Would LOVE some help tracking down an odor source...

[Breeno]

Well, I hate that I've not been active in the forums since we bought our Gateway 2 months ago, but here I am, hoping to get some assistance from follow Heartlanders

So, we have a Gateway 3650 BH (which we absolutely love!) that often has fairly strong odor which I just cannot find the source of. The odor seems to be strongest in the basement, but there's never any obvious moisture or dampness to be found. We can also smell it from under the steps (this model has these handy drawers that slide out of the steps) leading to the bedroom. The bathroom occasionally will smell as well (under the sink seems the strongest) although not as strongly as the basement.

It's a urine type odor, but not overwhelming, but definitely enough to be annoying. Opening the basement doors for a few minutes and it'll clear up pretty quickly (I've been just leaving them propped open lately to avoid this).

We'll be taking the rig into our dealer shortly for our "now that we've had it a while" punch list (mostly trivial things) but I'd love to have this sorted sooner than later.
Any tips greatly appreciated!

 

[Ndrhsr]

we have found that just about the time out propane tank needs to be switched over to the full one we get an odor from under the kitchen sink which is close to the location of both propane tanks. Until we finally realized this we were searching every where for the source of the odor.

 

[aatauses]

Sorry to hear you are having issues----here are a few of my thoughts--
Since it appears to be "below" check to see if you have a minor leak in one of the pipes coming from your toilet--it probably is not a major leak but a small drip from one of the connections.
Also, check to see when you flush your toilet that it seals----(holds water)--if not clean or replace the gasket.
al
currently in Surprise, AZ

 

[danemayer]

Hi Breeno,

Any possibility that a critter of some kind has gotten into the basement plumbing area?

 

[olcoon]

You might remove the forward bulkhead in the basement, & check for the smell in there. There should be a screw in each corner holding the bulkhead up, on ours, it's easier to access that area from the off door side of the rig. Like mentioned before, there may be a small leak from the commode, or the possibility of a dead critter in there. At least you should be able to tell if the odor is coming from that area.

 

[Kbvols]

Try setting a few mouse traps. We had similar issue and the traps resolved.

 

[TandT]

From your description, I'm guessing that it is possibly rodents. Rodents will urinate a great deal. We have had to pull everything out of the basement to flush out mice several times.
You might start by placing a box of DeCon in the basement before doing anything else. IMHO, it is more effective than traps.
If you have mice or rats they will go right for it. If they ingest it, they will get thirsty and usually leave looking for water. If they end up dying in the rig, they will dry out quickly and only smell for a day or two.
When things simmer down you can pull everything out and investigate.
Do not breathe rodent dropping dust, as it can be very toxic.
Trace

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997

 

[riverrat]

We had a smell too but could never pinpoint it because it would come and go. I made a diy smoke tool I filled the tanks with smoke to find any leaks from the tanks or plumbing. I did find one source under the bathroom sink the vent check was not scewed in only about a turn. the other two were on the roof, one the vent was cut to short maybe they cut the pipe short and when they went to put the seal on rather than fix it said screw it. The other one looks like they cut it off on purpose because they cut the hole for the vent to close to the other vent and they overlaped the flanges but the pipe still would not line up so cut it short and said screw it also. So the gas was coming down through the roof into the basement area. After repairing no more smell.

 

[priorguy]

My roof plumbing vent us inches from the pop up vent on my trailer. Leaving the vent open while gone the smell would enter the trailer and fill it after a couple of days gone. Closing the vent lid while away stopped the smell.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BouseBill]

If it smells like urine check out my posting awhile back, and the cause!!
//heartlandowners.org/showthread.ph...e-cat-urine!!?highlight=smells+like+cat+urine

 

[Breeno]

Quick update on this ... Took our Gateway in for our warrantee punch list and the root cause was a broken black tank. Happy to know the root cause and hopefully the repair will be the end of this one...

 

[BouseBill]

Breeno, so far our repair is holding strong and we have not had a repeat of the broken black tank. The repair guys had to change the location of the holes for the air vent and and down pipe. They were too close together causing the tank to crack.

 

[Breeno]

So, following up on this post-repair. According to the tech, the tank dropped through the frame onto the strap after it deformed from getting too full. After that happened the outlet cracked as too much pressure was placed on it. The tech said he felt the tank as mounted isn't well suited to take the full weight of being full. Good to know, as when I flush the tank I'm in the habit of letting the tank fill up quite a bit before dumping to rinse it out.

Also, very pleased with how Heartland handled the warrantee process. Always responsive and a joy to work with ... everything was fixed to our satisfaction and the dealer did a great job.