff containing formiyhide "how ever u spell it" it works much better ,, but i don;t see why u should be having a problem if u dumped ,, u did have full hooks ups right ?? not a dump station ,, that is one reason ,, that i "will not " use toilet for anyting other than liquids ,, the bathhouse has plumbing better then mine ,, so i use theirs ,, and the showers also ,, better to use their stuff then mess up mine :approve: :approve: :approve:
G
Guest
Guest
Re: 1 week black stink (sour)
have u added anything to the gray tank?? they can sometimes smell as bad as the black tank ,, and yes they need to be treated also ,, most over look that part of it ,, but u can get odors outta the traps and such ,, and one other thing ,, do u use any type of flushing tool to go down thru the toilet and really rinse the black tank out ??? since it is not moving ,, u could have some stuff stuck on the sides ,, causing the smell ,, JMO ,, but hope it helps :approve: :approve:
have u added anything to the gray tank?? they can sometimes smell as bad as the black tank ,, and yes they need to be treated also ,, most over look that part of it ,, but u can get odors outta the traps and such ,, and one other thing ,, do u use any type of flushing tool to go down thru the toilet and really rinse the black tank out ??? since it is not moving ,, u could have some stuff stuck on the sides ,, causing the smell ,, JMO ,, but hope it helps :approve: :approve:
Grandview Trailer Sa
Senior Member
Re: 1 week black stink (sour)
No, the gray tank won't smell from the toilet. They have their own odor...but can be just about as bad as the black.
There are a couple of things you can do to clean your tank. You are at a disadvantage because you don't move it, but here are some suggestions.
1: Drop a water hose down the toilet and let the water fly. Hopefully it will dislodge the "stink".
2: Close the black valve and let the water flood the tank. Be sure to open the valve before it overflows!!
3: Purchase a Wand that has a spinner on the end of it. Screw it to your water hose and put it in the tank thru the toilet. The spinning water will clean the sides.
4: Purchase a "Dual Flush Pro" that is made by Camco.. This allows you to flood the tank from the outside and see when everything comes out clean.
These are just suggestions. I would do 1 & 2 for sure, but you have to do it long enough to get the stuff out.
No, the gray tank won't smell from the toilet. They have their own odor...but can be just about as bad as the black.
There are a couple of things you can do to clean your tank. You are at a disadvantage because you don't move it, but here are some suggestions.
1: Drop a water hose down the toilet and let the water fly. Hopefully it will dislodge the "stink".
2: Close the black valve and let the water flood the tank. Be sure to open the valve before it overflows!!
3: Purchase a Wand that has a spinner on the end of it. Screw it to your water hose and put it in the tank thru the toilet. The spinning water will clean the sides.
4: Purchase a "Dual Flush Pro" that is made by Camco.. This allows you to flood the tank from the outside and see when everything comes out clean.
These are just suggestions. I would do 1 & 2 for sure, but you have to do it long enough to get the stuff out.
Kirk
Senior Member
Re: 1 week black stink (sour)
I agree with the post by Ken about using some means to flush the black tank. I would also be very cautious about what I put into that tank. Most of the blue chemicals kill the natural process and it would be much better to shift to one of the biological treatments that supply enzymes or bacteria to do the job as they are less prone to damage the septic system and they also work much better. It could also be that leaving your chemicals sit in the tank for a week before use is destroying the effect that they may have. A bacterial product would be enhanced by the extra time for it to grow, which chemicals will dissipate over time so that might be part of the problem.
Generous amounts of flush water will also improve the effectiveness of the actions of the holding tank. On the vents, what you want is to be sure that they have nothing blocking the pipe that runs down into the waste tanks. On occasion you can have bugs build nests inside of those pipes that will plug them up and that will cause odors that normally vent outside to come inside. You can run something down into the vent lines to the tanks to be sure that they are open.
I agree with the post by Ken about using some means to flush the black tank. I would also be very cautious about what I put into that tank. Most of the blue chemicals kill the natural process and it would be much better to shift to one of the biological treatments that supply enzymes or bacteria to do the job as they are less prone to damage the septic system and they also work much better. It could also be that leaving your chemicals sit in the tank for a week before use is destroying the effect that they may have. A bacterial product would be enhanced by the extra time for it to grow, which chemicals will dissipate over time so that might be part of the problem.
Generous amounts of flush water will also improve the effectiveness of the actions of the holding tank. On the vents, what you want is to be sure that they have nothing blocking the pipe that runs down into the waste tanks. On occasion you can have bugs build nests inside of those pipes that will plug them up and that will cause odors that normally vent outside to come inside. You can run something down into the vent lines to the tanks to be sure that they are open.
Re: 1 week black stink (sour)
I have a question along this line. Since I have an outside hook up for rinsing out the black tank, do I still need to get one of those whirley toilet thingies? I rinse it out with the outside hook up everytime I empty it, but was not sure if that was completely sufficient. Thanks!
I have a question along this line. Since I have an outside hook up for rinsing out the black tank, do I still need to get one of those whirley toilet thingies? I rinse it out with the outside hook up everytime I empty it, but was not sure if that was completely sufficient. Thanks!
dvfreelancer
Member
Re: 1 week black stink (sour)
"Since I have an outside hook up for rinsing out the black tank, do I still need to get one of those whirley toilet thingies?"
