Trials and Tribulations and Smell
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Forum Name: Podmods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks
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URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=3889
Printed Date: 08 Jun 2025 at 7:36am
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Topic: Trials and Tribulations and Smell
Posted By: shroomer
Subject: Trials and Tribulations and Smell
Date Posted: 25 Aug 2013 at 3:16pm
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We've had our 177 since April and have taken 6 trips with it. We love the camper and the lifestyle and are willing to deal with a little problem here and there. Here's a rundown of issues and solutions and a request for a new problem: 1. Brakes didn't work --- dealer reconnected driver side brake. Wire was broken in axle. 2. Hot water heater didn't get hot --- friendly R-podder at next site showed me how to turn the hot water heater bypasses to the correct positions. 3. Gas stove wouldn't light up --- rubber hose to stove got crimped on slideout. Crawled under and moved it. 4. Water leaking onto floor --- sink connection into waste pipe wasn't secure and sink water was splashing out onto the floor. I secured the pipes. 5. Flimsy dividers under sink cabinet keep breaking --- move heavy stuff to another cabinet. Does anyone use netting or anything else under here? New problem: Had a smell at the end of our last trip (3 days long)- thought it was propane under the sink - but it could have been grey water tank. Haven't been able to get the smell to come back to fix or show to dealer. Checked AAV under sink and it moved freely so I don't think it's stuck open. Originally I thought it was the metal/hose propane connection under the counter by the stove. Not sure now. Any ideas??? ------------- Larry and Debbie w/Rosie the mutt. Old: '13 177, '06 Silverado V6 New: '15 Whitehawk 20MRB '14 Silverado V8 |
Replies:
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 25 Aug 2013 at 4:01pm
1st, welcome to the forums and podding.  You can get a "smell" if the "p" traps dry out or splash out while pulling, or between uses, and then it magically goes away as soon as you do something that refills them. Sometimes you can have the bad luck of being oriented in a way that causes the vent pipe odor to find it's way back in also. To address your other issues.. more or less.. 1) the brakes are electric, the wires can get damaged.. one of the things to check. 2) totally "normal" to find the valves in the winterization position on a new pod, we see it on here weekly. 3)Have to admit.. that is a new one, any stove that wouldn't light previously just needed purging. 4)again, something to check every now and again.. The trailer uses pretty much the same types of plumbing connectors as your home, you never have to worry about those because your house doesn't move around as much.. except maybe in California.. LOL. 5) Some people have removed the dividers, I have never heard of them breaking. But again, stuff moves and shifts while in transit, and, the Pod is built to be light, so some materials are not "tank like".. All we store down there is bread/crackers/marshmallows/cookies. ------------- |
Posted By: Outbound
Date Posted: 25 Aug 2013 at 8:12pm
+1 BTW, stagnant grey water can smell somewhat like ethyl mercaptan (propane is odourless - ethyl mercaptan is added specifically to give it a recognisable odour). ------------- Craig :: 2009 RP171 towed by a 2017 F150 |
Posted By: shroomer
Date Posted: 25 Aug 2013 at 9:38pm
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Thanks for the suggestions. The smell came on the day three of our stay. We hadn't been pulling or even moving. Sink had been used regularly for dishwashing, etc. Smell seemed strongest under the stove (inside the drawers). Traps were filled in shower and sink. Maybe the kitchen sink siphoned out the trap? But the utility vent should have prevented that. True that lots of things smell rotten. I've learned that one the hard way before. ------------- Larry and Debbie w/Rosie the mutt. Old: '13 177, '06 Silverado V6 New: '15 Whitehawk 20MRB '14 Silverado V8 |
Posted By: XPod
Date Posted: 22 Mar 2014 at 8:16am
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It's the small propane regulator valve under your stove top. Pop the stove top off, give the valve a good sniff check. I'd bet that is it because mine did the same thing, I thought it was "tank smell" but it was propane. My dealer replaced the defective valve under the stove under warrenty. |
Posted By: shroomer
Date Posted: 22 Mar 2014 at 9:33am
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I will definitely check that one out. That's where I was thinking but I didn't know about that part. Warranty just expired a few days ago, but if that'll fix it, I'll pay. Thanks for checking the posts. ------------- Larry and Debbie w/Rosie the mutt. Old: '13 177, '06 Silverado V6 New: '15 Whitehawk 20MRB '14 Silverado V8 |
Posted By: XPod
Date Posted: 22 Mar 2014 at 2:09pm
| Even without warranty, it's not that expensive. Not a $500 fix, should be safely under $100 even with labor. |
Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 22 Mar 2014 at 4:00pm
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I had a similar stink problem when connected to the campground sewer and the gray drain valve open. Particularly bad wiht Fantastic fan running. It was the vacuum breaker vent under the kitchen sink/stove. http://rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=4482&PN=3&title=sewer-connections-on-r178 - http://rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=4482&PN=3&title=sewer-connections-on-r17 ------------- Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
Posted By: shroomer
Date Posted: 22 Mar 2014 at 8:29pm
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I checked the vent. All I could figure out was that if I shook it, it should rattle a bit. Is there any other way to determine if it works properly? I understand the principle behind how it works, but not sure how to troubleshoot one. Seems like lots of things can stink in a small space. Can't always blame the dog ;) ------------- Larry and Debbie w/Rosie the mutt. Old: '13 177, '06 Silverado V6 New: '15 Whitehawk 20MRB '14 Silverado V8 |
Posted By: XPod
Date Posted: 23 Mar 2014 at 6:53am
| Under the stove top there is a small valve. If you turn on the propane (for an hour or so) give this valve a sniff and see if it smells like "black tank smell." That is what was causing my smell. |
Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 23 Mar 2014 at 11:16am
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This stinky problem is not easy to completely resolve. Sewer gas and propane are the leading candidates under the stove. I my case it was sewer gas coming back through the vacuum breaker. I was able to isolate this by noting that the problem only occurred when the gray tank valve was open and connected to the campground sewer and it was worse with the Pod ceiling vent fan running. If it had been leaking propane it would have been present without a sewer connection and even at home in the driveway. The function of the vacuum breaker is to allow air to enter the drain pipe downstream of the the P trap when water flow ceases, thereby preventing water from being siphoned out of the P trap. It's a one way air flow device: air into the piping but no air or gases back from the tank or sewer. There is no way to test while installed and probably not reliably even when removed. It must be vertical to work and works on very small pressure differentials. Best to replace if it's suspect. They're not expensive and are easy to replace. All that said, the possibility of a propane leak also exists as a previous poster described. That is serious and dangerous and should be checked out. ------------- Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |