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Toilet smell


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My '90 Dolphin suddenly smells.  Like, bathroom smell, and not all the time, just sometimes, and seemingly, after I drive.  It's random, does not happen all the time.  I don't know if it's related but it started after I did two things within an hour of each other: 1) Going into a park I didn't see a speed bump and ran over it and everything inside my RV jumped, this leaves me thinking something might have come out of place.  2) While in the park (and before the smell started), I also fixed the clamp/bracket that holds the discharge drain pipe (this one being a weak link in the Dolphin's design, in my opinion, because the support area is flimsy, causes the 4 screws to come off and causes the discharge pipe area (where the drain valve is) to hang down and leak). 

So, I ran over a speed bump and possibly knocked something out of place or (maybe unrelated), I fixed a leaky drain pipe by securely attaching the drain pipe and then the smell started.  

I checked the vent hose coming from the grey water tank and it seems to be okay, nothing in the pipe seems to be out of place.  The toilet bowl holds water, no problem.  If I close the bathroom door, the smell seems to be confined to the bathroom (rear bath) area.  And if I sniff around, it seems to be concentrated in the toilet, but again, the water in the bowl remains, causing me to think that there is not a problem with that seal.  

That brings me to what I think might be the issue, and that is a wax bowl ring issue.  Problem is, I know house toilets use a wax ring but I don't know if RV toilets use it.  What seals between the tank and the toilet?  I want to remove the toilet to check, but I thought I'd ask first, to see if someone has encountered/fixed this issue before and maybe be prepared with the part so I can fix it in one shot.  Thanks!

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5 hours ago, lopezg273 said:

wax bowl ring issue

I ran into this problem as well.  I had to unbolt the toilet, take it up and clean it out really well inside from the bottom  and then I bought a new rubber seal ring (THETFORD 33239 RV Closet Flange Seal) and replaced it and between that and cleaning up the toilet really well it fixed the problem.  I didn't have a wax seal on mine but the old rubber one was worn/crushed and no longer sealed properly.

I have a Thetford toilet so yours may be different.

One other time I had this issue it was because the black tank was over full and the seal that holds water in the toilet bowl wasn't holding water so gasses were leaking by.  The toilet cleaning fixed this as I cleaned the seal at that point and it holds water fine now.

Edited by AtlantaCamper
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Do not use a standard wax seal it can not stand the high temps in a closed up MH. The toilets get pretty nasty I removed mine and pressured washed it on the inside. While you have it out a little silicone lube in the slide does help. 

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i replaced the vent on the roof with one that swings with wind. Haven' t had any smells lately but then I haven't been using the toilet much. But i think the cap on it was flattened out so maybe it was blocked. Good luck. I had that problem last spring a lot but it sort went away until a month ago. Weird and smelly too.

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Random things...

Did you crack the tank on the bump? Get a garden hose and slowly fill the tank through the toilet. When its full to the top of the flange. Look around outside for leaks on the ground.

The toilet/flange seal is foam. Its cheap and an easy replace. https://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/electrical-plumbing-lp-gas/rv-toilet-tanks-plumbing-sanitation/toilet-floor-gasket-kit_83-8794

Driving with a window open will create a low pressure zone in the house and suck the smells from the toilet inside.

Helpful things to create low pressure in the tank. Ive used both and they work very well.

https://www.etrailer.com/RV-Vents-and-Fans/Camco/CAM40595.html

https://www.etrailer.com/RV-Vents-and-Fans/Lippert-Components/LC389381.html

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If the traditional fixes do not work there is likely a vent pipe problem, cracked, broken, loose pipe.   There are only 2 ways to find them that I know of.  One is to block off all drains and fill the system with water from the roof and look for leak.    The other is a smoke test.  You can google plumbing smoke test to see how to DIY one. 

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