Problem cluster
RV tanks and toilet problems
Odour indoors means gas is taking a path it should not. Usually a seal or a vent.
- RV black tank smells inside the coach
Tank odour belongs outside, through the roof vent. Smelling it inside means gas is finding another path — most often a dried-out trap, a toilet seal no longer holding, or a roof vent that is blocked so pressure equalises through the fixtures instead. It is a ventilation and sealing problem far more often than a tank-treatment problem.
Safe to drive - RV toilet will not hold water in the bowl
That standing water in the bowl is doing a job: it is the seal between the black tank and the inside of your coach. When the bowl drains empty, the blade valve underneath is no longer sealing, and tank odour has a direct path indoors. It is a small part with a disproportionate effect.
Safe to drive
For the system as a whole rather than a single symptom, see RV plumbing and water system repair.
Not sure which of these you have? Structured triage starts from what you observed instead.
Next step
Work through structured triage for this system and you will end up with a written service brief: what you observed, in what order, and what has not been established yet. It is the document that lets a technician quote properly instead of guessing on arrival.
Being straight about what this is. No technician is signed to any territory yet — not one. We do not match you, dispatch anyone, or promise a call. What you get is the brief, and a request form that copies it to us so we know the demand is real. If you need someone today, take the brief and send it to a local technician directly; it works just as well that way.