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Gray water smell

Yahoo Message Number: 3585
When the gray water tank has water left in it, and you are traveling you get the smell.
We have checked,
vents

auto vents under sink, and lav
do not have washer, line is capped Have also noticed when draining gray water it sucks air at hose as it drains.

I installed vac-u-vent caps on all vents.
Wondering if any one had same problem, and how it was corrected.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL

Bobby and Dorothy
1999 Intrigue
10785

Re: Gray water smell

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3586
"sucks air at the drain hose"....really sounds like you have a vent problem. Check and make sure your roof vents are completely clear.
If you live in the south, it only takes a few days for dirt-dobbers (mud wasps) to build their nests in the most inconvienent places.
What I think is happening is that your vent(s) is plugged, gas is building up in your tank and the back pressure is just strong enough to percolate back through your P-traps (sink drains).

Jim Hughes

Jacksonville, FL
2000 Allure #30511

Re: Gray water smell

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3588
Bobby, we had the same problem with both our '97 and'00 Intrigues. We solved it by installing venturi caps on both stacks. It now appears we have the same problem with our '03 Allure. You can obtain these caps from the parts dept. at Junction City.

Walt Rothermel
2003Allure30811

Quote from: hvac71234\[br\
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Re: Gray water smell

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3590
We had a similar problem with tank odor but it wasn't the gray tank - it was the BLACK!!!
It took 4 tries to get it fixed - 3 with Country Coach and 1 with Carrier & Sons. The problem - believe it or not the black tank was never vented to the outside. It took Carrier & Sons to find the obvious problem even tho I had suggested a venting problem to CC.

Consequently I'm not as happy a camper as I should be.
It's taken me a long time to get "comfortable" with the CC service dept. I've not had the best luck. Next coach??? Monaco?? Would it be better there? Or worse???

Tom

Gray water smell

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3591
Typically when this happens it is due to the washer/dryer (which I know the post originator doesnt have have) but for others that do have a washer/dryer, if you never use it the drain p-trap will dry out and be a direct vent from the grey tank into your coach.

Last month I sold a used 02-32' Intrigue, when we went for our test drive we almost passed out, it was awfull. As I walked thru the coach sniffing different areas, the WD was potent. I removed the rear plumbing access on top of the shirt closet and dumped water in the p-trap, the odor went away.

When Country Coach installs a WD when building the coach, they cut a plumbing access on top of the cabinet (or in the floor of your shirt closet above the WD) which allows access to the drain. Typically when a dealer installs a WD after the fact, they do not cut a plumbing access so in this case you would have to cycle the WD to fill the trap.

If this does not solve your problem then the second item I would check is the toilet. Back in the late 90's and maybe even 00 and 01's, CC was using a Sealand toilet that had 1/2" drain holes in the top of the bowl, 2 or 3, these little overflows were direct vents to the black tank and Sealand was sending out plugs for them. It was my understanding that those toilets were also used in marine applications where the overflows were needed. So if you have these little overflow drains, try to tape them shut and see if your odor goes away.

Last item would be to install the "venturi vents" up top, they work great.

Good Luck,

Damon

Re: Gray water smell

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3593
Hi, All of the advise you've gotten is very valid and cumulatively will probably solve your foul odor problem. One other thing to remember, when driving down the road with your roof vents or side windows open or partially open, there is a venturi effect created by the air flow outside. This will sometimes cause a suction against the water in the p-traps (higher pressure in the tanks-lower pressure above) and the sewer gas/odor will bubble into the coach. The suction you hear when draining your tanks is a normal function of the "laws of physics". When the water comes out, it has to be replaced by something and unless it sucks air back into the tank which causes the noise you hear, the water won't drain out. (You know---hold the end of the drinking straw and the soda won't drip out). Sometimes, when you drain your tank before it is very full, you may not hear this sucking noise because it doesn't take very much air to replace the liquid in the tank. Hope this helps.

