Awful odor when fans on

We just got back from a weekend trip, and when we turn on the fantastic fans, unfortunately now have a terrible "cat litter box" odor coming from under the fridge, the heat registers, and under the sink. I removed the cover under the fridge and *gasp* there were mouse droppings. Yesterday, we cleaned that up, sprayed with Lysol, and things seemed better. This morning, when the furnace came on the odor was awful.

I thought that maybe somehow sewer gasses had gotten into the underbelly, so we drained all of the tanks then turned on both fantastic fans (level 3) on full with the windows closed. The smell was almost nauseating, and didn't get better. If anything, it got worse as the day warmed up.

When we had the trailer out for 2 weeks at spring break, everything was fine.

I don't know if something got in somewhere and died, set up a nest and we're smelling urine/feces, or ....

Has anyone had this before, and if so what was the fix?

I don't even know where to begin troubleshooting this. Help!

Chris

Hi wyleyrabbit,

If it smells like ammonia, start at the back of the refrigerator and look for stains and see if the ammonia smell is stronger there. You may have a leak in the cooling unit.

Dead mice and/or chipmunks can stink. Check the refer, as Dan suggests, but if that's OK, then you've got to explore the basement and hidden areas.

If it is mice, I recommend getting Mouse-Free and spraying your rig. The stuff works!
http://www.mouse-free.com/

If you have your gray tanks open sometimes the sewer gases can back up and come out the roof vent. The fans then can cause them to come back into the RV. Close the gray/black tank drains.

Check the Studer valve ("Vent valve") under your kitchen sink. Good luck...

Jimmy said:

Check the Studer valve ("Vent valve") under your kitchen sink. Good luck...

Click to expand...

How do I check that valve? I know where it is, I've seen it, but I'm not sure how I would tell if something isn't quite right with it.

Are there other valves like this elsewhere?

There are two things you can do.
One would be to pull it out. You should be able to put it to your mouth and suck in, but not blow out through it.
Or you could put a baggie over it and secure it with a rubber band. It the odor goes away you know the valve is faulty.
There is also an air admittance valve under the bathroom sink.

Peace
Dave

Jimmy said:

Check the Studer valve ("Vent valve") under your kitchen sink. Good luck...

Click to expand...

Ditto

I thought I should touch base and update everyone that's interested on what we found.

The foul stench was because rodents had again gotten in to the sub-floor and behind the utility panels in the basement. Droppings and urine was what we were smelling. While wearing a good mask, I removed the two floor registers and vacuumed up as much as I could reach in every direction. After vacuuming, I sprayed Natures Miracle, an enzyme based product that is designed to neutralize urine. Then I removed all of the wall panels in the basement and did the same.

Then I went on a mission to find any and every possible entrance point for these ****ed critters. I got a tarp and flashlight and went over ever square inch of the outside of the trailer. And I think I found where they were getting in. I do not know how I missed this before, but there is about a 2.5 to 3 inch square hole near the hot water tank. Literally could reach in and touch the safety label on the side of the tank. I stuffed some steel wool in there (it's not touching anything electrical), covered the opening with rodent-proof mesh which I screwed and taped on, then sprayed Great Stuff spray foam over top of that and after it dried, sprayed it with black spray paint.

I also found another place they could have been getting in between the outside steps and the tire well. About a 1" hole in the frame with about a 0.25" wire stuck into it leaving quite a gap. Steel wool, then spray foam, and spray paint. That one is done too.

We still have a bit of on odour when we turn on the roof fans now, but it isn't really strong anymore. I'm hoping that whatever was left behind will eventually dry out and stop smelling. Anyone have any tips on speeding this process up?

Chris