Has anyone used an ozone generator to eliminate odors in the rig?
Penny and Paul said
11:19 AM Jun 21, 2015
Our 1999 MH gets a really foul odor when it's been closed up. We full timed in it for two years, and it never smelled bad, but a couple months ago our plans changed and now it sits closed up for days or weeks at a time. When we open it up, the smell is enough to make us gag. After we open the windows and run the roof fans for a bit, it pretty much goes away, but as soon as it's closed up the smell develops again. It's not coming from any of the tanks. The smell doesn't seem to be coming from anywhere in particular. We've sniffed extensively, in every cabinet, closet, corner and crevice, trying to find the source. We've sniffed the AC, the vents, in and under the fridge, under the sinks, the carpeted ceiling, and in all the bays to no avail.
Before we lived in it, we removed and replaced all the original furniture and window coverings because they smelled old and musty, so I know it's not that. Over the last 6 weeks, we've washed all the bedding, sprayed the entire interior with three different odor removers, including Febreze, placed open bowls of baking soda about the rig, and poured baking soda down all the drains.
Now we're considering renting an ozone generator. Has anyone used one of these? Or can anyone suggest something else we could try to get rid of the smell? Thanks - P & P
-- Edited by Penny and Paul on Sunday 21st of June 2015 11:22:53 AM
TRAILERKING said
11:23 AM Jun 21, 2015
I have a cheaper $400.00 one and it seems to work good for things I've used it for.
Are you sure it's not sewer gas?? May even be rotting in the ceiling and walls that you can't see.
RickandJanice said
05:07 PM Jun 21, 2015
If you have not already done it, I would check all the drain traps to make sure they are holding water. If a trap is dry, then the smell could be coming from one of the holding tanks. I would also check the storage bays to make sure nothing has crawled inside one of them and either left a mess or died. Also check the engine compartment to make sure nothing is living or dead in it. Smells can get into the living quartes from so many other places on these things.
The Bear II said
09:44 AM Jun 22, 2015
Like others I would suspect holding tank vapors or a leak somewhere.
I would check all of the vents for the holding tanks to make sure they're free and clear of any debris/nest
The gasket around the toilet flange may need to be replaced- This would be my first choice as the cause.
Also test the seal for the toilet flap/ball- fill the bowl with water and let it sit. It should hold water over night or longer.
After dumping the holding tanks, I add a gallon of water with Thetford Waste digest-er/deoderant to the black and the grey waste tanks.
Penny and Paul said
12:34 PM Jun 22, 2015
Great suggestions everyone. We're gonna look into it all. I don't think it's the toilet flange as we just had a new toilet installed in November, and we have a similar vent cover to the one The Bear recommended, but we'll have a look to make sure it's working properly.
How can you tell if there's rotten wood in the roof or walls? We've had a few leaks, but we're pretty sure we've got them all fixed now. Would we be able to see the condition of the wood if we pulled back the carpeted surface of the ceiling?
Thanks again!
TRAILERKING said
12:52 PM Jun 22, 2015
Well not sure if this is from any leakage but when I was browsing through some of your great pic's on your blog I seen something. In your reno of installing your computer work station, I seen the stripped floor to plywood. It did appear to have a lot of water staining close to the wall......That's one sign.
I had a Jayco trailer with a roof issue when quite new. Rotted roof structure and Jayco wouldn't do anything about it. When ever the trailer was closed up for a while we'd always smell the musty smell. Luckily it sold and unfortunately is now someone elses problem.
Lonney Wade said
01:36 PM Jun 22, 2015
Paul, if it is a vent problem, I would get on the roof and run a garden hose down the vent pipe, could be a dead animal or something died there.
Our 1999 MH gets a really foul odor when it's been closed up. We full timed in it for two years, and it never smelled bad, but a couple months ago our plans changed and now it sits closed up for days or weeks at a time. When we open it up, the smell is enough to make us gag. After we open the windows and run the roof fans for a bit, it pretty much goes away, but as soon as it's closed up the smell develops again. It's not coming from any of the tanks. The smell doesn't seem to be coming from anywhere in particular. We've sniffed extensively, in every cabinet, closet, corner and crevice, trying to find the source. We've sniffed the AC, the vents, in and under the fridge, under the sinks, the carpeted ceiling, and in all the bays to no avail.
Before we lived in it, we removed and replaced all the original furniture and window coverings because they smelled old and musty, so I know it's not that. Over the last 6 weeks, we've washed all the bedding, sprayed the entire interior with three different odor removers, including Febreze, placed open bowls of baking soda about the rig, and poured baking soda down all the drains.
Now we're considering renting an ozone generator. Has anyone used one of these? Or can anyone suggest something else we could try to get rid of the smell? Thanks - P & P
-- Edited by Penny and Paul on Sunday 21st of June 2015 11:22:53 AM
Are you sure it's not sewer gas?? May even be rotting in the ceiling and walls that you can't see.
I would check all of the vents for the holding tanks to make sure they're free and clear of any debris/nest
Replace the vent caps with one of these tweetys.com/sewer-vent-cover-cyclone.aspx
The gasket around the toilet flange may need to be replaced- This would be my first choice as the cause.
Also test the seal for the toilet flap/ball- fill the bowl with water and let it sit. It should hold water over night or longer.
After dumping the holding tanks, I add a gallon of water with Thetford Waste digest-er/deoderant to the black and the grey waste tanks.
Great suggestions everyone. We're gonna look into it all. I don't think it's the toilet flange as we just had a new toilet installed in November, and we have a similar vent cover to the one The Bear recommended, but we'll have a look to make sure it's working properly.
How can you tell if there's rotten wood in the roof or walls? We've had a few leaks, but we're pretty sure we've got them all fixed now. Would we be able to see the condition of the wood if we pulled back the carpeted surface of the ceiling?
Thanks again!
I had a Jayco trailer with a roof issue when quite new. Rotted roof structure and Jayco wouldn't do anything about it. When ever the trailer was closed up for a while we'd always smell the musty smell. Luckily it sold and unfortunately is now someone elses problem.
Paul, if it is a vent problem, I would get on the roof and run a garden hose down the vent pipe, could be a dead animal or something died there.
Lonney