John.N Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 I know that this subject has been raised before but I can't get the search engine to find it. How to combat smells from the grey water tank. Bleach, disinfectant, Chanel No. 5? I've tried flushing it with hot and cold water, with and without detergent but it clearly needs something stronger. Please help me to get rid of my T.O. It's worse than my B.O. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BGD Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 This may sound a bit simplistic, but....we don't do anything about ours, we simply keep the sink plugs in place unless actually draining the sinks/shower tray, to act as an air seal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountain_Biker Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Hmm Seems odd you still get smelly water with all those products. Maybe the tank needs cleaning, there is usually a big port to get in with a hose, and maybe even your hands (with suitable gloves and arm protection) We have had bad smells with grey water sometimes in the past, by putting the plug in the sink stopped us travelling with accusative looks between my better halk and me!! When we had showers with nice shower gel, the smells went. Trouble is, you do get some food & grease etc that it is hard to remove, other than a proper clean out. Also check the water traps if you have them fitted, amazing how much smell a bit of chicken can make when it rots!! Good luck... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmcclin Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 We had a problem with a bad smell from the grey water tank. We found a product from Fiamma called Super Fresh. It is a deodorizing and cleaning product for waste tanks. We have had no problems since starting to use it. I think it cost about £4 for the 1000ml bottle. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manu Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Put some neat Orange cordial down the sink drain holes, fill waste tank with water, drive around for a while swilling it around.... let it stand for a few minutes then flush through whilst emptying. JOB DONE AND CHEAP.....WORKS EVERY TIME. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesFrance Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Thetford have a product called Tank Freshener for that. We have always poured bleach into ours, but you need to do that quite often. If we are staying on a site we usually leave the drain tap open and stand a bucket under it, but you do need to check that it does not overflow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mondo Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Manu - 2011-05-09 2:56 PM Put some neat Orange cordial down the sink drain holes, fill waste tank with water, drive around for a while swilling it around.... let it stand for a few minutes then flush through whilst emptying. JOB DONE AND CHEAP.....WORKS EVERY TIME. Believe me this one works..What you need is some Tesco's own brand Orange cordial...Sling it down all the plug holes..shower sink and basin then run a load of water down all the plug holes and just DRIVE it and agitate it..For the princely sum of 40pence job done!! ......OH yea keep your plugs in too...It all helps............... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Momma Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 When we are touring we tend to always empty the Grey waste before moving on, we then put bleach and a bit of water down the plug holes and put the plugs in. No smells when on the move and when we start using sinks again at new site, again, no smells. There are some things that you should try not to put down the plug hole e.g. large pieces of waste food, water that has had cabbage boiled in it. I am sure that you will get a list of other things from other forum members but it is not always easy to find alternate disposal means. Lots of products on the market but I had never heard of the Orange Cordial option, must give this a go, much cheaper than using bleach, thanks for the tip :D ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolandrat Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Has your motorhome got a smell trap fitted, if not they are available from most accessory shops and fit in line? End of smells. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 As Roland says first make sure you have traps on all the plug holes, Thetford tank freshener works well I wouldn't use bleach it tends to destroy rubber seals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art338 Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 John.n You don't say when the smells arise, I presume its when you drive and the waste water tank has some contents in it. The answer is pretty simple. BGD say's sink plugs, someone else suggested gung in the water traps. The water trap is designed to prevent smells rising just like your loo at home, if you dont ensure the trap is full the smells will always rise. Sink plugs will pevent most, but when driving and each time you stop you must refill the traps. The best answer is never travel with any waste water and leave all openings OPEN! art Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 John.N - 2011-05-09 2:00 PM I know that this subject has been raised before but I can't get the search engine to find it. How to combat smells from the grey water tank. Bleach, disinfectant, Chanel No. 5? I've tried flushing it with hot and cold water, with and without detergent but it clearly needs something stronger. Please help me to get rid of my T.O. It's worse than my B.O. These are a couple of earlier threads on the subject: http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=19106&posts=18 http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=9524&start=1 A well designed waste-water system, with large smooth-bore pipework and a downwards 'fall' all the way from sink/wash-basin/shower-tray to the waste tank, shouldn't really smell - but this specification may not be present on