Sewer Gas Odor 2970RL

[gbkims]

I’m picking up a sewer gas odor from under the coffee bar in my 2970RL. It seems to show up when I flush my toilet, but not so much when running water in sinks and shower. I pulled the two drawers and stuck my head in there and see the vent lines and a Y connection.

Wondering if there's an AAV (Air Admittance Valve) on the vent lines under there?
Loosely threaded or the AAV going bad is one source of odors.

[NewGuy]

Grand Design was kind enough to send me the drawings. I’ll attach them at the bottom of this reply. Vent piping is very simple, but almost entirely inaccessible without taking stuff apart. There is one poorly installed pipe section in the vent line that I can see, which I plan to tape up and monitor if progress is made. Also going to try a smoke stick to see if I can pick up a leak. Getting access from underneath is probably the best bet to verify connection is intact, but that looks like a big pain in the butt. Going to ask a friend to come help me out tomorrow.

Here is the poorly installed pipe section (pic may upload sideways)…


Here are the drawings from GD…

[Petrovsky]

I looked at the diagram and not sure where you noticed your odour but I would guess that the vacuum break (#11 ) on the sink side may not be functioning correctly causing odour to seep into the kitchen grey tank from the black tank. You might consider replacing the valve with a quality one but as others have mentioned....do check your roof venting. Note also that odours could be coming from your grey tank in the form of decaying organic matter. There have been video's on the internet with this issue and the recommendation is to use similar products to help break down these particulates just like you do with the black tank. After 2 trips put a few gallons of water in the kitchen grey tank, add some black tank product (any product on the market will work), let it sit overnight, dump and flush and you would be surprised at the amount of stuff that comes out. The source of the odours a really a mute point since the culprit is likely to be #11 . Good luck.

[OurNewEra]

Grand Design was kind enough to send me the drawings. I’ll attach them at the bottom of this reply. Vent piping is very simple, but almost entirely inaccessible without taking stuff apart. There is one poorly installed pipe section in the vent line that I can see, which I plan to tape up and monitor if progress is made. Also going to try a smoke stick to see if I can pick up a leak. Getting access from underneath is probably the best bet to verify connection is intact, but that looks like a big pain in the butt. Going to ask a friend to come help me out tomorrow.

Here is the poorly installed pipe section (pic may upload sideways)…

@Petrovsky makes a good point about the AAV under the kitchen sink. I have already had to replace mine in a 1 year old unit. I didn't realize the gray and black share the vent pipe. I couldn't believe how bad the smell was when I took off the AAV under the sink. I thought it was pretty strong for a grey tank. Now I realize it was probably the black tank odor coming through the grey tank.

If I were you I would start by replacing the kitchen sink AAV with a good one from one of the big box stores. If you do replace it, you will need to disconnect the p-trap and then tilt out the vent pipe with the AAV. Unscrew the old AAV and screw on the new one. I used some Teflon tape when I put my new one on. The factory didn't use any.

[NewGuy]

Looks like the problem came down to a crappy install at the factory. The poorly aligned pipe fitting was leaking, so I taped it up and the smell appears to have stopped. I may seek a permanent fix down the road, but we’ll see if the tape will hold it back for now. Before and after pictures follow…

[NewGuy]

Last update on this issue…
Grand Design actually offered to pay for the permanent repair of this issue. I have to say that is exceptional customer service for a trailer long out of warranty. Scheduling service is an issue for me to take care of, obviously, but kudos to GD.

[Senexon]

Last update on this issue…
Grand Design actually offered to pay for the permanent repair of this issue. I have to say that is exceptional customer service for a trailer long out of warranty. Scheduling service is an issue for me to take care of, obviously, but kudos to GD.

Amazing news and company! I came here looking for the same issue and although I haven’t identified the issue exactly, it is only evident in the coffee bar area shelves so I am assuming it is the same.

Question for you, it appears that you accessed the plumbing from the inside… any tips how to get to it? And if you spoken within someone at GD, can you DM their contact information?

Happy Holidays!

[NewGuy]

Amazing news and company! I came here looking for the same issue and although I haven’t identified the issue exactly, it is only evident in the coffee bar area shelves so I am assuming it is the same.

Question for you, it appears that you accessed the plumbing from the inside… any tips how to get to it? And if you spoken within someone at GD, can you DM their contact information?

Happy Holidays!

I just pulled the two drawers out that are part of the coffee bar. If you’ve never pulled the drawers out before, there are two small clips in the tracks that allow you to pull the drawers out. You have to play with a little bit, so just be gentle. Once the drawers were out, I just stuck my head and hands in there. It’s a very tight fit. Lol.

I’ll DM you the GD rep I talked to.