Bathroom odor

[Viva]

Well, that sounds a lot better than having to search out a dead critter who-knows-where!

This doesn't directly address your angled/parking situation, but one thing I have done on a regular basis with a boat holding tank, is to empty it before a long trip and then mostly fill it with soapy water (leaving some sloshing room). This way the motion of the boat (van) during the trip agitates the soapy water and helps to clean the tank. Pump it out upon arrival and the tank is much cleaner.

We don't routinely use chemicals in boat holding tanks, so I can't speak to that. We just fill them and then pump them out; routes for odor to get into boat are generally blocked by design, as they would be in a home system (but with variations of course). I'm not sure how the SMB setup differs from a marine setup on a boat. (So, I wonder if you need the chemical? I don't know; just thinking out loud.)

Viva

[oldbernie]

Thanks Viva. The soapy water is a great idea. The SMB tank is right and I do mean RIGHT under the toilet. So any kind of odor wafts up pretty quickly. I bought the van last July and haven't had this problem till now so I'm still a little perplexed. I also owned a motorhome back in the late 80's and never experienced the problem before. Holding tanks are really pretty easy. The small size 7 1/ GAL may bee an issue too. At any rate as I mentioned I'm discontinuing the drop in packets and going to concentrated citrus oil. The oil is a deodorizer and a natural cleanser so hopefully it wll work like your soap solution.

[Viva]

Originally Posted by oldbernie

Thanks Viva. The soapy water is a great idea. The SMB tank is right and I do mean RIGHT under the toilet. So any kind of odor wafts up pretty quickly.

Couple of questions (realize I'm not familiar with the SMB-type "marine" toilet setup, so these may be inapplicable questions).

1) Does the toilet have a joker valve? This is usually a black rubber piece between the bowl and the rest of the system. It's basically a disc with four "pie slices" cut into it. The "pie slices" open up to pass waste, and then close to seal afterward. Joker valves commonly fail (then they don't close properly) and need to be replaced.

2) Do you keep a small amount of water in the bowl? This can act as a "trap" does on a house plumbing system, and keep odors in the tank.

[oldbernie]

The valve is one piece not split. Seems to be working OK. I do keep some water in the tank but as I mentioned I'm parked on a slight incline so I thought that maybe some residue was getting uncovered and rotting. I think that in my case I just have to go one step further after a trip and that is to flush and rinse REALLY well after the initial dump.. Just the cost of doing business.

[Pntyrmvr]

Hi;

Bernie I love the double entendre in your write up.

You seem to be flush with them.

Regards,

Gavin