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Member
Posts: 33
Location: Healdsburg Ca | New here and have a question on the black water tank. Do all trailers have a black water tank vent? My little girl just got a 2003 classic with LQ. We have dumped it once,and added about 7 gal of water and she says it smells in the bathroom. Thanks for looking. |
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Regular
Posts: 63
Location: suffolk | you have to add Sewer Chemicals in your black tank. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 448
Location: Los Angeles, Ca. | A number of things can cause that. First try pouring a cup of water in the toilet and see if it leaks without flushing. It should hold the water or you might need a replacement seal. The gasket at the base of the toilet could also need replacing.
Odors could also be coming from the shower drain because the water in the trap has evaporated. The "RV" vent under the sink could also be stuck open. another possible source is the vent pipe on the roof. It should be sealed where it penetrates the roof ()under the plastic cover) to prevent fumes from coming back down the pipe from the outside..Keep looking, you'll find the source. |
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Member
Posts: 33
Location: Healdsburg Ca | Thanks. I can't find the vent, not sure if there is one. I did put water in the bowl and it holds. I poured water in sink and shower drain just yesterday and I will see if that does anything.Not sure I can get to the under sink stuff as that is where the water heater is I think... I will go look again tonight. Thanks. Again, long time reader first time poster... I think I have read all your stuff to page 81 I think it is. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 448
Location: Los Angeles, Ca. | Should be two vents on roof ( covered by roundish plastic hat)...one for grey tank, one for black tank. RV vent under sink is really just a one way vent which allows air to be sucked in and prevents sewer gases from coming out...maybe one under kitchen sink as well. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 489
| When I got my first LQ a few years ago I went to Wal-Mart and got RV toilet chemicals because that seemed like the right thing to do. The bathroom always seemed to have a bad smell to it and it wasn't the waste smell it was also the chemical smell. We go to a lot of shows where it's warm and we don't always run the air and at those shows it was worse. It's was almost as if the chemical was as bad as the alternative.I did some reading on some RV sites and last year I started using the GO method which made a BIG improvement. I don't really follow to the letter but I do follow the basics. I prime my tanks with a good dose of water and I use cheap laundry detergent and liquid water softer. I don't measure, I keep the bottles by the toilet and when I fill I just put a good dose of both in the tank. In my opinion it gives the bathroom more of an expected laundry room smell rather than the chemical smell you get from a portapotty.https://sites.google.com/site/cbruni/ One other thing I have read and tried when I first got my trailer was to fill the black tank with ice through the toilet and then drive around for a while with the idea that the ice might break up any residue that is stuck in the tank.Last but not least we try to follow the rule that #1 is ok in the trailer but for #2 go and use the bathroom at the show. We traveled to horse shows for many years without a bathroom and I don't recall anyone ever going to the bathroom in their pants so this rule is certainly one they can follow :)By doing all of these things I went from a smelly bathroom to one that actually smells fresh. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 489
| Sorry the above post is a bit difficult to read, I had paragraphs but not sure why it didn't post that way. Here is the link for the GO method................https://sites.google.com/site/cbruni/ |
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Member
Posts: 33
Location: Healdsburg Ca | Thanks. I will read the link on my break. |
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Veteran
Posts: 147
Location: Cornfield in Iowa |  10-4 on the no #2 rule. |
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Veteran
Posts: 124
Location: Calgary, Canada | blackcows,Many thanks for your posting and for the link to the Geo Method.  Has anyone else tried the Geo Method and what were your results?Regards, 3CW |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 489
| No problem...I was skeptical before I tried it but I figured I really had nothing to loose. We show horses and don't camp for long periods of time so it was easy for us to try, I figured we would try it for a weekend or two and if it didn't work then we would go back to what we were doing. The hardest part of the process for me is getting enough water in the black tank. The toilet it meant for low water use so you can't hardly get enough water in doing that, what I have done is get a 5 gallon bucket of water and fill it from the hose then fill the toilet that way. |
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Veteran
Posts: 123
Location: illinois | Blackcows--do you mean liquid laundry softner when you said liquid water softner? Thanks |
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Veteran
Posts: 147
Location: Cornfield in Iowa | No, it's not laundry softener, it is water softener. In the link it explains that is it Calgon water softener and Wal Mart has it. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 489
| As the last post says Liquid Water Softener, Wal-Mart has it. The webpage suggests that powder is cheaper but for me the convenience and less mess the liquid offered was worth the added cost. |
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Regular
Posts: 83
Location: Minnesota | blackcows, thanks for the info. I had never heard of this method of tank maintenance, but as I read the article, it makes great sense. I picked up the liquid water softener at Walmart last night and intend on getting my tanks cleaned out this weekend. Again, thanks for sharing ... |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 736
Location: Western WA | I will all to be sure to rinse out your blank tank when you dump your tanks. I dump the tank, close it, and then refill it with several 5 gallon buckets of water to rinse the tank. So far has kept mine from developing any smell. |
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Blackwater question.
