The most likely cause is anaerobic bacteria in your water heater. Your RV's water heating system usually comes equipped with a magnesium or aluminum anode rod, meant to prevent corrosion of your water tank.
Use hydrogen peroxide about 1 pt to 10 gal water into an empty fresh water tank. Run the pump until all faucets have the treated water coming out. Very effective on smelly water. Since the hydrogen peroxide dissipates on its own, just go ahead and fill the tank and use it.
Peroxide and chlorine injection are the two popular methods. Chlorine is most effective at reducing the sulfur smell, but your water will sometimes have that classic chlorine smell. Peroxide is slightly less effective, but doesn't result in any smell or taste.
Under your sinks there are vents. These occasionally go bad and allow smell from the gray tank in. They are easily replaceable and available at most hardware stores. There is a rubber seal on the flushing valve in your toilet. If it was allowed to dry out it could be bad and allowing the smell in.
You can flush the system using the RV's water pump, but you can also use a garden hose or another external water system. Run water through the system for several minutes and allow water to run in the sink, shower, and flush the toilet a handful of times.
Pour 1 cup baking soda in your drain and 1.5 cups of cleaning vinegar over it afterwards. Let it sit for a few hours while it bubbles. Boil a gallon of water and then pour the hot water down the drain. May need to do it twice depending on how bad yours is, but I just dealt with the same issue and it worked beautifully!
To combat this issue, RV owners should establish a regular cleaning and maintenance routine for their gray water tank. This includes flushing the tank with clean water, using tank cleaning solutions or enzyme-based treatments, and ensuring thorough rinsing of the tank after each use.
Yes, sewer gas is noxious, and in high concentrations, it can be toxic or lead to a loss of consciousness.
Disinfecting, cleaning and flushing the drain should eliminate the odor. The reservoir/pressure tank may also be the source of such an odor. Cleaning and maintaining the reservoir/ pressure tank periodically can prevent bacteria from growing to levels that cause odor in the water.
Using a hydrogen peroxide solution of 2 pints 3% peroxide to 40 gallons of water, treat tank and run some of the solution into water lines. Let the peroxide solution set in tank and pipes for 2 hours. Solution is not toxic and requires no rinsing It kills off the bacteria.
Turn all faucets inside and outside the home fully open. Let the water run for 10 minutes, then turn off the water. This will flush out all the pipes in the home.
Ensure there is proper ventilation to allow air circulation and discourage the growth of anaerobic bacteria. Regularly inspect and clean the tank, ideally at least once a year or more frequently if necessary. Consider using a water treatment system or water purifier to further improve water quality.
Very small amounts of hydrogen sulfide can be removed from water with activated carbon filters (Fig. 1). Activated carbon is used as a granular form in tank-type filters and as finely divided powder in a cartridge. The hydrogen sulfide is adsorbed onto the surface of the carbon particles.
Disinfect and flush the water heater with a chlorine bleach solution. Chlorination can kill sulfur bacteria. If all bacteria are not destroyed by chlorination, the problem may return within a few weeks. Increase the water heater temperature to 160 degrees Fahrenheit (71 degrees Celsius) for several hours.
To create your tank sanitizing solution, you will need about ¼ cup of bleach for every 15 gallons of water your fresh water tank holds (so about ½ cup for a 30-gallon tank). Calculate how much bleach you need and add that amount to about a gallon of water. Using your funnel, add the mixture to your freshwater tank.
It's bacteria growing in the fresh water tank and/or water heater. You don't have to deal with that in a house since your water heater cycles fully every day from use. In an RV water can sit in the water heater tank for weeks/months between uses so it gives time for the bacteria to grow and then you have the smell.
Attach a flushing wand to increase the water pressure and direct it into the deeper parts of the water heater tank. Next, pour the hydrogen peroxide or vinegar into the water heater tank and let it sit for a few hours or overnight. This allows the solution to neutralize the bacteria and eliminate the odor.
Odors from bacteria can increase and persist because of too little water in your tanks, high temperatures, bacteria-killing tank treatments or cleaning products, or improper ventilation.
Charcoal-based odor absorbers or baking soda can be placed near the source of the odor or in the affected rooms to absorb and neutralize the smell.
AS far as chemicals I would use a product called Happy Camper it can be found on amazon, get the tanks 3/4 full, for the black tank dump several bags of ice down the toilet and then drive the unit the more bumps and turns the better, the ice will help scrub the tank, then let sit for several hours drain and repeat if ...
Over time, these can go bad and no longer seal the toilet to the sewer. When this happens, it is not always obvious because water usually won't leak out, only sewer gas, unless there is a clog in the system and water backs up into the drain below the offending toilet.
As your last line of defense for really smelly tanks, you can pour one cup of Simple Green and one gallon of hot water down your toilet, then slowly fill the tank with water. Let the solution sit in the tank for 24 hours. Drain it, and do the smell test again.
The grey water tank collects waste from sinks and showers that contain grease, food particles, skin cells and body oils that generage malodors. It is important to keep the grey water tank clean and prevent the oils and food particles from sticking to the walls of the tank.
Use two cups of softener for each wastewater tank in your RV. The tank's drain valve should be closed otherwise the softened water will just drain out. Then use the tank(s) normally until it is full and drain it normally. Add a cup of laundry detergent to the black (commode) water tank at the same time.
If you take care of your waste tank and drains, you can prevent bad smells. Firstly, avoid putting any food down your drains. Keep food, dirt, and grease out of your system as much as possible, and try to avoid using too much soap when you shower too. These tips should help you to keep your tank as clean as possible.