Smelly grey water waste

[Mamma J]

Hi. When we empty our gray water at the end of the weekend we get a nasty smell that comes into the van after driving off. Is there anything I can use to flush the smell out. I don't want to use bleach. Thanks in advance

 

[Grumpybutters]

Or a swig of Zoflora, they come in so many lovely fragrances now, not like the cat pee smell from the 1980’s.

 

[DavidG58]

we had really bad smell issues, turned out someone in the MH's previous life had disconnected the grey vent pipe from the roof mounted mushroom, so ours was venting into a 'secret' chamber behind the wardrobe

ours was twice as bad as it combined a vent for the black tank

all now reconnected, thanks again Terry but we do still get occasional smells back up the waste pipe from the tanks to sinks, most obvious in the shower, glug of washing up liquid down plug hole then plugs in sorts that though

 

[Reallyretired]

Weve always found that bleach helps for a while then the smell is worse than before. Luckily we have traps and a breather so don't get the smell inside. Leave drain open when empty to let air in. Bio wash is useful.

 

[Falcon 269]

Somehow I’ve always been adverse to it especially in MH. It must be all those warnings about it damaging the heater and stainless steel and chrome. It’s not good if you splash some on your clothes either !

Thanks for the reply. I used to be a pro pool guy and the chlorine used in pools is essentially the same as household bleach but about 5 - 6 times stronger. Thing is, it's sacrificial, which means as it kills bacteria, so its chemical make-up changes and it ceases to be corrosive. True, it is on the acidic side of the pH scale initially but since I always flush the cup of bleach down with plenty of fresh water, I don't figure enough remains in the sink or pipework to cause any harm.

I used to have so many chlorine stains on my work clothes that I looked like a tie-dyed hippy.

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[tonyidle]

Most if not all vans have some form of trap, even if its just a drop in the pipe. Otherwise the tank would smell permanently not just when emptied.

Agreed. I meant traps under each sink / basin.

 

[Riverbankannie]

Most if not all vans have some form of trap, even if its just a drop in the pipe. Otherwise the tank would smell permanently not just when emptied.

Our sink waste goes straight down then 90 deg across the floor then a drop into tank. No idea about under shower. I asked IH fitter at weekend and he suggested fitting a trap ! It’s frustrating isn’t it ?

Once it gets smelly, it smells all the time but alleviated for short times by keeping plugs in. We were employing a bucket at a Lymington and Malvern so no stored grey waste. However the grey tank drain pipe comes out sideways at the base of the tank so there must be accumulated gunk which will not come out.
It’s going to get a swill around with the bleach on the road tomorrow!

 

[MyrtleGuru]

A very common question, it seems. Here's a discussion from earlier in the year:

Smelly grey waste - could this be the answer?

We have noticed that the grey waste on our van really stinks at times. For the past couple of months we have avoided emptying left over tea down the kitchen sink. Its Winter now of course but when emptying the grey waste water we have noticed there is no smell at all, hopefully this will...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

 

[Bonkers the Dog]

Caution on the bleach. I understand that chlorinated products can degrade the pipes in the system.

 

[Camping Gaza]

It's citric acid in cola that cleans. Just get a box of citric acid powder and use a bit of that in water.

It's easy to put in your cupboard and take with you than bottles of cheap cola.

a dollop of bio liquid as well if you use it in your loo is excellent on a regular basis