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Sewer Vent

Printed From: R-pod Owners Forum
Category: R-pod Discussion Forums
Forum Name: Podmods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks
Forum Discription: Ask maintenance questions, share your podmods (modifications) and helpful tips
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=9951
Printed Date: 27 Apr 2024 at 3:38pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.64 - http://www.webwizforums.com


Topic: Sewer Vent
Posted By: roadglide
Subject: Sewer Vent
Date Posted: 14 May 2017 at 11:31am
2017 RP180.  Has anyone replace the existing black sewer vent with a Camco Cyclone Sewer Vent?  Just from initial looking at the factory vent, it is quite larger pipe than the Cyclone.  Any advice greatley appreciated.


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Dan
2017 RP-180
Never leave a fallen comrade behind.



Replies:
Posted By: Edward_Larkin
Date Posted: 11 Aug 2020 at 12:21pm
I know this is a very old post, but I was just considering upgrading my factory mushroom vent to this same Camco Cyclone Sewer Vent on my new 2021 RP-171 and had the same questions/concerns. Did you end up doing this? Or has anyone ever used this vent on an R-POD? It was recommended to my by my father who's a long time RV owner.

I'm specifically looking at this listing.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SQ1K19A/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1 - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SQ1K19A/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1


Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 11 Aug 2020 at 6:01pm
But why do it, are you getting a sewer smell? I don't see the benefit if not?

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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold


Posted By: podwerkz
Date Posted: 11 Aug 2020 at 8:58pm
It 'rotes' 360 degrees, so it must be good, right?

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r・pod 171 gone but not forgotten!


Posted By: Edward_Larkin
Date Posted: 11 Aug 2020 at 11:16pm
Yea, it's a fair point. Our RP-171 is brand new, so no. I don't have any smell. I guess you can chalk my interest up to enthusiasm at having a new toy (the trailer,) and listening to my father who recommended it. I can only assume he, at one time, had a smell. Though he also has never owned an R-POD. 

We do intend to use the wet bath exclusively at camp sites. So that might push our usage up a bit more than most as I gather most people tend to try and avoid the use of the wet bath when possible. Part of the reason we purchased the trailer is to avoid public restrooms in the time of COVID. But still, we've got no smell to force the use of this vent right now.

Y'all are convincing me that I should probably just cool it and wait until I have a problem before I try and solve it. Smile


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2021 RP-171
2017 Kia Sedona
Family of 4

"Let's go have an adventure!"


Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 12 Aug 2020 at 5:27am
We have owned our 177 since March 2011 and have not ever noticed a smell at ground level.  Now when I have been up on the roof washing it there have been a few occasions I have noticed "the smell" but only rarely and that is something I do not typically participate in when traveling.

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God's pod
'11 model 177
'17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost
Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake
"...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."


Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 12 Aug 2020 at 6:34am
Originally posted by Edward_Larkin


Y'all are convincing me that I should probably just cool it and wait until I have a problem before I try and solve it. Smile

As my daddy always said, "if it ain't broke don't fix it".Tongue

I have had smells in my wet bath, as have many others. The usual cause is letting the traps dry out from lack of use. That won't be your problem with 4 people using the bathroom. Be sure to wipe the bath down and dry everything out after showering and get any wet towels etc out of there, otherwise it will stay damp all the time and grow mold.

If you do the math on how much positive pressure at the top of a vent stack from the wind it takes to push air past the water in a trap its very unlikely that that could ever happen. Direct Cat 3 hurricane winds still exert less pressure than a one inch water column. Traps are designed with at least 2 inches of water seal.  In my house on the NC Outer Banks I never once got a sewer smell even in the strongest blows. 


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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold


Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 12 Aug 2020 at 9:18am
+1 on the dry shower trap. Much of the "sewage" smell is actually coming from the gray water tank through a dry trap.

One other thing--don't run the vent fan when you flush. It will pull stinky air from the black water tank since there is a straight shot to the tank and no trap. That is the same as the traps in the sink and shower. The fan will pull stinky air from them if you don't have enough windows open. It will pull from the source with the least resistance.


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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,...

http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods
Former RPod 179
Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS


Posted By: mjlrpod
Date Posted: 12 Aug 2020 at 9:22am
Originally posted by Edward_Larkin


Y'all are convincing me that I should probably just cool it and wait until I have a problem before I try and solve it. Smile

I have gone weeks with 1/2 full black tank and never get a smell. You might want to wait and see. Now one thing that makes a difference is your septic treatment. All treatments are not created equally. My personal favorite is from thetford, it's called Aqua Kem. It's a thick gooey blue liquid. It costs a little more than some others, but, I think it's well worth it. I tried 3 or 4 different types (with bad results, odors) before settling on this one. Others will recommend other things, but this is what works for me. 


