‘97 RT 200 vent stack cover?

[KaptainK]

Looking at 2 vent stacks on the roof. Is there supposed to be a cap/cover of some kind on there?

[mloganusda]

Yes, the cap keeps rain and other debris from blocking the air vent to your gray and black tanks. Best replacement for the cap is one of the 360* types that draws odors away from the tanks. Check with a flashlight to make sure that the pipe is clear of any thing that may block air flow.

MLogan
Smyrna, TN

[avanti]

I am no expert, but I am skeptical that such caps have much value. They are neither required nor commonly found on home sewer vents. I don't see where RVs are substantively different. I suppose there is a tiny risk of the odd acorn, but I think that is a risk I might be prepared to take. Certainly water entry into a waste water tank is a non-issue.

As for a cap that "draws away odors", there is no reason to want this unless there is a leak in the plumbing. Better to fix the leak.

[booster]

Originally Posted by avanti

I am no expert, but I am skeptical that such caps have much value. They are neither required nor commonly found on home sewer vents. I don't see where RVs are substantively different. I suppose there is a tiny risk of the odd acorn, but I think that is a risk I might be prepared to take. Certainly water entry into a waste water tank is a non-issue.

As for a cap that "draws away odors", there is no reason to want this unless there is a leak in the plumbing. Better to fix the leak.

Yep, me too. I just put a piece of 3/8" opening hardware cloth over the top to stop the big stuff from getting in. If we didn't have a macerator, I probably wouldn't even have done that.

[Want a B]

I'd suspect RV manufacturers use vent caps to seal between the roof and vent pipe.

[mkguitar]

In a poorly vented system, gasses will gather and may come up when you open the toilet flap.
Or they may be pulled past the seal if there is a low pressure in the van ( driving with windows open)


a lippert 360 venturi cap will pull gasses out the stack in the presence of a slight breeze


my van had no cover, and an occasional odor


now it doesn;t



works for me


Mike

[avanti]

I don't doubt that those venturi caps can help with odor problems. But, I still believe that such problems cannot happen unless there is some kind of plumbing problem. In particular, I don't see how a system with an adequate vent pipe could possibly build up enough pressure to force its way through both the flush valve and the water in the toilet.

[pomerlo]

I would be more concerned about the flex you have there next to the fan that should collect water ?

[GallenH]

This is going to be a long reply. I've bought 2 vent cap units from Amazon as I too have 2 vent pipes on the roof as the OP. I bought them because I was concerned that debris would get into these pipes, clogging the system. I still haven't installed them because I'm debating about additional solar on the roof of the van.

So, I was confronted by an steeking odor that I got when I returned from a trip. Always fine on the trip. Only when I returned to PHX and the 100+ temps and before I dumped into my residence clean out connection.

I have a Theford Aqua Magic IV (really? Magic?) that Interblog has commented on it's lousy design. She's right. There is the possibility/probability that flush matter can get back into the bowels (no pun intended) of the toilet. And I believe it did in my case. Note that the toilet empties completely into the black tank. Any back matter does not go under the toilet but into the toilet guts.

So I pulled the toilet and cleaned it completely. Reinstalled it. After our last trip there was no steeky odor. So I'm guessing that it probably slowly accumulates. When I used the flush wand after this last trip, I tried to get it to flush into that area. We'll see what happens. I'm guessing that over time I'll probably pull the toilet and clean again. It's easy. 2 bolts and the water connection which I've redone so it's just like your toilet at home.

Too much detail. But in support of booster and avanti, I'm thinking that it's rarely the roof vent causing the issue. I've put a hose in mine and heard the water going into the tank indicating that the vent is clear.

Might try mkguitar's suggestion, though, after I decide on solar.

[mloganusda]

On my Rialta, sold in 2016, I kept smelling sewer odors inside the MH. Went on the roof and removed the vent cap and what to my surprise was dirt dabbers had built dirt nest that almost closed off the vent. Removed the dirt nest and flushed water down the vent pipe and no more odor. Odors are pulled into the MH because of a lower pressure inside than outside when you flush. Even with a cap, outside heat creates odors and if you have your A/C running it pushes cold air down and hot gases rise to cause bad odors when you flush.

MLogan
Smyrna, TN

[KaptainK]

I guess I'm not too worried about it then. I'll just keep them clear. So far, I'm not too concerned about smells as I really prefer NOT to haul around my waste in a tank. I have previously built a Tiny House and turned a conversion van in an 'almost' class B van, and I have always used a 'liner' in the toilet, so I can toss each episode immediately. I like a big mouth bottle for #1. I actually rented my Tiny House on AirBnb, and used a regular toilet seat on a home made box with a 5 gal. bucket inside. The guests would use a liner bag with cedar shavings in it. Nobody ever complained and it was a very simple solution!! My neighbors complained, the city shut me down for renting out a 'trailer' on my property, and that is a whole 'nother story. Anyway, I prefer to NOT use my black tank! Too many yucky problems!