RV  Vent Cap Comparison Chart

360 Products Inc has just completed an extensive study on the various RV Vent Caps on the market and we have put together a two page comparison chart. To view and print this comparison chart click here.

RV Vent Cap FAQs

1. Can I install the RV-360 myself?
   If you are uncomfortable with working with the roof membrane and water sealants, please see your local RV service center. If you are comfortable with the above then yes!  See our printable RV-360 Installation Instruction Sheet for details.
   
2. Can I install the 360 Siphon myself?
   If you are uncomfortable with working with the roof membrane and water sealants, please see your local RV service center. If you are comfortable with the above then yes!  See our printable 360 Siphon Installation Instruction Sheet for details.
   
3. Does the RV-360 work when my RV is stationary?
   Yes, parked or travelling, this roof top vent eliminates all fumes and gases from the holding tanks
   
4. My vent base is still in good condition and it is sealed properly into the roof membrane. Do you have a solution that would work for me?
   Yes, If your existing vent base is in good condition and it is sealed properly into the roof membrane, the lid of the "360 Siphon" can be installed on to most bases.  See our Universal Replacement Lid as this would be the best solution for you.
   
5. Do you have a video that demonstrates how the 360 Products work?
   Yes, here is a video that explains how all of our products work.  Please note that this is a QuickTime Movie that is approximately 5.5MB so will take a minute or two to load.  Click here to view our video.
   
6. Why do I smell holding tank odors in my RV?
   Tank fumes seep into the RV thru seals and dried out traps due to a higher air pressure inside the tank than in the RV
7. Does cleaning the tank more regularly or adding more chemicals help?
   Cleaning the tank wont help because it’s purpose is to hold waste (waste is always dirty and stinky). Adding more odor masking agents will camouflage the fumes and gasses so it smells 'perfumey', but you are still inhaling methane, ammonia and other gases.
8. Why do we get odors sometimes when parked and not at others?
   Due to wind direction. Conventional vent caps cannot handle turbulent wind which is caused by obstacles on the roof top. Depending on wind direction, updrafts and down drafts hitting the vent cap will be forced down the stack pushing fumes out of the tank. Odors will be drawn out of the tanks if a lower pressure exists in the RV than the tanks, this can be the result of certain RV doors or windows open in the relation of the wind direction. The solution to this is to maximize all wind available to create a lower pressure in the tank in all situations.
9. Why when we are on the highway, with a cab window open, we can smell odors?
   This due to the open window causing a lower pressure in the RV than in the tank. This is why it is important to have a vent cap in place that will insure a lower tank pressure.
10. Why does flushing while traveling smell so bad?
    Again, its due to a high pressure in the tank now having no blockage at all to drift into the living space.
11. If I put water in the bottom of the toilet bowl will that prevent odors when we are on the road?
    Very unlikely. All RV toilets have a small ½” overflow tube that connects the tank to the underside of the rim. Its has a slight design of  a water trap but its usually dry. You can’t stop fumes under pressure.
12. I don’t know which tank smells worse the gray water tank or the black?
    In some cases the gray can be worse than the black, again the water traps often dry out due to vibration and heat. The soaps and grease that accumulate in a gray tank can get quite rancid.
13. Why after traveling does the RV smell bad.
    Same old answer; lower air pressure existed in the RV than in the tanks.
14. Why does the RV smell bad after draining the tank?
    Due to the fume build up, tank gasses will not come out on their own, if they are drawn off during travel and daily use the odor level is much lower.
15. Does a vent cap have to rotate to work properly for all wind direction?
    Until the 360 Siphon, yes.
16. How does the 360 Siphon work? Does it compare to the RV360?
    Its aerodynamicly engineered, it has no wind resistance; it channels wind into is vortex where it creates a low pressure at the exhaust port. The lid is a complex series of shapes that has taken 3 years of design and field testing. It works as well as the RV360 with very similar draw rates. The siphon cannot fail, it’s the worlds only non-mechanical air check valve that eliminates stack down drafts and creates a low pressure in every possible wind direction.
17. How does the RV360 eliminate smells?
    It does two important things to your sewer system. It is always drawing off odors and gasses out of the tanks so fume build not happen (tank fumes are heavier than air and will not come out on their own), as well it places a low pressure in the tank in all wind condition.
18. Will it work when stationary?
    Yes, it works even in the slightest breeze, stationary or driving.
19. What if there is no wind?
    If there is no wind there will never be a problem, air pressure differential cannot happen, so odors will not exist.
20. On a newer RV, what do I do if I do not want to alter the roof membrane by removing the factory supplied base?
    The siphon lid is so well engineered it will actually convert the factory installed cap into an odor extractor. This modification works well on 3 of the most common cap bases. The “Universal lid” will enable the standard base to function almost 80% aw well as the whole Siphon.
21. Will the Stack Cap work on my house?
    In some cases it can work extremely well. It depends on the problem you have, but if on those windy days that sewer odors are present, its almost certain the Siphon Stack Cap will work. Also works well on outhouses.
22. Will the Stack Cap work on a composting toilet?
    Composting toilets are designed to draw off the moisture by venting out through the vent stack. Down drafts and extra moisture or rain is definitely not wanted. The Siphon stack cap does both as well as keeping out other airborne debris.


