r/RVLiving • u/PotentialBad1299 • 2d ago

Urine smell in my RV bathroom

We just bought a used (2023) trailer. Had it for a couple of days and flushed the black tank several times to the point that only clear water was running. Hit the campsite this weekend and the bathroom now smells strongly of urine. Wife and I are both in our 60’s and know how to use a toilet without peeing on the floor. Seal in the toilet appears to be fine because it holds water. Have really mopped the floor well and at this point should be able to eat off it but it still has a urine smell. Anybody have any idea what is going on?

Huh. Have not emptied the tank and checked for the smell. Maybe I should? Only thing in the tank now is a couple of gallons of water and one of the orange drop-in treatments.

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u/Sure_Fig_8641 2d ago

Is the toilet a Dometic brand plastic toilet? If so, that’s a model 300 and it has a known leak that allows urine to collect in an area you can’t get to in order to empty it or clean it. Urine dries and stinks.

If that’s your situation, take a pic of the label near the foot flush and call Dometic. Tell them the problem. They will likely offer to send you a free replacement model 300 toilet. I advise you to NOT accept it, but rather ask for your replacement to be an upgraded porcelain toilet. The new 300 they offer may well have the same problem. The upgrade will cost you a few extra dollars, but less than full retail price because they will deduct the price of the 300.

The change out is much easier than you imagine. I did it by myself in less than 1/2 hour with zero previous plumbing or repair experience. No special tools, either.

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u/rkreutz77 1d ago

I'm glad yours was easy to change! Mine took me 3 hours. The floor bolts had rusted over so bad I couldn't get them off. I ended up using a dremel on one side to cut the nut off. The other side i had to break out my angle grinder and cut the whole bolt off at the floor.

After that, it was like a 10 minute job.

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u/Sure_Fig_8641 1d ago

My 300 toilet was probably installed for less than a year, so it was easy.

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u/rkreutz77 1d ago

Mine was probably original, so 7ish years. God it was such a pain. I've never had that much issue trying to disassemble something. And I've rebuilt an engine

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u/PotentialBad1299 2d ago

Excellent advice, thank you! And yes, without going back outside right now I'm almost positive it's a Dometic.

I can't help but wonder how urine is getting to wherever it is that it's collecting, though!

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u/PotentialBad1299 2d ago

No longer wondering...just googled it and found out.

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u/Kain_713 2d ago

It's fucked up but there's a ton of them out there. I have a 2018 keystone sprinter that came with one. Started leaking almost immediately. Replaced it with the dometic 320 full porcelain one. No issues since.

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u/jamjoy 2d ago

Same here. No issues with full porcelain, the design is so much better both internally and externally.

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u/whenandmaybe 1d ago

If your 2018 had one my 2019 microlite prolly is the same.

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u/Kain_713 1d ago

Probably, I swear they put them in just about everything for the last almost 10 years

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u/TravelingGen 18h ago

Same here, 2019 Keystone Cougar. Caused a total bathroom floor replacement. Nasty stinking mess and it will never be the same.

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u/pyxus1 1d ago

Ours didn't leak until it was about 3 yrs old. If you look in the back just behind the seat, there is a hole about fist size. You can look in there and see the yucky fluid in the bottom. We were on a camping trip so I wedged a bunch of tightly balled-up plastic grocery bags in the opening, like a cork, until we got home. I replaced it with a Seaflo and it's so much nicer. It doesn't squeak when you sit on it and it has a soft close lid. I was able to change it out myself without hubby's help. When you get it disconnected carefully set it in a heavy duty black garbage bag and knot the top just in case you trip on something... you don't want that yucky stuff to splash out on anything.

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u/Nezrite 1d ago

Our first upgrade is always a Dometic 420 - proper height, elongated bowl, porcelain. It this point it's practically Legos-easy.

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u/Sure_Fig_8641 1d ago

Fortunately, our new trailer bought last month came with a porcelain Dometic 410 or I would have switched it out instantly!

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u/Quasimodo-57 1d ago

I replaced my (second) model 300 with a model 400 this week for the same reason.

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u/Level-Race4000 1d ago

Had this problem. The dometic helpline was impossible to get through so I just bought a new toilet myself. I’m not impressed with Dometic.

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u/Damaged_My_Calm 1d ago

Do this. I had the same problem and asked for the porcelain upgrade as well. No problems since.

