Smelly grey waste - could this be the answer?

[Easyliving]

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 continue when we get some warm weather.

I wonder if not putting any milk down the sink is what is making the dirrerence?

Might be worth a try.

Paul

 

[Figaro]

It always smells much worse in the warmer months.
The more food stuffs you can avoid putting down the better.
Emptying frequently will also help

 

[Madcaravanner]

Doesn't work on ours - - never have any drinks left

doesn't matter what we do even now the tank is empty and was cleaned out and disinfected 2 months ago left with outlet open

Still smells

 

[funflair]

I/we do avoid putting milk in ours and it still stinks, but we do keep it in and let it ferment which doesn't take long in the summer.

Martin

 

[Easyliving]

We used to use some.jollop from Fenwicks that seemed to do the trick but we ran out a while ago and its £7.99 a litre from Amazon.

From what you all say we may be clutching at staws....

Paul

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[icantremember]

We use a squirt of ...

as necessary down the plug hole.

 

[BobtheBass]

If you go to France stock up on the pastilles they sell in all the supermarkets for freshening up drains and suchlike. They cost pennies, come in all sorts of flavours and work really well. Pop one tablet in the grey tank each time after you empty and the problem is solved. Can’t believe they don’t seem to sell them over here?

 

[Badknee]

It’s a squirt of cheapo bleach in ours that stops it being wiffy.

 

[maison]

If you go to France stock up on the pastilles they sell in all the supermarkets for freshening up drains and suchlike. They cost pennies, come in all sorts of flavours and work really well. Pop one tablet in the grey tank each time after you empty and the problem is solved. Can’t believe they don’t seem to sell them over here?

They are beginning to appear in some of the bigger British supermarkets.

For many years now all we have brought back from France has been the bleach tablets (pastilles) and coffee.

In future we will have room for more coffee
,

 

[Wildbill]

we fill the grey tank from time to time dilute abut six Calgon tabs and ade to tank drive roun then dump
bill

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[JeanLuc]

They smell! Every so often I put a shot of cheap biological washing liquid down the sink when it’s about half - three quarters full then drive for a whil before emptying. This is most useful in summer and is very easily done when moving between camperstops (aires) in France.

I don’t use bleach for fear of damaging seals in the pipe work.

 

[icantremember]

I don’t use bleach for fear of damaging seals in the pipe work.

All domestic plastic waste pipes have seals similar to motorhome ones and I've never experienced a problem by using bleach with either over many years.

 

[DuxDeluxe]

All domestic plastic waste pipes have seals similar to motorhome ones and I've never experienced a problem by using bleach with either over many years.

...or is it because you can’t remember, Brian?

 

[mikebeaches]

Our waste water tank has never smelt. But that may be because we never put ANY waste water or other liquids from washing up or cooking down the kitchen sink. In fact, fresh water from the tap, when getting the hot and cold water system working after drain down, is the only liquid that goes down it. Same in the last van we had for over five years.

Water when teeth cleaning and washing goes down the bathroom waste, but that doesn't appear to cause a problem.

 

[Nasher]

Yep, a splash of bleach (Lidl rather than Tesco!) is all I use.

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[icantremember]

...or is it because you can’t remember, Brian?

What are you talking about David?

 

[JockandRita]

We sometimes dissolve a cheap biological washing tablet down the main sink plug hole followed by some hot water, then drain the contents off after a drive home. I use the same tablets in the cassette between emptying.

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[jdk62]

Thetford do a waste tank fluid which we have tried and we have no smells... (well from the waste tank anyway......)

 

[TinaLes]

Since day one, we have never emptied the greasy washing up liquid from the sink bowl down the plughole to save this problem happening. Its only fresh or shower water that goes into the Grey tank. When on site we put a bucket under the grey waste outlet to catch the waste water from the shower, and empty regularly.
I guess its the old die hard caravaning experience that's influencing us. We also have, and see, many others using a wastehog on their mohos, maybe that's because they dont have a grey waste on board tank though.
I know its a faff, but I dont mind doing it.
The advice given of putting some Bio tabs, even dishwasher tabs crushed down the plughole and driving around a while seems to be the usual good advice. Especially if you have a Swift as the tank probes are notorious for getting calked up and giving false readings.
Les

 

[Badknee]

As full timers our toilet cassette is the trigger to empty and fill timing, cassette and grey waste out, bio liquid in cassette, bleach in grey waste, fresh water in tank.

