Propane smell when driving

[Pete'sMH]

Originally Posted by Bob Denman

What caused this?

Was the converter bad?

I believe one of the cells had an internal short. I had been puzzled that my monitor was showing well under 12V for several days while on shore power. After discovering the problem and disconnecting both 12V house batteries the overheated one (which was venting a surprising amount of white smoke) showed around 10V and it’s partner was at just over 6V. I’m no expert but I think the converter was doing its darnedest to get the voltage up but was fighting a losing battle and all the energy went into heat. I believe the problem was caused by the dealer who had the coach on his lot for over a year before I bought it. The event happened about a week into the first trip with the new coach. Interstate refused to replace them because they were more than a year old. Newmar promptly reimbursed me however. BTW, on my coach the house batteries are under the hood in front of the radiator.

[SuperBoar]

We had a mysterious propane odor too which was confirmed by a safety officer from an oil rig. So I bought a propane sniffer to find the source - never found anything so I tested the sniffer when refilling the propane tank... the sniffer worked just fine.

Another problem was that the bathroom would begin to smell bad if we parked too long with its door closed and the roof vent closed.

A third problem was that the bathroom would begin to smell bad if we drove down the highway with the bathroom roof vent open.

At first, I thought it was the toilet flush valve leaking fumes into the bathroom. It turns out that some black tank chemicals when doing its work kinda smell like some propane perfumes and all three of the odor problems were due to the malfunction of a vacuum breaker on the black tank vent stack. This vacuum breaker was on the bathroom sink drain just downstream of its trap. It is supposed to prevent pressure differentials from sucking that trap dry. Sounds odd but they pipe the bathroom sink drain into the black tank so the black tank will get a little extra water.

Anyway, a new vacuum breaker=wet sink trap=no odor problems!

P.S. But just in case, we run a bit of water in the bathroom sink before, during, and after driving to make sure its trap is making a seal.

[jbwilli1]

Originally Posted by ClassCnewbie

thank you for the Quick Reply. It only lasted about 15 minutes till I was going down the highway. I did let the Vehicle Idle for a good 15-20 minutes as we did last minute preparations for the trip. I wonder if maybe that was exhaust? None of the detectors went off. This is on a 2020 Thor Outlaw 29j

Check to see if your furnace is connected, mine was not, the hose was connected to propane but not the furnace. Found out when I brought home brand new.

[richardehrhart]

On my first rv trip, I accidentally turned the burner dial all the way down instead of to the off position(opposite direction). Didn't smell anything but at 2 am my alarm was going off. I aired out the rv not smelling anything went back to bed. 20 minutes later it went off again. I kept investigating until I found the knob in the low position with no flame. The detectors are very sensitive and it may have saved our lives.

[Dragon70]

This is SERIOUS ah!t! You need to figure this out and know with ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY you don’t have a leak! Simple turn off the propane and duplicate what you previously did. Do you still smell it?
I hate it when threads on here morph and especially something as serious as this. All this talk about batteries and black tanks is non-sense. They do NOT smell the same or even close. The fact that it’s a new rig makes it even more likely in some respects. You need to figure it out or you could die in a way I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

[TLeenhouts]

Usually a boiling battery is one that is being overcharged. check your voltage at the battery with the engine running. It should be about 14.4 volts. When on shore power, the converter usually puts out 13.5 or so. If you are over 14.4 volts get the alternator checked. If the voltage is lower, and it's still boiling, the battery is probably on its last legs. I don't know how many times I have read on this forum that a brand new rig had a dead battery.

[Vernongrandolph]

If I had just bought a motorhome new or used and smelled propane I would turn the tank off, take it back to where I bought it and get it fixed.
You are really playing with fire literally.
If you don't know anything about it we might be reading about you in the paper and see you on the news.
Absolutely nothing to mess around with

[Pete'sMH]

OP hasn’t been back for a while. Hope that means his problem hasn’t recurred. Fortunately, the propane system is pretty simple to troubleshoot if you don’t mind getting dirty. Just fill a spray bottle with soapy water or buy some premixed leak detection solution. Start at the tank and spray every joint. Follow the black pipe under the coach and keep at it checking each fitting and branch and finally each appliance. If there’s a leak it’ll show. Usually the problem is that someone bumped a stove knob so that’s the first thing to look for.

[SemperFi]

Originally Posted by ClassCnewbie

So is it normal to smell propane in the RV when first starting out a trip? Or why would I be smelling propane? I'm pretty sure it's coming from the fridge. I am a new RV owner and user. Just popped my Camping cherry Yesterday and have all kinds of questions

Let me know if I can help, I am also in Kansas. Unsure how to privately send message, so please use 67semperfi11@gmail.com

Dave

[Popfla]

Originally Posted by ClassCnewbie

I did let the Vehicle Idle for a good 15-20 minutes as we did last minute preparations for the trip.

I do the same thing, and the entry door is usually open during that time. Our exhaust pipe is close to the doorway, and fumes enter the rig. Not very strong, but definitely noticeable and not a smell like propane. They clear pretty quickly once the door is closed and we get underway.

[ClassCnewbie]

Originally Posted by Popfla

I do the same thing, and the entry door is usually open during that time. Our exhaust pipe is close to the doorway, and fumes enter the rig. Not very strong, but definitely noticeable and not a smell like propane. They clear pretty quickly once the door is closed and we get underway.

Thank you, after a couple other camping trips now, no smell. However I have gotten a smell of the exhaust while going pre trip inspections. And it is what they were smelling the first time.

[16ACE27]

Ahh yes, the rotten egg exhaust smell.

[ClassCnewbie]

Originally Posted by SemperFi

Let me know if I can help, I am also in Kansas. Unsure how to privately send message, so please use 67semperfi11@gmail.com

Dave

Thank you Dave. I have your email saved. I'll try to send you an intro email.