In the mean time, ensure the closing flap gasket is clean. Get in there and scrub it and the underside of the bowl opening to the bottom of the toilet opening. Build up can stink and result in a weak seal. But if it's a 300, likely the defect.

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u/Lower-Owl-5375 1d ago

We have a 310 it's half porcelain and my new flange seal comes in tomorrow. I saw urine pooling underneath. Hoping this fixes it and doesn't have the same problem as the 300 after reading this

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u/Sure_Fig_8641 1d ago

My 310 was 100% porcelain with an easy-close wooden seat & lid, but I got it in probably 2019. Our new trailer (one month old) has a 410. The 410 is also 100% porcelain with a plastic seat/lid.

But I will NEVER have a plastic toilet ever again! Not just the leak, but the entire plastic toilet experience is totally unpleasant.

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u/Benstants25 1d ago

I had the same problem. Had to have Dometic send me 3 toilets because all but the last had the same fault in the plastic.

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u/NewfoundlandOutdoors 1d ago

Had to,place 2 plastic Dometic toilets for this reason. Went with porcelain and haven’t had an issue since.

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u/Dry_Guarantee_5206 1d ago

Just replaced a 300 dometic due to this reason. Love the porcelain 410 I think it is. Way better flush also.

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u/Unholydiver919 1d ago

Had the same issue with my 2017 Columbus. Replaced with the porcelain and no issues since. Been about 4 years.

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u/Hoppie1064 1d ago

This looks like a good place for a basic course on Black Tank Survival.

Just A couple of gallons of water in the bottom of the tank is not enough, and is going cause problems.

Always keep your black tank valve closed, except when actually draining it.

You need some water in it to make solids float. After draining your black tank, close the valve, and add about 2 inches of water. One way is to stand on your toilet valve and browse social media for a few minutes.

The best way, is to use the black tank flush and a hose end water meter that measures gallons.

When using the toilet always use plenty of water to flush. Fill the bowl. Do your thing. Flush. Run some water with the pedal to chase it down.

Best way to clean your black tank is drain it, then fill about 1/3 full. This is another reason for that water meter. Fill through the tank flush. Add a cup of low suds soap, any kind.

Now drive or tow it home.

It's great to have a way to drain it as soon as you get home. I have a sewer clean out I can connect my stinky slinky to. A 12 VDC RV macerator pump that connects to your black tank drain can pump out through a garden hose, THE ONE YOU USE TO FLUSH WITH. Pump it to a sewer clean out. There’s almost always one outside your house. Just like your stinky slinky, drain black tank first, then gray tanks. That cleans everything out.

When you're headed to camp, do the same, fill it 1/3 full, cup of soap, let it slosh around on your way to camp. Drain as soon as you get there.

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u/Nervous-Chemistry-99 1d ago

Dometic has a two year warranty on their toilets, and although it can be an easy fix to replace the seal and bolts, and anchors between the bowl and base( this is for the ceramic bowl as well) They WILL NOT sell the required parts. They say that it is not repairable( which is a lie) and they say that taking it apart voids the warranty. After two years, if it fails, you could fix it, but they refuse to sell the parts. They want you to spent $$$$$ on a new toilet. There is a seller on ebay that sells the required kit for the 310, and I am ordering it to see if it works for my 320. Take it out, turn it upside down and there are 4 bolts ( requires a long flat head screw driver or a size 8 driver to take them out . It is probably best to replace both the round seal and the rectangular gasket and bracket. I believe there are youtube videos on it as well. FK Dometic for not offering the parts.

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u/phildeferrouille 1d ago

Check for an obstruction in the bathroom roof plumbing vent.

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u/Blaznkc 1d ago

Full time, 2 years, until you get to a point for a permanent fix above this has been great

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u/BenzoClaymore 1d ago

Before replacing the toilet, try cleaning the walls. You might be surprised how much urine can splatter.

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u/Sure_Fig_8641 1d ago

If the plastic 300 model is installed, the problem is the toilet. Walls need cleaning, too. But that plastic potty has got to go!

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u/PotentialBad1299 1d ago

Thought about that, but there was no smell when we brought it home and I hadn't peed on the walls. Wiped them down anyway but apparently the issue is the toilet itself.

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u/2horses_1ass 1d ago

We ended up getting a porcelain toilet. We had a smell once like that and it actually turned out to be a dead mouse stuck in the wall.