Sewer smell 2018 Vista

[Jdhargis]

We have a 2018 Vista LX. It has always had a sewer smell. We have put deoderant and digestive pills in it, and nothing seams to work. The pipe just below the toilet always get toilet paper clogs also. We plung it almost ever day. Still the smell I'd ever present, anyone else have this problem?

[Eagle5]

Hi JD Hargis,
Here is a recent thread on toilet clogging:
https://www.winnieowners.com/forums/f274/consistent-toilet-clog-359799.html
Your toilet should dump directly into the Black Tank, and not be plumbed over to it.
Eagle5

[Morich]

This sounds like it might have one of two different problems as the pipe does go almost straight down into the tank, making clogs almost impossible if there is enough water involved when solids are flushed.
Water makes solids slippery and much easier to move without sticking, so I would propose looking at two solutions.

First is easy to make sure there is water left in the stool after flushing as this acts as the seal to keep odors from coming up as well as acting as "lube" to make the solids slide easier. So a simple look in the stool may show no water standing there and the stool may need a bit of adjustment. Odors and flushing/clogging might have one single cure???

But then it might also help if you adjust your thinking just a bit to help offset the limits we get into when "roughing it"!
At times we may think of holding down the amount of water we put in the holding tank as a way to cut the effort needed for dumping but this can also create some real headaches as the limited amount of water in the tank does make it more likely to have problems with clogging as the amount of solid versus liquid is not good!

My wife and I find that it is good to adjust that thinking and look at what the home stool does versus the RV and we see the home leaves several inches of water. This water makes the solids far less likely to stick to the stool, needing more swabbing, (YUCK) as well as making clogs. If there is solid waste left stuck to the bowl sides above the water seal, odors will be there!

When leaving solid waste, we add more water to the bowl before the waste and it all works better! Paper sticks very easy when only slightly wet but slides much better when wet and heavy. If paper is sticking at the orange arrow, add more water so that it slides totally out of sight.

Snips from the parts catalog here:
https://catalog3d.winnebagoind.com/menu/Parts.htm

[Jdhargis]

I have checked this 3 times, thereis a 90 degree turn in the pipe just below the stool. If your number 2 is very substantial or you use to much paper it gets caught in the elbow. Also even when it's not clogged any time the stool is flushed their is a 5 minute gag period in the whole RV.

[navnaz]

We have never had black tank smell in our Sunova or Vista other than just leaving the toilet flush open without having water on.
Check that the toilet is seated properly on the pipe opening. You’ll have to take the toilet off to check. I’ve had it off before to do a repair and I can’t remember if there is a wax seal. Maybe it wasn’t seated properly on your rig but you shouldn’t be suffering from that smell ... something obviously wrong.

[imnprsd]

I recommend you only use Scott 1-Ply tissue. This stuff dissolves fast.

And before you go #2 I recommend you line the bottom of the toilet with Scott's 1-ply... and use as much as you like. It all dissolves fast!

I just found some Zep Septic Tank treatment at Home Depot and it does a good jop cleaning the toilet bowl and tank.

However, when you get a "plume" of odor I read that this is Anaerobic Bacteria working and to squelch it you can add Boraxo.

Apparently Borazo adds oxygen to the mix and bye-bye odors. Doe it work? Mas o menos!

Frankly, I'm banking on the Zep doing a better job this year.

Note: You don't want to kill the good bacteria in the black and grey water tank. However, on a 10+ year old RV you sometimes have to start over. I.e., you want to strip the inside of the tank using whatever you feel comfortable using... and then you need to grow back the good bacteria to keep the odor down.

Hot days obviously are the test. So if anyone has a hot day solution to share, I'm all ears!

[Jdhargis]

That is all we use is the one ply, I have owned 3 class A RVs now and the others never had this problem.

[Morich]

Originally Posted by Jdhargis

I have checked this 3 times, thereis a 90 degree turn in the pipe just below the stool. If your number 2 is very substantial or you use to much paper it gets caught in the elbow. Also even when it's not clogged any time the stool is flushed their is a 5 minute gag period in the whole RV.

Well, then that does sound like a real problem if your RV is not built the way the specs say and you are sure you are not able to do anything different to cure the problem, I would suggest just selling the thing and moving on as life is too short to fight the unwinnable battles!

