Stinky Bedroom

Rkh · 08-03-2011, 07:38 PM

Hi all,
1998 Winnebago Chieftain, 33w...
I can't figure out why I have a either sewer or nasty gray water smell in the bedroom on the drivers side..This is close to above the utility area where I dump black/gray water...But this area is clean and does not smell..This occurs whether the tanks are half full or empty. There are no clues to this issue in my manual...

Indy Itasca · 08-03-2011, 10:26 PM

maybe the roof vent? Had a friend and some how the pipe separated from the actual vent on the roof and was down inside the wall a half foot or so. All the vent gases came into the coach.

John Hilley · 08-04-2011, 07:13 AM

There may be a faulty vacuum breaker under the bathroom sink. Check the plumbing diagram at 98 Chieftain Plumbing Diagrams

W4MBG · 08-04-2011, 01:06 PM

Indy: that's a bummer of a birthmark.

Paul T · 08-04-2011, 01:49 PM

Rkh
Don’t know the arrangement of your coach but assume the potty to black tank plumbing is the same on all Winnies. There is a good size rubber grommet that surrounds the pipe leading south from the toilet. It’s designed so as to let the pipe extend into the black tank an inch or two but maintain a good seal between pipe and round hole in tank where the pipe enters. Should the black tank slip sideways slightly or become deformed or settle significantly the pipe may not extend through the grommet as designed or a miss-alignment could cause a slight seepage on the top of the tank. This cannot be observed from the dump station access area or from above within the coach. It doesn’t’ take much seepage to create a slight odor.

In my case the black tank had settled about ¾ inch or so into the foam board it was sitting on creating seepage referred to above. The only way to see or fix the problem was to remove a white panel containing all the hose hookups/valves etc. on the top 3rd of my dump station access compartment. Would I do self-repair again? Sometimes it’s the only way to fix something right the 10th time.

Let us know how what you find and how you solve the problem please.

FIRE UP · 08-05-2011, 12:42 AM

RKH,
Well Sir, this is almost funny. I say that because shortly after we got our new to us, '04 Itasca Horizon 36GD home, we too started smelling what we thought was "sewer" smell throughout the coach. And that was while it was parked in it's stall, along side the house. We searched for a day or so. I mean I got down and put my nose right next to the drains in all the areas, shower, sinks, and the toilet etc. no strange smells emanating from any of those. Hmmmmmm.

So, I noticed that it got a bit stronger as I got closer to the bedroom. I lifted the bed cover to expose the engine cover an it was not any stronger. Hmmmmm But, as I put my nose in the lower left corner of the storage under the bed, it became real strong. And, I could hear something. And then it hit me. I was smelling the batteries.

I immediately went out and opened up the battery compartment. WOW! those boys were bubbling up a storm. I went to my tool box and got my infrared heat thermometer and checked them. I have three 12V deep cycle Interstate house batteries. The outer one was at around 120 degrees, the middle one was at a whopping 144 degrees and the inner one was around 120 degrees. You could actually hear them from several feet away.

I don't know if you might have the same problem but, if your inspections so far have turned up nothing in terms of a suspected sewer problem then, at least take a look at the batteries, especially if you've got them on charge while it's sitting. Let us know what you find.
Scott

Paul T · 08-05-2011, 04:23 AM

FIRE UP reminded me of when I had exactly the same problem but because my batteries are not close to the bedroom I didn't mention it. I thought I had a dead animal someplace at the time but it was just my batteries being overcharged. Once you have smelled overcharging batteries you won't mistake that odor for sewer gas or crud.

Rkh · 08-05-2011, 05:40 AM

Paul, John,
Thanks for your info. I looked at the parts catalog and found the vacuum breaker. I don't have anything like this under my bathroom sink..What's the purpose of this breaker and how does its failure cause a smell in bedroom?

This smell is ONLY in the bedroom. Seems to be from the drivers side....At the time I detect this smell, the rest of the coach is absolutely fine..Bathroom, galley, etc.

My batteries are up front, not in the rear.

Am I to understand there is a vent tube/pipe running from the black tank within the coach wall to the roof?

