We have been camping and Betsey noticed a smell on the toilet when she opened the lid Black tank on dash gauge reads 1/4 , grey tank 3/4 and fresh water 1/4 I am dumping in ghe morning before we head out and back home.What do you recommend to control odor in the future?
Couple of points:
1. You can NOT, repeat NOT make black or gray water tanks smell "good".
2. As long as the tanks are properly vented, you should not have smells in your coach. Said another way, if air pressure inside the motorhome is higher than in the tank, smells will not migrate into the coach. Tank vent plugged or vent fan on in the bathroom and you WILL get smells inside. If your black tank or gray tank drain is open and someone next to you dumps, there will be positive pressure on the drain and if you happen to open the toilet, you will get "smells".
Use your nose to identify the source of the smell. The air admittance valves under the sinks are a common source and an inexpensive replaceable item at any box store.
A clamp on your nose- ^.^d ^.^d
Johnh
It's not a noxious odor we are not connect to the sewer just noticed a slight odor when we lifted the lid . Betsey put a air freshener thing in on the counter and that did the trick.
Since we started using the Geo method the amount of any smell has been minimal. Lots of threads on this FoFum.
The Geo Method (https://sites.google.com/site/cbruni/)
I was getting bad smells from my toilet when I was dry camping at a music festival (no ability to empty). I did two things. I made 5gallons of nice warm soapy water and dumped it down the tank.
I also made more warm soapy water and filled the toilet all the way up to the overflow holes (I used the shower head to do this). I ran a gallon or two of warm soaping water down the overflow holes.
It worked. Horrible smell went away.
If your toilet has "overflow holes," you MUST regularly put water through them to fill the traps for the overflow holes. Some folk have plugged the holes. We have left them open. I make sure to fill the bowl enough to fill the traps after each dump of the black water tank. It keeps odors at bay and provides some water to the black tank.
We have a roof vent with a built-in fan that creates a slight negative pressure in the black tank, so when the toilet ball valve is opened, air flows from inside the coach into the tank. Instead of visa versa. Also there are unpowered roof vents that have venturi so that wind creates a negative tank pressure.
http://www.ultra-fab.com/new_detail.cfm?mfgnum=53-945001 (http://www.ultra-fab.com/new_detail.cfm?mfgnum=53-945001)
Lil' Stanker? In-Line Deodorizer Fans (http://www.lslproducts.net/IL-DSPage.html)
Roadtrek Mods / Modifications, DIYs, Campgrounds, Class B Mods / Modifications, (http://roadtreklife.blogspot.com/2012/09/diy-solar-powered-holding-tank-vent.html)
Cyclone Sewer Vent - Camco 40595 - Vents - Camping World (http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/cyclone-sewer-vent/31992)