Horrifying smell in the bathroom - PSA

[vraiblonde]

For the last two or three days we noticed an awful smell in the RV bathroom. Monello thought it was the sewer but to me it smelled like a decomposing mouse.

We never use the shower in the rig because we shower at the bath house, and we use our shower to store cleaning and laundry supplies. So today I took everything out of there, fully expecting to find a dead something or other.

Once I washed the tub and ran the water down the drain....smell magically disappears. So I'm guessing it was water that had been trapped in the drain for 5 years because we never use the shower to flush it out.

And now I know.

 

[glhs837]

Damn, should have asked. Thats the very first thing I ask about when folks mention a sewer smell and no reported obvious source. And it wasnt that the water in the trap went bad, it evaporated, allowing the gas from the tank to waft back up. when you washed, you refilled the P-trap and sealed that pathway.


Pour a cup of water down there every few weeks.

 

[glhs837]

 

[vraiblonde]

Damn, should have asked. Thats the very first thing I ask about when folks mention a sewer smell and no reported obvious source. And it wasnt that the water in the trap went bad, it evaporated, allowing the gas from the tank to waft back up. when you washed, you refilled the P-trap and sealed that pathway.


Pour a cup of water down there every few weeks.

That is an even better explanation and the graphic was a nice touch.

 

[glhs837]

That is an even better explanation and the graphic was a nice touch.

"Knowledge, I sprinkle that sh%^ on everything"

 

[Monello]

As hot as it has been for the last 2 months, I'm shocked that water didn't evaporate a lot sooner.

But now the bathtub has been scrubbed clean and the black tank has been emptied, even though it wasn't full. Just another chapter in our never ending adventure.

And just like living somewhere permanent, there are occasional issues that you have to deal with. Fortunate for us most of our challenges have been easily fixable.

 

[Kyle]

learn something new every day.

I thought it was spelled Pee Trap.

 

[GWguy]

learn something new every day.

I thought it was spelled Pee Trap.

And that's why they have pee traps on sinks, too.

 

[limblips]

Another thing that help for drains that aren't used often is to cover them with plastic wrap (the press and seal works great). It helps keep them from evaporating dry.