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2017.5 Rp-172
2020 R-pod 195
2015 Frontier sv 4.0L 6cyl
I'll be rpodding


Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 12 Aug 2020 at 10:37am
Just make sure whatever type of treatment you use does not list formaldehyde as an ingredient. That stuff will mess up the sewage systems by killing off the bacteria needed to break down wastes in sewage systems, whether septic or treatment plant. Biological treatments are better. The Bio-Geo method is one I just recently saw and tried. It got my black tank sensors cleaned off, even without driving around.

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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,...

http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods
Former RPod 179
Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS


Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 12 Aug 2020 at 1:11pm
Originally posted by StephenH



One other thing--don't run the vent fan when you flush. It will pull stinky air from the black water tank since there is a straight shot to the tank and no trap. That is the same as the traps in the sink and shower. The fan will pull stinky air from them if you don't have enough windows open. It will pull from the source with the least resistance.

Good point on the toilet ball valve. That could conceivably leak stinky air and cause a smell since there is no water seal, although I haven't seen any reports of that on rpods. The swivel roof vent might arguably help with that but personally I'd rather replace the ball valve if that happened so there was a good seal there. 

As for the ceiling fan drawing air through the traps, I assume you mean if they are dry. There is no way that little fan can produce enough pressure differential to displace a couple inch water column in a trap. A hurricane won't even do that. 


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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold


Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 12 Aug 2020 at 1:19pm
The issue is not the valve itself. It is that the valve is a plate that slides open to flush. When that happens, there is a straight (or almost straight in the case of our 179) shot from the toilet bowl to the sewage tank. That is why running the fan can pull stinky air from it. When it is closed, it is sealed and normally has at least some water covering it. When that is the case, if the fan is running and there are ot enough other sources of air, the negative pressure will pull stinky air through the gray water plumbing if the traps are not full. I don't think that the vacuum breakers behind the kitchen sink and bathroom sink would contribute to that unless one of them is defective and not closing properly. That would also be something to check as would the check valve/vacuum breaker for the black tank flush. If that check valve is installed backwards, it could allow stinky air from the tank into the area of the valve if the vent fan is creating too much negative pressure.

-------------
StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,...

http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods
Former RPod 179
Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS


Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 12 Aug 2020 at 1:43pm
Originally posted by StephenH

The issue is not the valve itself. It is that the valve is a plate that slides open to flush. When that happens, there is a straight (or almost straight in the case of our 179) shot from the toilet bowl to the sewage tank. That is why running the fan can pull stinky air from it. When it is closed, it is sealed and normally has at least some water covering it. When that is the case, if the fan is running and there are ot enough other sources of air, the negative pressure will pull stinky air through the gray water plumbing if the traps are not full. I don't think that the vacuum breakers behind the kitchen sink and bathroom sink would contribute to that unless one of them is defective and not closing properly. That would also be something to check as would the check valve/vacuum breaker for the black tank flush. If that check valve is installed backwards, it could allow stinky air from the tank into the area of the valve if the vent fan is creating too much negative pressure.

We agree that the traps would have to be dry for the fantastic fan to pull air up that way.

I got that you can get stinkies for the few seconds the ball valve is open. If the valve itself were to leak air (which is possible but I haven't heard of it) then that would be a continuing source until fixed unless the black tank is kept at negative pressure relative to the bathroom, which the roof swivel vent would presumably help do. A faulty black tank flush valve could conceivably cause an issue. In either case, I'd rather smell it so I know to go fix it than have a swivel vent concealing the problem. 



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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold


Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 12 Aug 2020 at 1:47pm
One other consideration is the seal between the toilet and the floor. 'm not sure if there is something like a wax ring there. If that is not sealing properly, stink could be pulled through there.


-------------
StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,...

http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods
Former RPod 179
Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS


Posted By: Edward_Larkin
Date Posted: 13 Aug 2020 at 3:36pm
Great points everyone. I'm adding this as a best practice for the family when using the bath.
- Dry everything after a shower (already doing that out of pure perfectionism.)
- Cut the fan before flushing if no windows are open.
- Generally try to have windows/door open if the fan is pulling.

The description of where the fan is going to pull its air from is illuminating. I had not considered all the places it could potentially be pulling from and what that might do in terms of smells.

In any case, not gonna replace that vent anytime soon. We'll just enjoy things until a problem arises.


-------------
2021 RP-171
2017 Kia Sedona
Family of 4

"Let's go have an adventure!"



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