many motorhomes. While the 'cordial' approach may be effective if the smell is due to a mucky waste tank, if there's stinky gunge in the pipework you'll need something to dissolve it and a strong bleach solution is the remedy usually recommended. My experience is that the problem only tends to show itself when driving, when there is a pressure difference inside and outside the motorhome that causes the smell to be 'sucked' into the vehicle. This is why putting in sink-plugs and adding waste-traps (not always practicable) works. My Hobby's waste-water tank has a large-bore air-vent/overflow pipe that is led from above the tank to below it, with the end of the pipe cut at an angle so that the air-pressure in the tank SHOULD be reduced when the motorhome is moving forwards. This arrangement seems common on Continental European-built motorhomes and (although my previous Herald's tank was seriously smelly until I dosed it liberally with bleach) the Hobby's waste-water system remains smell-free without any anti-pong treatment, despite there being no waste-traps and me driving without the sink-plugs closed and often with a part-full waste-water tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlowie Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Most drain smells come from the corrugated waste pipe so beloved of motorhome manufacturers >:-) The sink waste pipe will be the culprit; bits of old gravy, food etc... Disconnect the pipe from the trap, pour some thick bleach in, shove a hosepipe in the end, and flush it as fast as your water pressure will allow, shaking the waste pipe as vigorously as you can. 8-) Put a bucket under the tank outlet and you will be amazed at how much gunge will be dislodged from the pipe. Good aerobic exercise too - shake that waste pipe :D :D :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MandyAndy Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 A few tips I have had over the years and try to stick to Do not put Pasta water Potatoe Water Baked Bean juice Boiled egg water Down the sink, it can create a big pong if there for a while or mixed with other things. To clean out tank, Add hot water with Cheap Coke Orange squash Washing soda Always told not to add bleach too often as it can damage sink and pipes. Mandy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manu Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 Guys & Girls.....TOP TIP, NEVER USE BLEACH IN YOUR MOTORHOME or CARAVAN, my Orange tip does work and is the cheapest option. Anyone got anymore ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 And further to Mandy's comprehensive 'Don't do..' list, never pour milk or drinks containing milk (such as tea and coffee dregs) down the sink. We keep an empty plastic bottle in the cupboard for later disposal if we can't empty them 'out the door' at the time :D And I'll second the fitment of smell traps. We used to get regular 'pongs' but none since I fitted smell traps from CAK Tanks. I fitted the horizontal style in the pipe runs under the floor. They have quarter turn removable bowls so are really easy to clean simply by reaching under the MH sideskirts. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 Keithl - 2011-05-11 8:06 PM And I'll second the fitment of smell traps. We used to get regular 'pongs' but none since I fitted smell traps from CAK Tanks. I fitted the horizontal style in the pipe runs under the floor. They have quarter turn removable bowls so are really easy to clean simply by reaching under the MH sideskirts. Keith. But don't they freeze in the winter? Normally to be effective you fit them as close to the sink/basin outlet as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolandrat Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 As I have mentioned in a previous post you need to put a smell trap horizontally in line near to your waste tank and it wouldn't do any harm to fit two, they are very cheap, the smell will definately be eliminated and you wont need to use anything to kill the smell. It would be as well to check that your outlet isn't facing forward and acting as an air scoop forcing back pressure back up the waste pipe whilst your on the move.if you are travelling with it open. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knaus Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 Just been to our local motorhome repairer and dealer. He advised Aquakem Blue. Said to drain tank and let it dry out, then pour the Aquakem down each plughole and flush with cold water and leave in waste tank for a day or so and it cleans the residue. We are giving this a try. When on site we use a separate black waste box and let the waste drain straight out of the main waste tank into it. It is easier than moving the 'van everytime you need to empty out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob b Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 I wipe the plates & pans with kitchen roll to remove food bits and fat before washing up. The waste tank doesn't smell, so I must be doing something right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John J Thompson Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 After 5 months on site in Spain this winter, our tank was very smelly. Before I left the site I put caustic soda in the drains of the van. Caustic and water in a cup poured down each one. We drove all day swilling the mix about. That night I dumped it into a bourne. The water that came out was thick and dark brown. I repeated the process a couple of days later after having emptied the tank again a couple of times while travelling. We are still getting fatty deposits in the waste water when we drain it but the smell went after the first day. Apart from the fatty deposits the water is grey now. All the drains are now running freely. We had used bleach during our stay and before, but this only covered the smell for a short period. Remember to add caustic to water and not the other way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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