[Twpinaz]

We used to have a problem with black tank smell. Switched to using happy camper tank treatment in both gray and black tanks. All smell is gone. Performs so much better then the packets we used to use.
Also recommend checking your sewer vent and possibly changing it to the sewer vent cyclone to pull the smell out.

[Jdhargis]

Where did you find the Sewer vent cyclone, I will try the other thing also. The packets are definitely not helping.

[Twpinaz]

I ordered one through Amazon, but your local rv store (such as camping world) should have it in stock. About $20 for the camco cyclone, it attaches to your sewer vent pipe on the roof with a screw and some dicor.

[Phil-T]

Originally Posted by imnprsd

Note: You don't want to kill the good bacteria in the black and grey water tank. However, on a 10+ year old RV you sometimes have to start over. I.e., you want to strip the inside of the tank using whatever you feel comfortable using... and then you need to grow back the good bacteria to keep the odor down.

Hot days obviously are the test. So if anyone has a hot day solution to share, I'm all ears!

Your RV holding tank is not a septic system. No need to be concerned about the bacteria thing, you going to dump the tank before that "septic system" thing could ever work.
You have a vent problem somewhere, a bad fitting or leak. Are you sure the vent is clear? Been on the roof to check it out?

[Phil-T]

Just remembered - we had an odor issue with our 2010 Vista a year or two ago - it was an air admittence valve on the drain line beneath the sink. They allow air to enter the drain line systems when dumping the tanks. Our failed open - allowing odor to escape the tank. We had one in the cabinet beneath the kitchen sink and another in the bathroom sink cabinet. They are an easy replacement if that the problem.

[wyocamper]

Our first couple of trips that we stayed in a campground rather than boondocking, I went ahead and dumped the black and grey tanks before heading home. I used the foot pedal to add some water to the black tank, but not enough water. The smell was beyond description, like a neglected porta-potty on a really hot day, only much worse. Learned my lesson. Now after I rinse the black tank I close the drain and run the water until the 1/3 full light comes on. Then drop in a packet and hit the road. No more smell.

[Jdhargis]

2 new updates on the the Sewer smell. I flushed the system and was able to get a good look below the bowl. I have to apologise about the 90 degree turn below the bowl, it is only a 45, but the joint for the 2 pieces of the 45 has some cuts to help the joints connect. The cuts are what is catching all the toilet paper and crap. Second, the smell We Beleive may be a clogged vent when we flush it always bubbles up and we hear a gurgling sound. My wife says there is a problem with vent clogs also.

[Wyatt]

Originally Posted by wyocamper

Our first couple of trips that we stayed in a campground rather than boondocking, I went ahead and dumped the black and grey tanks before heading home. I used the foot pedal to add some water to the black tank, but not enough water. The smell was beyond description, like a neglected porta-potty on a really hot day, only much worse. Learned my lesson. Now after I rinse the black tank I close the drain and run the water until the 1/3 full light comes on. Then drop in a packet and hit the road. No more smell.

I’m going to second this, because when I did a test, I discovered that our black tank, with all its various connections, needs exactly 5 gallons of water added back to the tank after dumping, in order to cover the bottom of the tank.
How do I know that? I use a water meter when adding the water back, and I sent a scope down the tank to confirm.

Now, everyone’s tank will need more or less. Essentially, you’d have to repeat my test to discern what your tank requires.

[imnprsd]

To unclog a vent, can you run a hose down the vent pipe sticking out on top of the roof?

[Jim_HiTek]

What I found with the repeated sewer smell I'd get when driving was that the domed cover over the vent tube on the roof caused the problem. I removed that, and replaced it with a standard bathroom plumbing 'T'. Those are slightly smaller than typical plumbing 'T's but they fit the vent pipe perfectly. Then made up an Eternabond tape patch and placed it around the pipe and over the area where the old dome had been.

No more smell...when driving I could open my window without the smell being sucked up to the front. It helped quite a bit when parked too. Only time I'd have the smell afterwards was when the tank was nearly full.

[weirba]

Are you certain the smell is from the black tank and toilet? The gray tank can be as smelly or worse than black tank. I am not familiar with your unit, but a common culprit for sewer smell is the AAV’s that get used with most sinks. Are you familiar with them?

[Jdhargis]

There is a mild odor coming from grey tank, but nothing like the black