What's that smell?

[springer02]

DH and I are having a discussion about a new/strange smell in our Coleman Cheyene.  He noticed it a month ago while we were in NC but I just noticed it this weekend at a local state park.  I thought it smelled like coffee and I noticed it while on our bunk with my head towards the sink area.  He thinks it smells like onion and smelled it in the front trunk while we were unloading.  I guess I sorta smelled the onion thing in the front truck also.

Any ideas?

We're headed out again on Friday and I think we'll be totally emptying the trunk one evening this week!

Tena

[tlhdoc]

I am guessing that you left something in the trunk and it is trying to get you to remember it. :yikes:

[vjm1639]

is it possible your propane tank or line has a small leak or do you have any of the little 1 lb propane tanks in the trunk??  The propane from the little tanks kind of smells a little "oniony" to me....  other wise...you didn't pack your garbage did ya???  LOL

[mike4947]

Tena, I thing you've got the right idea in emptying out the truck.

We bought a used PU and while we cleaned everything several times I never really crawled into the cupboards and there was a smell we never couldn't get rid of. That fall we did do a real stripping out and found a small new potato wedged in next to the whel well end the sink cabinet.

[springer02]

Thanks for all of the ideas.

We NEVER  store or haul food in the front trunk, ever.  We generally take only what we will use and I can't remember buying but noy using an onion or potato.  I have a hunch that it might be something "growing" in the sink/drain line although we cleaned it out with baking soda and boiling water this summer.

I never realized that  propane smelled "onionish"?

I'm off on Wednesday and hpe to totally empty that front trunk out and see if we have any surprises.

Tena

[Gone-Camping]

I'm not so sure cleaning out sink drain lines with boiling water is a very good idea, most of them are just plastic lines and could melt with that kind of hot fluids. The mfgr's usually recommend chlorine solutions, and vinegar is usually good for getting rid of oders in the lines.

[vjm1639]

Thanks for all of the ideas.
 
I never realized that propane smelled "onionish"?
 
Tena

Another propane web site compares the smell of propane to boiled cabbage... yuk...
 

What does it smell like?

• Boiled cabbage.

Another says

Examples of warning signs which may indicate a gas leak has occurred are:

• When the smell of gas lasts more than an instant after igniting

stove-top burners.[/font]

• When the presence of a foul odor persists.
• When you cannot find the reason for the foul odor.

What you think may be garbage, sewage, or a dead animal may
be a serious gas leak.[/font][/list]
lets hope it is something as easy to find as a misplaced old potato...LOL  gross..that had to be disgusting.  :>  

[griffsmom]

I'm not so sure cleaning out sink drain lines with boiling water is a very good idea, most of them are just plastic lines and could melt with that kind of hot fluids. The mfgr's usually recommend chlorine solutions, and vinegar is usually good for getting rid of oders in the lines.

When I clean our camper before putting it into storage, I put a couple of tablespoons of baking soda down our sink drain and then follow that with a couple of glugs of white vinegar.  After the fizzing stops, I pour boiling water down the drain to wash it all out.  The plastic lines have to strong enough to withstand the hot water from the faucet, which in our camper, gets really hot even on the low setting.  I have never had a problem doing this for over 2 years now, either with smells from the drain or with the plastic melting from the boiling water.

[tlhdoc]

At the end of each trip I wash the sink with soft scrub (it has baking soda in it) and then rinse it with about a gallon of hot water.  So far that has worked for us.

[springer02]

Well, Thanks for all the suggestions. We were wrong in our guesses and I'm afraid everyone else was, too. But this was too strange to guess.

Apparently the onion smell came from onions. Or actually grease in which I cooked onions and ground beef, probably back in July camping in Michigan. Making chili.

I must have spilled some grease onto a nearby bag of charcoal. That paper bag was what was stinking up the front trunk. Geez, I feel dumb.

Dave

[dee106]

glad you found it, and it was a simple fix!

 
 stupid people are the ones that don't ask questions!

[vjm1639]

a yucky bag is a much easier fix than some of our suggestions of things that could go wrong!     Glad to hear it was that easy to fix!

[tlhdoc]

I am sure glad you found the problem.  At least it was an easy fix.