Also, the smell goes away after running the AC for a few minutes..Must be circulating the bad air out..We are on strip now, moving every two or three days. We notice the smell after the coach has been driven and parked for a while...

Rkh · 08-05-2011, 01:57 PM

Ok, I went on top the coach and removed the vent cap from what I believe is the holding tank vent pipe. I base this on it's obvious proximity to the bathroom. As I shined my flashlight down the pipe, I could see light below, not the light from my flashlight, rather daylight from under the coach. Is this a clue? Could this mean this pipe is disconnected? I see no access from the inside of the coach. Do I have to just start tearing things out from the outside until I locate where the pipe enters the holding tank area.?

Paul T · 08-05-2011, 02:55 PM

Rkh --If the access panel door to your dump valves is open the light you may see might just be daylight streaming into your black tank. With the door to the dump valves closed I don't think you should be seeing anything. It's similar to looking down the toilet towards the completion of dumping and rinsing, -- the bottom of my black tank is clearly visible which is how I determine it is as clean as its going to get.

Rkh · 08-05-2011, 04:08 PM

Thanks Paul. Can't remember if the bay door was open or not....but what you say makes sense...I visually checked the pipe from the toilet as it heads straight into the tank. It appears to be fine...I assume the same sort of thing can occur from the vent pipe..That pipe runs inside the wall that divides the rear of the bathroom (just behind the toilet) and the bedroom closet...But the smell is detected only in the bedroom

Rkh · 08-07-2011, 07:02 PM

OK, this plot thickens....I just dumped my tanks and freshened them with pinesol..They both smelled very nice..After driving for a couple hours with the generator running for the AC, we stopped for the day...The smell was back in the bedroom on the drivers side, just above the hot generator...As I sniff around I smell IT from the heater vent in the bed frame..This is the rear heater that is controlled by a switch on the dashboard..I assume its just an electric heating coil and a fan..I believe something crawled in the and ripens every time I heat it, in this case, with generator running just below it...Any bets?

FIRE UP · 08-07-2011, 07:59 PM

RKH,
I'm missing something here. A heater vent in a bedroom that's controlled from the dash? I guess it could be but, I'm just not aware of that type of situation. I kind of figure all heater vents in the coach are ducts from the furnace that is controlled by a thermostat on a wall someplace in the coach, not by a switch on the dash. But, what do I know.

Anyway, dying animals, rats, mice, other type creatures have been known to infiltrate many places in and around vehicles/motor homes etc. You most certainly could have one. But, it's this timing thing that I'm wondering about. If you've got a dead creature amongst your interior workings, like ducts, vents, etc. I'd think you'd smell it almost all the time and not just when you flush a holding tank or two. Hmmmmmm.
Scott

MegaRoadie · 08-07-2011, 08:42 PM

My Itasca has a dash controlled heater that sends engine coolant to heat both the hot water tank and the floor vents throughout the coach. Can even set the floor heat to hi or low.

If a dead critter has sought refuge and expired there could be the smell. Also I am having the same stinky smell but my coach was at a moron of an engine shop to have the 8.1 motor replaced and the boy idiots left the water seals dry out on all traps and the toilet makin the whole unit smell. We have a lingering odor in the bathroom under the sink on driver's side and I have cleaned the vacuume breaker under the sink with no relief, the roof vent is clear and working fine... the mystery continues, along with the smell...grrrrrrrrr

Rkh · 08-08-2011, 08:11 AM

Mega, I too have the rear heater fan box under the bedframe in the rear of the coach...I took the bed apart and looked around this box and through the intake and exhaust openings. I see nothing...The are is clean..Opening the heater box is too much of a task since I'm confident there is no dead critter there..But thi heater box is definitely the smell...I have no idea why it stinks this bad...The heater is certainly not on in this weather..

Rkh · 08-08-2011, 07:19 PM

I took the bed apart and saw the rear heater core there...So, we run engine coolant all the way back to this core and blow air over it to add heat to the bedroom without using the LP furnace...The smell is from this unit...There is no leak...What the he'll do I do now?