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[sueandjohn]

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 continue when we get some warm weather.

I wonder if not putting any milk down the sink is what is making the dirrerence?

Might be worth a try.

Paul

It’s the milk !!!! It happened to us once only so we never pour tea or coffee cups down the sink

 

[Emmit]

If you go to France stock up on the pastilles they sell in all the supermarkets for freshening up drains and suchlike. They cost pennies, come in all sorts of flavours and work really well. Pop one tablet in the grey tank each time after you empty and the problem is solved. Can’t believe they don’t seem to sell them over here?

Look out for the word 'Javel' (french for bleach.) As Bob says, they all sell them incl. Lidl.

 

[MyrtleGuru]

Rinsing seafood in the sink and washing pans that garlic had been fried in led to a very fragrant waste tank in our case!

After emptying the tank, added a crushed dishwasher tab and a couple of litres of hot water and went for a long drive before emptying again.

If you see someone outside their van rinsing seafood in a bucket in the dark, that'll be me trying to avoid contaminating the tank again.

 

[KiwiKampers]

Our waste water tank has never smelt. But that may be because we never put ANY waste water or other liquids from washing up or cooking down the kitchen sink. In fact, fresh water from the tap, when getting the hot and cold water system working after drain down, is the only liquid that goes down it. Same in the last van we had for over five years.

Water when teeth cleaning and washing goes down the bathroom waste, but that doesn't appear to cause a problem.

Presumably, you are collecting your dirty water in a bowl. What do you do with the water in the bowl? Throw it on the ground? Carry it to a drain?

 

[Caggsie1]

We tend to use sites in winter, but have always had either a bucket or as now a waste hog. I will tend to send hubby to sinks on site, particularly if a lot of pots or bbq. Alternatively soak all bits up using kitchen paper to avoid them ending up in the plug or waste tank. We have, in last five years of owning this mh, had the odd occasion where there has been a nasty niff. We have tried the coke trick, which seems to work so long as at the end of our stay, will stick in a couple of litres and drive home, then empty at storage. Next time around all seems to be sweet.

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[two]

There was a guy at the motorhome shows (eg Peterborough) who sold a "minted Gloop" which worked very well. I think he's stopped trading and retired now but there are alternatives. I've used Dettol, rather than bleach. I think you really need something that will consume the grease.

 

[mikebeaches]

Presumably, you are collecting your dirty water in a bowl. What do you do with the water in the bowl? Throw it on the ground? Carry it to a drain?

Normally stay at campsites and use the facilities there for washing up. But if not, dispose of waste water in the most appropriate way possible. As a long time tent camper, just follow the guidance still recommended by the Camping and Caravanning Club.

 

[Delboyarapaho]

The tip we got from this forum when we first started out was to empty the grey waste, then poor a couple of bottles of cheap coke into the sinks. Go for a drive them empty it cleans the tank a treat. After to freshen any smell poor a cup full of fabric softner down the sink and it gives off a lovely smell. We have only done ours twice in four years and no smells

 

[JeanLuc]

Just a couple of points that may be of interest in helping to offset smelly tank syndrome.
When we are pitched on an aire in France, I often walk to the waste discharge trough with the washing up bowl if it has greasy water in it. Easier there than on a campsite where the waste dump may be some distance away.
If there is no convenient waste dump and I need to get rid of greasy water, or if there are ‘bits’ in it, I pour it into the toilet cassette. There are never chemicals in our cassette (SOG of course) and I empty it frequently, so a bit of washing up water is easily disposed of. N.b. this method is not advisable if wild camping when you may need all the cassette capacity you can muster between toilet dumps!

 

[Pekepal]

Presumably, you are collecting your dirty water in a bowl. What do you do with the water in the bowl? Throw it on the ground? Carry it to a drain?

Yes empty down drain. Good exercise.

We put litre bottle of cheapest cola down pipes each time we empty waste water. This seems to help with getting rid of smell.

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