The short answer
A smell from a Contoure washer has two quite different sources, and telling them apart is the whole job: sewer-type odour comes back from the grey tank through the drain hose, while a sour or musty odour is biofilm in a drum that never gets to dry. The tank smell arrives suddenly and is worst when the tank is full; the biofilm smell builds slowly. Both are owner-fixable.
What you are actually seeing
- A sewer or sulphur smell that is strongest when the grey tank is high — Means: on-page
- A sour, musty smell from inside the drum that is worst on the first load after a few days — Means: on-page
- Visible grey or black film on the door boot or under the detergent drawer — Means: on-page
- Laundry that comes out smelling worse than it went in — Means: on-page
- The smell fills the whole coach rather than just the laundry closet — Means: on-page
- A burning or hot-plastic smell during a cycle — Means: different-fault — Go to: contoure-washer-electrical-safety
- A damp smell with visible water on the floor — Means: different-fault — Go to: contoure-washer-water-leak
- Body: A sewer or sulphur smell that is strongest when the grey tank is high. A sour, musty smell from inside the drum that is worst on the first load after a few days. Visible grey or black film on the door boot or under the detergent drawer. Laundry that comes out smelling worse than it went in. The smell fills the whole coach rather than just the laundry closet. Some near-miss symptoms belong on a different page: A burning or hot-plastic smell during a cycle points at an electrical fault that must be treated as urgent, covered on contoure-washer-electrical-safety; A damp smell with visible water on the floor points at a leak feeding the smell, covered on contoure-washer-water-leak.
Causes, ranked for this machine
- Grey tank vapour travelling back up the drain hose into the drum — Why this rank: This ranks first only on this class of machine: a household washer drains to a vented, trapped standpipe, and this one drains to a sealed tank, so tank air has one path out and it is through your drum
- A drum and boot that never dry because the door is kept closed in a small closed space — Why this rank: Ventless compact drums in a coach dry far more slowly than a household machine in a laundry room
- Detergent and softener residue feeding biofilm in the boot, the drawer and the sump — Why this rank: Over-dosing is common on compact machines because the drum looks small but the water level is smaller still
- A clogged or long-unclean drain filter holding a pocket of stale water — Why this rank: Compact machines have a small filter that fills quickly with lint and hair
- A blocked tank vent forcing every tank gas through the appliance — Why this rank: This is last because it is uncommon, but it explains a sudden smell that no cleaning cycle will fix
- Body: Most likely: Grey tank vapour travelling back up the drain hose into the drum. This ranks first only on this class of machine: a household washer drains to a vented, trapped standpipe, and this one drains to a sealed tank, so tank air has one path out and it is through your drum. Next most likely: A drum and boot that never dry because the door is kept closed in a small closed space. Ventless compact drums in a coach dry far more slowly than a household machine in a laundry room. Third: Detergent and softener residue feeding biofilm in the boot, the drawer and the sump. Over-dosing is common on compact machines because the drum looks small but the water level is smaller still. Fourth: A clogged or long-unclean drain filter holding a pocket of stale water. Compact machines have a small filter that fills quickly with lint and hair. Fifth: A blocked tank vent forcing every tank gas through the appliance. This is last because it is uncommon, but it explains a sudden smell that no cleaning cycle will fix.
What to check, in order
- Dump and rinse the grey tank, then smell the drum again after an hour with the door open
- Empty the drain filter and check the water that comes out for staleness rather than for lint
- Run a hot maintenance cycle with a washer cleaner and no laundry, then wipe the boot and drawer dry
- Confirm the tank vent is clear by checking that the tank drains freely with the vent open
- Body: First, dump and rinse the grey tank, then smell the drum again after an hour with the door open. Second, empty the drain filter and check the water that comes out for staleness rather than for lint. Third, run a hot maintenance cycle with a washer cleaner and no laundry, then wipe the boot and drawer dry. Fourth, confirm the tank vent is clear by checking that the tank drains freely with the vent open.
Checks you can safely make yourself
- Dump and rinse the grey tank, then leave the machine door open for an hour and smell the drum again to separate tank odour from drum odour — Tools: none — Time estimate: an hour of waiting
- Open the drain filter over a shallow tray, empty it, rinse it and refit it hand-tight — Tools: shallow tray, towel — Time estimate: a quarter of an hour
- Run the hottest cycle with a proprietary washer cleaner and an empty drum, then wipe the boot fold and the drawer recess dry — Tools: washer cleaner, cloth — Time estimate: one long cycle
- Pull the detergent drawer fully out, wash it in hot water and scrub the recess it sits in before refitting — Tools: brush, hot water — Time estimate: a quarter of an hour
- Leave the door and the drawer ajar between loads for a week and judge whether the smell returns — Tools: none — Time estimate: a week of habit
- Body: Step one: Dump and rinse the grey tank, then leave the machine door open for an hour and smell the drum again to separate tank odour from drum odour. Tools: none. Time: an hour of waiting. Step two: Open the drain filter over a shallow tray, empty it, rinse it and refit it hand-tight. Tools: shallow tray, towel. Time: a quarter of an hour. Step three: Run the hottest cycle with a proprietary washer cleaner and an empty drum, then wipe the boot fold and the drawer recess dry. Tools: washer cleaner, cloth. Time: one long cycle. Step four: Pull the detergent drawer fully out, wash it in hot water and scrub the recess it sits in before refitting. Tools: brush, hot water. Time: a quarter of an hour. Step five: Leave the door and the drawer ajar between loads for a week and judge whether the smell returns. Tools: none. Time: a week of habit.
Safety first
Safety
Unplug the machine before opening the filter housing, and keep the coach ventilated while you work with tank chemicals or washer cleaner. Never mix a chlorine product with a tank treatment. Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel. A capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. unplug-before-service
Where the owner fix ends
Call a technician when the tank is empty and rinsed, the filter is clean, a hot cleaning cycle has run, the door is left open between loads, and the smell still returns within days. Persistent odour after all four points at a sump or hose interior that cannot be reached from the front, or at a tank vent problem in the coach rather than in the appliance.
Nearest pages of the same kind
Generalized information
This page is generalized across the Contoure washer line. Compact front-loaders, ventless combination washer-dryers and marine variants share the ranking above but not every part, and this page does not cover a specific model, control revision or coach builder plumbing. Family- and model-specific pages, where they exist, are linked below.
Links: - [Common CONTOURE Washer Problems](/blog/contoure-washer-problems) - [CONTOURE Washer: Electrical, Fire or Gas Hazard](/blog/contoure-washer-electrical-safety) - [CONTOURE Washer: Not Heating](/blog/contoure-washer-heating-failure) - [CONTOURE Washer: Water Leak](/blog/contoure-washer-water-leak)
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