--- "hvac71234 BOBBYHALEY@...>"
BOBBYHALEY@...> wrote:

Quote
When the gray water tank has water left in it, and > you are traveling you get the smell.
We have checked,
 vents

auto vents under sink, and lav > do not have washer, line is capped > Have also noticed when draining gray water it sucks > air at hose as
it drains.

I installed vac-u-vent caps on all vents.
Wondering if any one had same problem, and how it > was corrected.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL

Bobby and Dorothy
1999 Intrigue
10785
Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now.
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Re: Gray water smell

Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3594
In case you are wondering why/what the problem is caused by....when you dump your holding tanks via a 3" hose the amount of water rushing out of the tank creates a lot of suction/vacuum. The roof vent many times cannot supply the required amount of air back into the tank fast enough so there is a small vacuum created and the "p" traps sometimes empty to allow more air into the tanks. I try to remember each time I drain my tanks to run some water in each sink and shower and flush the toilet too. Never had problem with wash/dryer and now that we have a new stacking w/d there is no easy way to get to trap so we run the washer thru a short cycle to get water back into trap. The same problem existis in your own home or RV whenever it sits idle for an extended period of time. For instance I have a shower in my lower level of my home that is never used. If I forget to run water in it once in a while, it reminds me that by a sewer odor. The water in the "p" trap will evaporate and then sewer gas can excape back into the room. Same goes for an RV sitting idle for long periods of time---"p" traps will evaporate and need to be refilled.

Bill-PA-Country Coach Prevost 40' XL 1998

Re: Gray water smell

Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3595
I purchased my 2000 Allure 30493 and have the washer dryer. Ramon could you more simply explain how you dumped water into the P trap...I do have the access in the shirt closet and there are 2 rubber hoses there. Do you simply unscrew one hose and pour water down it? I do understand putting it thru a spin cycle (adding water in the tub first) to get water into the p trap but just simply pouring water into a line would be easier...Could the same procedure be used to add antifreeze? Thanks.
On Sun, 22 Dec 2002 21:02:19 -0000 "damonrapozo damon.rapozo@...>" damon.rapozo@...> writes:

Re: Gray water smell

Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3598
Bobby and Dorothy,

When the grey tank has about a 1/2 capacity and we travel I have gotten an odor into the coach. For me the culprit has always been the shower. We now manually fill the p-trap prior to travel(even if we just showered) and the problem has stopped. I also make sure the toilet is run to fill the p-trap.

Solved our problem......Steve Intrigue #10673

Re: Gray water smell

Reply #9 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3602
Thanks every one for the post re:. I have a sealand toilet, but it has plugs in the holes at the top of the bowel. As for as the sucking air being normal when you drain. I have two 1 1/4'' vents out of the gray water tank to roof of coach, and a 2'' drain pipe.
The two 1 1/4'' vents should be more than ample amount of air to let it drain with out sucking air or sunking water out of traps. When the gray water tank has NOT ben drained, is when we get the smell, NOT after it is drained , and you travel.

Bobby and Dorothy
Intrigue 10785

Re: Gray water smell

Reply #10 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3603
Thanks every one for the RE: post. I have a sealand toilet, but it has plugs in the two holes at top of bowl. As for as the hose sucking air being normal. The coach has two 1 1/4'' vents from gray water tank out the roof, and a 2'' drain pipe into 3'' drain hose. The two 1 1/4'' vents should be more than an ample amount of air to let the tank drain without sucking air , or water out of traps. We get the smell when traveling before the tank has been drained, NOT after draining.

Bobby and Dorothy
Intrigue 10785

Re: Gray water smell

Reply #11 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3614
--- When this happens in our 2000 Intrigue, it is always the P trap in the shower (it gets dried out). We bought some small bottles of gray water deoderant from Camping World and pur a half cup down the shower and presto!!! I have tried to remeber to do this when we put it into storage.