Well... not me (I hope) but rather my caravan and it was troublesome to sort out.
For at least one year I have noticed a bad "drains" like smell in the en-suite area but *only* after a significant flush of water through the system.
Sometimes it would occur if I put the plug into the shower basin in order to soak my feet whilst showering and then let all the shower out in one go, sometimes not. However it never happened with the shower if the plug was not fitted.
Usually it would occur if I had the, large, kitchen sink full with water for dishes and released that in one go, however if I released the water in five or six batches all was good.
Water from the, small, wash-hand basin never seemed to be an issue.
I put copious amounts of bleach down shower, sink and basin and allowed it to soak for 12 hours+ to no avail whatsoever :(
Finally: it occurred to me that the normal quantity of water which travels through my caravan plumbing is actually rather low and that possibly bacteria has taken the sneaky opportunity to develop and multiply on the inside top of the pipes where it is not flushed out by regular tidal waves of waste water. Maybe?
How to kill it - bleach hadn't done the trick but 100ml of bleach will just trickle along the bottom of the pipe leaving the top untouched. This was my "Eureka!" moment: what do caravans do when you tow them? They bounce around a lot. So immediately before leaving for my last trip I poured 100ml or so of bleach into the sink, shower and basin, leapt into the car and took off.
After two weeks of showering and dish washing with associated water dumps only the slightest trace of smell was noticed over the first few days and since then... nothing.
I'm taking off again next week so the bleach will take up its cudgels against the bugs once more and hopefully that will be the end of it, however I think I'll make it a rule to do this, say, twice a year in future.
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"I beseech you in the bowels of Christ think it possible you may be mistaken"
Oliver Cromwell, 3rd August 1650 - in a letter to the General Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland
I would just close off the sullage exit pipes (easy for me because as part of my grey water containment mod, I fitted a ball **** taps in the sullage drain pipes - I have one from the sink & another from the combined shower + Vanity feed).
Then I would fill to overflowing, the waste pipe from the sink with whatever bleach / pipe cleaner I prefer.
Finally fill the vanity & shower pipes & fit the plugs.
Leave overnight or whatever
Rinse thoroughly.
Done.
BTW ... I do this before 'wintering' the van between trips.
-- Edited by Cupie on Thursday 13th of April 2023 02:42:26 PM
-- Edited by Cupie on Thursday 13th of April 2023 02:43:56 PM
I have found that when there is a larger volume of water going down the drain pipes it sucks/siphons out the water from S or P traps allowing the smells back in, our simple solution is to just run about a cup full of water to fill the S/P traps again.
Our own Unit I remove the sink traps about once a year & shove a Whites Gutter Guard down the pipe (first time I left all the bristles on & I very nearly almost could not pull it back out), cut off the bristles other than the last 150mm of bristles.
The crap which builds up in the drain is frightening. Caustic soda only does so much.
Some yellow or green tongue strip from chipboard flooring works well. Fold over the last 200mm & push the length down the drain while rotating the tongue, it then scrapes the side of the drain, very effectively.
Once the physical removal is done, then pour boiling water & caustic down the drain. Wear a face shield.
Have a bucket of fresh water at hand just to wash myself in case you get a splash to avoid a causing burn.
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FWIW Mike, I regularly pour half a bottle of Domestos into empty grey water tank on the MH via the kitchen sink, was it down with a few liters of water, allow it to slosh around for a few hours whilst driving, then continue to use the tank until it needs emptying.
Mike Harding wrote:........ So immediately before leaving for my last trip I poured 100ml or so of bleach into the sink, shower and basin, leapt into the car and took off. .......
I don't get it. Surely by the time you have reached the driver's seat, 99% of the bleach will have drained through. If you have a grey water tank, then I can see this would help a lot for that. But how does this clean the top of the pipes that only get flushed when there is a large volume of water being flushed through?
I have always been troubled with what residues may be lurking inside those drainage pipes. I like to wipe any grease from pans etc before washing, but some will always remain, and probably does exactly as you said .... sticks to the pipes, and continues to get thicker over time.
Cupie's method sounds like a good idea ..... block the outlet and fill until it overflows, using bleach, caustic soda or similar.
I don't get it. Surely by the time you have reached the driver's seat, 99% of the bleach will have drained through.
I'm sure much of it will have drained and I can only surmise the residue is sufficient to slosh around a bit and perform some useful work otherwise I guess the vast reduction in odour for the first time in a couple+ years must be magic :)
Edit:
My caravan does not have a grey water holding tank.
-- Edited by Mike Harding on Friday 14th of April 2023 02:01:26 PM
__________________
"I beseech you in the bowels of Christ think it possible you may be mistaken"
Oliver Cromwell, 3rd August 1650 - in a letter to the General Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland
My solution is to pour a bottle of disinfectant down all three drains, shower, bathroom basin & kitchen sink. We then both have a shower before leaving our last overnight before arriving home. 24 hour later I drain the waste tank then run all three taps to flush the system. I have followed this procedure for the two mhs we have owned for a total of 8 years with no waste tank smells.
