Smell from sink
19 replies
JVB66 replied on 24/04/2017 18:53
Navigateur replied on 24/04/2017 19:07
Tinwheeler replied on 24/04/2017 20:05
Posted on 24/04/2017 20:05
I think the trick is to avoid putting greasy, mucky water down the plug hole to start with. We carry our dish washing water to the disposal point and it seems to work on the whole.
Once or twice our tank has been a bit pongy and it was easily fixed. Pour a whole bottle of cheap disinfectant down the plug holes - divide it between them - then pour down a couple of kettle fulls of hot water, take the MH for a drive to shake it all about and then drain the tank responsibly.
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mickysf replied on 24/04/2017 20:29
Posted on 24/04/2017 20:29
Correct, Tinny, trick is never to let fats or food particles go down the sink. Use a bowl and empty such directly into the service point or portable container. We learnt the hard way, onboard tanks needed a thorough clean and pipes decreasing with our first van. Never again!
triky auto replied on 24/04/2017 21:38
omendri replied on 24/04/2017 21:44
Posted on 24/04/2017 21:44
I was amazed that on my nearly £100k motorhome that there was no stench traps fitted to the sink, shower and wash handbasin. When I queried this with the manufacturers I was told that overwintering and frost protection made water traps a potential for frost damage. Have to say I was not satisfied with this answer but it seems that this omission is pretty much normal on UK built motorhomes.
The advice I was given from a variety of sources was:
Clean plates etc of food debris before washing in the sink.
Avoid pouring anything with a diary content into the sink and definitely no fat or oil.
Crumble a bio (cheap) dishwasher tablet into the waste tank via the sink/shower/hand basin after the tank is emptied.
Use a sank sanitiser (Thetford etc) according to the instructions on the bottle after every waste "dump".
Always leave the plugs in position.
All this sounds complicated but it is not really and after a period "it" becomes second nature. Doing the above above has worked for us even during extended periods in Southern Europe with ambient temperatures in the late 30c's
Ome "n" Dri
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beero replied on 24/04/2017 22:25
hitchglitch replied on 25/04/2017 12:19
Posted on 25/04/2017 12:19
As newbies to the motorhome (after caravanning for 30 years) we were delighted that the built-in waste tank would last for about 7 days. Big mistake! The smells build up and are much more difficult to remove than emptying the waste more frequently!
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peedee replied on 25/04/2017 13:46
Posted on 24/04/2017 19:07 by NavigateurIs this in a trailer caravan or a motor caravan?
With both, many people use an additive to the waste tank to prevent this - bio-tabs from Aldi/Lidl seem to be quite popular and effective.
Posted on 25/04/2017 13:46
The only thing that doesn't get tipped down there is fat. Some is unavoidable from greasey plates and frying pans. Always drain down when leaving a site, don't store the van with grey waste still present in the tank and chuck a bio tab down now and again as explained above.
peedee
Takethedogalong replied on 25/04/2017 13:48
Posted on 25/04/2017 13:48
All good advice. We can understand why no traps, our weather gets down below freezing quite regular, sometimes seriously below freezing! Using a wash up bowl and being careful about what goes down pipes is by far best advice, empty often as well. We occasionally use white vinegar to disinfect our pipe work and tank, poor in, plug up, take it for a bouncy ride, then empty and rinse out. Vinegar doesn't smell.
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royalgwen