We do. We have a black water rinse and still need the whirley thingy every month or so. If you really want to get the corners and sensors clean, there's no substitute. Sometimes you can find them at a big Walmart, that's the one we use. Another thing you can do is leave your black tank between a 1/4 and 1/2 full and dump 10 pounds of ice down the toilet before you travel. The ice will slosh around in the tank and loosen up the clumped up deposits.
Campers and RV's are less odor tolerant because you're living in a smaller space. Black and gray tanks are the usual suspects, but you can also get sour, sulfur odors from bacteria in your hot water tank. Flush that out good and get an in-line charcoal filter. In our camper that helps cut down the sulfur smell we had in ours. There are also deodorizers you can get for the p-traps in your sinks and shower that work better than trying to treat the whole gray tank.
"Since I have an outside hook up for rinsing out the black tank, do I still need to get one of those whirley toilet thingies?"
We do. We have a black water rinse and still need the whirley thingy every month or so. If you really want to get the corners and sensors clean, there's no substitute. Sometimes you can find them at a big Walmart, that's the one we use. Another thing you can do is leave your black tank between a 1/4 and 1/2 full and dump 10 pounds of ice down the toilet before you travel. The ice will slosh around in the tank and loosen up the clumped up deposits.
Campers and RV's are less odor tolerant because you're living in a smaller space. Black and gray tanks are the usual suspects, but you can also get sour, sulfur odors from bacteria in your hot water tank. Flush that out good and get an in-line charcoal filter. In our camper that helps cut down the sulfur smell we had in ours. There are also deodorizers you can get for the p-traps in your sinks and shower that work better than trying to treat the whole gray tank.
Kirk
Senior Member
Re: 1 week black stink (sour)
We have been fulltimers now for more than ten years and the installed flush system is all that I use. Why drag hoses through the RV when you don't need to? The other thing that I do is to mix about 1/3 tank of fresh water and a strong dose of cold water laundry detergent in each tank, just before we will travel for several hours. I then dump as soon as we arrive at the next site and that will clean out any remaining "stuff' from both waste tanks. We do this two or three times a year.
We us nothing but generous amounts of water in our tanks most of the time, with a bacterial additive occasionally in really hot weather or when we have a house full of company for several days.
We have been fulltimers now for more than ten years and the installed flush system is all that I use. Why drag hoses through the RV when you don't need to? The other thing that I do is to mix about 1/3 tank of fresh water and a strong dose of cold water laundry detergent in each tank, just before we will travel for several hours. I then dump as soon as we arrive at the next site and that will clean out any remaining "stuff' from both waste tanks. We do this two or three times a year.
We us nothing but generous amounts of water in our tanks most of the time, with a bacterial additive occasionally in really hot weather or when we have a house full of company for several days.
JEvans1974
New Member
Re: 1 week black stink (sour)
I agree with Kirk about the chemicals. . .google the active ingredient. . .not good, especially for a septic system. Rid X might be a better solution. . .and flush with lots and lots and lots of water.
It sounds as though you have a build up, you may need a professional flushing company to come out and get it clean, so you can start over. We don't use anything in our system, and it does not smell. . .unless we forget to dump it. . .and you realize that you forgot pretty quickly.
Because we are moving, and NOT using a septic system, we do put Cascade Gel down the potty to swish around while we are in motion. A Mobile RV Tech recommended doing this. . .and since it is designed to break down proteins, and not destroy the seals we thought it was a great idea. He also recommended flushing with at least half a bowl of water EVERY time you use the potty. . .lots, and lots, and lots of water!
I agree with Kirk about the chemicals. . .google the active ingredient. . .not good, especially for a septic system. Rid X might be a better solution. . .and flush with lots and lots and lots of water.
It sounds as though you have a build up, you may need a professional flushing company to come out and get it clean, so you can start over. We don't use anything in our system, and it does not smell. . .unless we forget to dump it. . .and you realize that you forgot pretty quickly.
Because we are moving, and NOT using a septic system, we do put Cascade Gel down the potty to swish around while we are in motion. A Mobile RV Tech recommended doing this. . .and since it is designed to break down proteins, and not destroy the seals we thought it was a great idea. He also recommended flushing with at least half a bowl of water EVERY time you use the potty. . .lots, and lots, and lots of water!
RE: 1 week black stink (sour)
Welcome ,I would add to this by saying fill the black tank before you empty it as you say you empty it each weekend of use and it sounds like there is not enough water in the holding tank to give you the best rinse.I would also fill the tank a second time and empty to help keep censors working before adding any cemicals.Do the same with the gray tanks also .
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Welcome ,I would add to this by saying fill the black tank before you empty it as you say you empty it each weekend of use and it sounds like there is not enough water in the holding tank to give you the best rinse.I would also fill the tank a second time and empty to help keep censors working before adding any cemicals.Do the same with the gray tanks also .
02 Dutch Star 3 slides
01Dodge dually
59 chev short box
31 model a chopped 5 window
04 Interstate box hauler
Victoria B.C. Canada