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Portable Restroom Vent  FAQs

1. Does the Siphon fit onto all portable stacks?
   There are two versions of siphon: The Stack Mount fits a stack opening of 4” inside Diameter. It also fits to the outside of a 3” pipe (which measure in at 3.5” outside), and to the outside of a 2” pipe (which measure in at 2.5” outside). The flanged roof mount version seals to a roof, it has a 5.5” flange diameter.
   
2. Can it be mounted on an angle or does it matter if the cubicle is not level?
   The angle makes no difference to the Siphon’s operation.
   
3. How does the 360 Siphon work?
   Its aerodynamically engineered, it has no wind resistance; it channels wind into is vortex where it creates a low pressure at the exhaust port. The lid is a complex series of shapes that has taken 3 years of design and field testing.
   
   The siphon cannot fail, it’s the worlds only non-mechanical air check valve that eliminates stack down drafts simultaneously creating a low pressure regardless of wind direction or velocity.
   The siphon does two important things to a sewer system. When ever there is a wind, it is drawing off odors and gasses out of the tank, less chance of fume buildup. It also places a low pressure in the tank when there is a breeze, making it highly unlikely for odors to drift into the cubicle.
   
4. What if there is no wind?
   If there is no wind there will never be a problem, air pressure differential will not exist, so there is no force pushing the fumes into the cubicle. Not only that, a minimum amount of tank fumes will be present due to earlier winds.
   
5. Does the 2.5” opening and bug screen on the siphon reduce the air flow or venting of a 4” stack?
   In a perfect situation with a steady moderate wind coming straight in at 90 degrees to the stack, there would be approximately 10% airflow reduction. Unfortunately, gusts and air turbulence is a lot more common, they do nothing but blow air down the stack. Light winds do basically nothing. With the siphon, all these wind conditions are now drawing up gasses, while inhibiting that odor causing down draft. The airflow gain in an everyday situation outweighs the odd chance of the perfect breeze hitting the stack just at right angles.
   
6. Why do portables sometimes smell and at times, don’t?
   Assuming maintenance and use is the same, the only remaining variable is venting.
   An open stack is very vulnerable to wind conditions as previously mentioned. Depending on the physical location of the portable in relation to the wind direction, it could smell worse (if the wind hits obstacles prior to hitting the stack), or not at all (if the wind was not obstructed, nor gusty and hit the stack square on). In some cases it might not smell without wind and some cases with wind. The purpose of the Siphon is to utilize all these conditions to insure the least possible chance of odors or fumes.

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Residential Applications FAQs

1. Will the Siphon work on my house?
   If odors are present on the windy days, you can almost guarantee the Siphon will either improve the problem or totally eliminate it. It doesn’t matter if you are on city sewer, septic, or holding tank system, if wind causes the stink, the Siphon will eliminate it, even on outhouses.
2. What size pipe does the Siphon fit on to?
   The Stack Mount Siphon is designed for the standard PVC pipes 4”, 3” and 2”. The base of the Siphon fits inside the 4” pipe. The outside of a 3” pipe (which measure in at 3.5” outside), and to the outside of a 2” pipe (which measure in at 2.5” outside).
3. Can it be mounted on an angle?
   The angle makes no difference to the Siphon’s operation, sideways or even upside down.
4. How does the 360 Siphon work?
   Its aerodynamically engineered, it has no wind resistance; it channels wind into is vortex where it creates a low pressure at the exhaust port. The lid is a complex series of shapes that has taken 3 years of design and field testing. The siphon cannot fail; it’s the worlds only non-mechanical air check valve that eliminates stack down drafts simultaneously creating a low pressure regardless of wind direction or velocity.
   The siphon does two important things to a sewer system. When ever there is a wind, it is drawing off odors and gasses eliminating fume buildup. It also places a low pressure in the system when there is a breeze, making it highly unlikely for odors to drift into the home.
5. What if there is no wind?
   If there is no wind chances are there is no problem, air pressure differential will not exist, so there is no force pushing the fumes out.
6. Will the Siphon dry out my water traps?
   It will decrease the draw rate when the incoming wind is horizontal, hitting the stack 90 degrees to the stack. More importantly it will eliminate the extreme high pressure of wind blowing down into the system when the wind is gusty and turbulent (see chart). The Siphon eliminates those extreme conditions to reduce the drying of traps.
7. Does the 2.5” opening and bug screen on the siphon reduce the air flow or venting of a  3” or 4” stack?
   In a perfect situation with a steady moderate wind coming straight in at 90 degrees to the stack, there would be approximately 10% airflow reduction. Unfortunately, gusts and air turbulence is a lot more common, they do nothing but blow air down the stack. Light winds do basically nothing. With the siphon, all these wind conditions are now drawing up gasses, while inhibiting that odor causing down draft. The airflow gain in an everyday situation outweighs the odd chance of the perfect breeze hitting the stack just at right angle.
8. Why do we notice odors more in different winds?
   An open stack is very vulnerable to wind conditions as previously mentioned. Depending on the physical location of the stack relation to the wind direction and obstructions (roof) , it could smell worse (if the wind hits obstacles prior to hitting the stack), or not at all (if the wind was not obstructed, nor gusty and hit the stack square on). In some cases it might not smell without wind and some cases with wind. The purpose of the Siphon is to utilize all these wind conditions to always instill a low air pressure in the sewer system vent stacks.
9. Will the Stack Cap work on a composting toilet?
   Composting toilets are designed to draw off the moisture by venting out through the vent stack. Down drafts and extra moisture or rain is definitely unwanted. The Siphon does both, as well as keeping out other airborne debris.

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