Compartment Ventilation

Will be surprised if this topic has not been "aired" before? Nuavo Lancashire 2010 Thetford Cassette Compartment Odour.
So we know from the manual that the "automatic cassette vent" vents the cassette - thankfully stopping pressure build up - Holy  !
This allows odours directly into the cassette compartment; so where do they go from here? Presumably in the absence of any obvious vent and the door being sealed; the odours dissipate into the shower room from where they can escape through the permanently ventilated roof vent. Surely this is not correct???? 
Has anyone fitted a vent in the compartment door or alleviated this pong by another method 

What chemical treatment are you using? I’ve never known any pong other than a whiff of pine. 

You might be thinking of SOG systems which vent to the outside of the van.

We are using the Thetford blue, and this is the pong in the bathroom. Perhaps use a little less than recommended or change to bio wash tablet??
Surely it would be better to vent this pong to the outside rather than inside?
After all, this external ventilation is as we all have at home - the stench pipe venting at roof height.
We would never put up with the stench pipe venting into the bathroom and opening a window permanently just to let the pong out?
Would have thought AS would be on top of this fundamental design flaw. Are new MH's still like this?
Will have to take a sniff of this SOG system - new to me - thanks TinTin.

we have a SOG system which vents up and out through a small chimney in the roof, IMHO far nicer than the after market door fitted ones...
we also use Lidl/Aldi bio pods rather then the 'chemical' smelling Thetford type stuff.
SOG not only vents away from the bowl by drawing air in and down through the bowl but this process also hastens the 'work' the bio pods do, so that it's not specifically necessary to use any cassette additive.

Ah yes - SOG at £180 - Voorspong Duct Technic - these clever Germans. Have got it sorted at a price.
Perhaps a far simpler design would be just to vent this semi sealed device with a round louvred vent with fly mesh - search eaby for WHITE 100 mm 4" Circle Air Vent Grille Round Ducting Cover
At simplest this would vent fermenting pong to outside and when on the move would have slight venturi effect.
You could back this up with a 5V computer mini fan 2 pin 5V 40mm 4010 Fan CPU GPU powered by rechargeable power bank and switch or even a 12V version wired as SOG sytem. £6 should cover vent cowl, fan and switch?
Now need to look at this IMHO - thanks Chris

You could always use the site loo.....

If sh ing is your problem when up amongst the stars.
The intergalactic laxative will get you from here to Mars!

Don't write them like that any more? Think it was Donavan?

Anyone got a spare Nuevo Cassette compartment door?

John&Maggie wrote:We are using the Thetford blue, and this is the pong in the bathroom.

In that case the simplest solution is to sniff the range of bog additives at your nearby caravan accessory shop, and change to one with a more pleasant pong. 

We use a green Elsan variety which is pleasantly pine flavoured, and I empty the cassette every day (or two at the most) if possible so it never has the chance to fester.

I have to agree with you, the "fragrance" in the Thetford stuff is never likely to take off as either a perfume or an after shave. 

Thanks Gromit Lad.

Presume this is similar to wine tasting, Ah! I am getting notes of wild meadows, pine forests etc.
Will give that green Elsan variety a try when the blue runs out.
Still think stench pipe venting into bathroom is a naff idea.
We need to go down to the cellar and invent something, preferably automatic.

we recently had a sog retro fitted on our van and the smell in the van was horrendous.
the fitter hadn't removed the relief valve button (for the want of a better word)
You can imagine the smell with no chemical fluid in the cassette. lol
Once we removed it (a small plastic clip in hump) everything was alright.
I would remove this (it clips in and out very easily) and try it without, I really don't think that the cassette needs to be DE pressurized all the time.
Just be careful when opening the blade (leave the lid down) 
Sog system has been used on various vans over 13 years without smell or complaint I agree, it can be a bit ripe at the emptying point.lol
Pete

Thanks for the detail Pete, nothing like first hand experience. Was your cassette the 200 type where the SOG fitting goes direct to the pressure release or the other type that is connected to the pouring spout cap? Going to search for Nuevo cassette compartment door at breakers to modify.
Thanks again - John & Maggie. 

bolero boy wrote:we have a SOG system which vents up and out through a small chimney in the roof, IMHO far nicer than the after market door fitted ones...
we also use Lidl/Aldi bio pods rather then the 'chemical' smelling Thetford type stuff.
SOG not only vents away from the bowl by drawing air in and down through the bowl but this process also hastens the 'work' the bio pods do, so that it's not specifically necessary to use any cassette additive.

I am probably confused but how does it draw air through the bowl when the blade is closed, sealing the cassettes from the bowl?
David

I probably didn't explain particularly wel....
when the blade is opened, the fan comes on and draws air down in from outside the bowl, over the contents and is expelled via the 'pouring spout' which has an extra pipe inserted (while the cassette is in place) which extends up to the roof vent when the air exits the van. so as you open tne blade, any niffson are whipped away via the fan and vent, rather than into the toilet compartment.

when emtying the cassette, the extra vent pipe is disconnected to allow removal.

Chris - we have to say thanks again for a very concise description. Hope the roof vent is well away from the gas heater chimney vent on the roof? Methane is quite volatile and has burned down barns - cow backfire plus tilley lamp! Yikes!
Houston we have lift off  

the heater vent is on the (off)side of the van, well away from the roof vent:allthumbz:

Eltel wrote:You could always use the site loo.....

not everyone wants to be tied to a site, let alone a site toilet...
having your own facilities with you everywhere allows for far greater choice of camping location (aires, non facs sites, CL/CS, THS site, wild camping even) over having to (feeling it necessary to...) use a site all the time.....not withstanding those poor people who traipse put in the rain at all times just to use the loo....hmm.