Insulation in underbelly?

[akf15e]

I am searching for the source of some foul odors in my rig. Narrowed it down to the gray tank for the bedroom sinks and the shower. Still trying to figure out why it smells bad - bad vent pipe connection maybe. No signs of leaks anywhere at all. Anyway, when I dropped the coroplast to look underneath, I found zero insulation inside at all. Nothing between the foil sheet and the gray and black tanks, nor anywhere in that part of the rig. It looks like there are some tiny remnants of fiberglass insulation, but no batts at all. Is there supposed to be insulation in there? We had a tank leak not long after buying the rig new and I thought the dealer said they removed all wet insulation. Perhaps they "forgot" to replace it? If there is supposed to be insulation in there, do you think I have recourse for them not replacing it during maintenance 18 months ago? I know I can always add it myself and that there are better ideas than pink fiberglass (thanks jbletti), but I think the dealer needs to make this right if they screwed up. Thanks!

 

[Jesstruckn/Jesstalkn]

We have had the same problem for a long time now. I've tried everything, change the stator valve under the sink, change to 360 siphon vent on the roof, checked the seal around the pipes coming through the roof, nothing seems to have solved it. DW thanks it's the fantastic fan sucking the air from the roof but it's blowing the opposite direction !!! My latest solution is the plug-in Air Wick air fresheners plugged into the bathroom outlet. After doing that I rarely smell anything but the air freshener.

Jerrod

And yes I believe your repair facility shorted you on your insulation, or just was too lazy to put it in, and was hoping you wouldn't notice !!!
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[akf15e]

Thanks jesstalkn....I just came back inside after one more check of all the vent pipes' connections, and I see nothing amiss. I did find the studor valve under the bedroom sink was not screwed in firmly. Is that supposed to be threaded all the way down tight, or is it supposed to be only part way screwed in? I was contemplating the cyclone roof vent since I'm out of ideas. Our fantastic fan in the kitchen draws the stinky air in from the basement via the gaps around the stairs. Meaning we can't ever use that fan. Thought about sealing the stairs up from behind somehow.

Yep, I'm guessing they didn't put insulation back in. Not surprising knowing the issues I've had with this large East Coast dealer.

 

[Garypowell]

I would take the vent valve out of the plumbing under the sink to test its smell/value. I initially put a Saran wrap cover over the pipe and then screwed the valve back on. The smell went away.....I capped the valve permanently.

I have found in the last 3 years or so no degradation in draining the tanks or anything....except the smell is gone.

Certainly there can be other causes like pipes improperly sealed on the roof, etc. But just don't screw the valve down tighter....take it out of the equation to see what happens.

Replace or remove is up to you.

 

[oldelmer1]

I know I can always add it myself and that there are better ideas than pink fiberglass (thanks jbletti), but I think the dealer needs to make this right if they screwed up. Thanks!

What was it that Jim suggested?

I need to replace my insulation too cause my water filter leaked and soaked it all.

 

[Lou_and_Bette]

We have had the same problem for a long time now. I've tried everything, change the stator valve under the sink, change to 360 siphon vent on the roof, checked the seal around the pipes coming through the roof, nothing seems to have solved it. DW thanks it's the fantastic fan sucking the air from the roof but it's blowing the opposite direction !!! My latest solution is the plug-in Air Wick air fresheners plugged into the bathroom outlet. After doing that I rarely smell anything but the air freshener
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Jerrod, I, out of desperation, finally disassembled the piping under the sink and cleaned out some awful looking, very stinky gunk. Gunk seemed to be a collection of various oily substances, soap, and hair and took a fair amount of effort to clean out. Once it was done and pipes reassembled, smell went away. Now, when DW informs me there's a smell, I repeat the process...usually every 4-6 months. Others may want to take a look at their plumbing.

 

[Jesstruckn/Jesstalkn]

I did do that on that weird thing under the kitchen sink, now I'll check the sink in the bathroom and the one in the bedroom.
Thanks for the info


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[mckinney1]

Good info here. Something we did on our old 5th wheel was drain all P-traps every winter to help get all water out to winterize. If you do that it may give you regular cleaning intervals to keep that smell away!

Something we have not done yet is add a treatment pack to the septic, that I hear helps.

 

[farside291]

We have replaced all of our Studor vents with these off Amazon. We have had no issues of smells in the last year. They are very high quality. Just unscrew the old and screw in the new.

https://www.amazon.com/Studor-20346...F8&qid=1500569338&sr=8-1&keywords=studor+vent

 

[Jesstruckn/Jesstalkn]

That's the same one I used and it didn't make a difference.

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[akf15e]

What was it that Jim suggested?

I need to replace my insulation too cause my water filter leaked and soaked it all.

Here is one suggestion. https://heartlandowners.org/showthread.php/59247-Underbelly-Repairs?p=479734&viewfull=1#post479734

I did a search for "insulation" and found some other good ideas too. For me, whatever I use will have to be water proof/resistant as these rigs all eventually get water inside from bad connections, leaking tanks, water pump leaks, road water intrusion, etc.