SMELLY SINK!

Hi all,
just wondering does anyone else have the stale smell coming from there van sink? Its probably coming from the drainage pipe, but how do you stop it? We are very new to motorhoming, any tips most welcome.
J.C Powell

Hi there,

Everyone has the same problem so don't panic as there are solutions.    

Personally we use the cheapest Tesco Orange Cordial there is (+/- 30p a litre) and pour a slug down the sink every time we empty the waste tank and "Bingo!" no smell.

Don't ask me why it works, but it does; and when the waste tank is drained it just smells of orange juice!    

Also, every so often, we put a slug of bleach down the sink in the shower and down the two shower drains and then rinse them through with a drop of fresh water.

Finally, we NEVER open the waste tank drain with the plug in the sink.  This is on the basis that air needs to get into the tank when it drains and if we leave the plug in the sink it will remove the water from the traps in either the shower-rooom sink or the shower drains.
(We may be wrong in this assumption so "no change there"!) 

Hope this helps. 

Best regards,

While I'm sure Dutto is absolutely correct about the orange cordial (never tried it) we found that when not using the van, simply leaving the drain tap open cured the problem for us.

We use cheap s/mkt Orange Cordial when I remember and we know when I forget. Much has been posted on this topic

Look for the root cause first - the quickest way to end up with a smelly waste tank is to put cooking water (veggies mostly) down the sink or even little food scraps. 

Let that brew for a couple of warm days and you'll have a nice fermenting soup sloshing around beneath you.

So - get your tank clean and sweet by whatever means you choose and then be careful what you tip into it.  frequent emptying helps a lot too.

My choice for something to pour down the sink after an empty/clean out is cheapo disinfectant from factory shop type outlets (45p).  For me, the smell of disinfectant is a smell of "clean".

Keep the outlet pipe open until you need to use the tank.

I chuck a dose of Zoflora down mine when I've finished using the sink. I think it smells better than orange juice!  

Nora

Traficlady wrote:I chuck a dose of Zoflora down mine when I've finished using the sink. I think it smells better than orange juice!  

Nora

.
...... and it probably tastes better than cheap Tesco orange juice!!

Anything tastes better than orange juice, Tony, unless there's champagne involved!!  

Nora

Hi there,

I didn't actually advise drinking the stuff!!!    

If it can keep a waste-tank from smelling for a week then goodness only knows what it will do to a stomach!   

Best regards,

The fundamental problem here is that AS and, I suspect vitually all other caravan builders, have not followed domestic practice in that U-bends are not fitted beneath the shower tray, washbasin or kitchen sink.

I can't think of any particular reason why they have not done this other than, I suspect, components are mostly tailored for the towed caravan market where waste tanks are predominently external and therefore there's little risk of the stink getting back into the van. This oversight needs to be addressed in my view. I suppose it might have been in the more recent models - please advise - but we still suffer each year.

Bartfarst

We learned the hard way very quickly   New to motorhoming / campervanning too - on our inaugural trip, a long weekend in Luxembourg - just prior to departure a kind family member pitched up with two dressed crabs (now I don't mean round fellas with pincers dressed in black tie, but nicely prepared crab shells full of seafoody stuff). In horror I looked at them as my wife gratefully took them on board and placed them in the previously not really tested RM07 fridge... of 17 years I hasten to add. Soon forgot as the Talent winged its way up the E42 etc....

We arrived - dressed crab was chilled and actually... delicious. Thought no more. 3 days later..... OMG what is that smell? did you do one in the C2? Wot... me?! never, you? No! Windows open - smell slowly went away. Got back home. Parked up the Talent. Went on business travels - phone call from 'er in doors... " I cannot go in the van!" "why?" " smells soooooooooooooo bad, I nearly puked on the drive" "just thought... what did you do with the crab shells when we were in Luxembourg?" "why, washed them out in the van sink before throwing them in the campsite bin - place would smell bad otherwise" - so, campsite in Luxembourg smells great, AS Talent stinks like rotting crab soup!

Next - explain to 'er in doors how to drain the waste tank...

Advise learned quickly..... do your washing up in the campsite sink. Don't put food waste down the sink. Empty regularly..... to be fair - no more smells and no orange juice needed yet. Survived nearly 2 weeks on the next trip without smells or emptying until we hit roadworks in Oloron Saint Marie (Pyrenees) and forced down a stripped road with ridiculously high exposed drain covers... thought we could clear it - hit the drain tap (actually - tap was already replaced / modified with rubber bung and cork affair) - waste tank contents now part of French roadworks. That'll teach them   Luckily, just needed new rubber plug and small repair to fresh water inlet pipe - why do AS wedge that between a sharp piece of VW T4 and the waste tank? Will post separately on that

Leaving the outlet tap open can attract spiders etc. Not everyone's cup of tea when they appear up the sink hole 

Outlet tap was removed and replaced by cork and rubber bung by previous owner. As I understand it, the original tap is a nice blockage point for those solids that do make it down the plug hole. I'm glad I have the bung fitted as otherwise I would have been hunting for a replacement waste tank tap.... in France