Bad egg smell,on fresh water electric flush toilets and fresh water

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KIM2

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I own a Sealine 42/5 which is 3 years old. I have fresh water electric flush toilets and have flushed all tanks with Puriclean but have still a very bad agg smell. Also have had badly stained fibreglsss in ensuites ( wiped off ) which looks like sulphur. This is the first time I have had this on fresh water system. I also have a waste tank which has been flushed through. Any ideas on cause and ways to eradicate.
 
It's the decaying microbes stuck in the inlet pipe. Nothing to do with the outlet section. Happens every time the boat is left for a few days. Can't do anything about it except flush a couple of times when you arrive at the boat - and hope the neighbours don't think it's you. They probably get the same thing too.
 
Re: Bad egg smell,on fresh water electric flush toilets and fresh wate

Yeah but you should not get it with a fresh water flush toilet. Are you sure it is fresh water???
 
You do need to locate the source of this smell which is almost certainly hydrogen sulphide gas that can be identified in relatively low concentrations, by a characteristic "rotten-egg" odour.

It's usually produced in un-aerated sewage/holding/storage systems.

Although its unlikely the concentration you are dealing with are very high (because you can smell it), it is a very dangerous gas and is not easily neutralised (VicS may know better!).

I would strip down and thoroughly clean/flush all parts of your system, make sure you well ventilate the area before and whilst doing so, and if possible have someone else around when you do.

HS is heavier than air, with a specific gravity of 1.19 and in high concentrations, the ability to smell the gas is lost, the disappearance of the odour could mean that the gas concentrations have actually increased!

There could be something decomposing/trapped in your system that needs to be found and cleared! /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
Yes this can happen in fresh water systems especially in hoses where the water sits for days on end enjoying perfect incubation if sited near the warm boat side.

You need to clean the system and then sterilise it.

Can you get into your fresh water tanks? If so then open the access hatches and give them a good clean out and once clean fill with fresh water and dose this with Milton tablets or liquid as sold for babies bottles. and flush right through the system using the fitted pumps.

You can also use bleach however many bleaches sold have other additives which might not improve the taste of your coffee.

In the event you can not get into the fresh water tank then put a few milton tablets into the empty tank and fill. Allow it to soak and then pump the water through the system. Beware your pump is possibly not continuosly rated so don t burn it out. WHen you refill the tank just a couple of tablets should do and for the rest of the season add a tablet every time you refill.

The alternative to cleaning your hoses this way is to remove them all and replace them however on some mobo's this is easier said than done.

Our resident chemist will soon be along and he may suggest alternatives such as plain bleach which is what the Headmistress suggests however she seems to restrict her activities now to USA forums. MAnybe Sodium Hypochlorate or Calcium hypochlorate if you can find it.

I find that when the boat has sat out of use for the winter it is necessary to give an initial flush of Milton and in my case it is only the pipe work so I only partially fill the water tank with about 5 tablets crushed in as it is filled then pump this through the system. I usually use 1 tablet every two weeks to ensure sterilisation. Coffee tastes great and much better than on those boats with fancy filters.
 
Many thanks so far for your information and I will retreat again.I will also add some elsan blue to the holding tank. For the comment about fresh water yes I am sure as we had the boat specified when new, the only thing is it may be salt water in the bilges but unlikely. Sure it is in the toilet area due to sulphur colour on walls. Bit extreme this one so will have another couple of days resolving, Thanks for replies.
Kim
 
It happens on my toilet too, in fresh water.

If I don't use the toilet for about 3 days, the first flush after that stinks to the high heavens, even if i'm just flushing through water. I've accepted that it's micro-things living in the inlet pipe.

I've learned to live with it and just give the toilet a good flush before leaving the pontoon for the weekend
 
I will also add some elsan blue to the holding tank.

*************************************************

Noooooooooo! I don't think so!!!!! Not if you are trying to impress the ladies .

Try and obtain Odorlos It is a product The Headmistress sometimes spoke of. It is available now in the UK from various outlets and will do better than Elsan Blue. Of course our states side friends use KO as formulated by Headmistress.

Do NOT use bleaches etc in the heads if using the holding tank as this destroys the process. Holding tans require good breathers to be fitted to reduce the chance of undesirable odours .
 
I know the theory, but I have to disagree with you on this. I have almost as many bad bog stories as Haydn so I feel reasonably qualified to comment. About 4 years back I got bored with the rank rotten egg smell first time we flushed after getting down to the boat so I:

a) fitted a freshwater flushing tank
b) started putting a healthy dose of Elsan Blue in the bog after emptying the holding tank
c) started dosing the separate flush tank with Pink Bog Stuff

Now, last year we were sitting in the marina and there was a 'certain whiff' drifting around. SWMBO, being paranoid, accused me of being responsible and so to prove my innocence (why it wasn't 'our' innocence I will never know) I was made to paddle round in the tender and sit with by nose next to the holding tank breather while SWMBO pumped furiously on the handle.

As a result of this experiment, I am pleased to confirm that I can sit close enough to the breather to feel the draft on my face from each stroke of the pump, and yet there was not the slightest odour.

KIM2's system is ill.
 
Flush /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gifFlush /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif Flush and Flush again /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif No Smell of rotten eggs /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
We have the same systems on our S41, Sealine fitted. We never get any smell from the first flush, even after several weeks. The S29 next to us has an electric flush loo, but water is taken from the sea, and that smells even after a short time. Are you sure you are connected to the fresh water tank??
 
Hi
Yes we have connection to fresh water tank, from new so haven't had this problem before but left boat longer this time. She is based in UK. All fresh water and then to holding tank and flushed out into sea or at pump out station.
 
Hi All
This is to give you an update and to let everybody know the outcome of the bad egg smell which has been on the boat for the last 2 weeks. Having rung Sealine the manufacturers 3 times and having flushed the fresh water system with Milton plus flushing the holding tanks 4 times with fresh water the smell was still there. Plus as it was extreme, the en suites had a lovely sulphur colour on part of the walls which did wash off. In desperation I rang Sealine again at Kidderminster and spoke to the Service Manager as well as dealer principal. Advice from Service Manager was a dead battery and under battery charging was creating the gas. I changed 2 batteries last year but yes he was right, the 3rd had given up and there was no discharge. With the battery charger on it was putting all the charge into the dead battery and basically burnt it out and I was lucky it hadn't exploded but it had created a massive headache to me and considerable worry. Therefore the bad smell is not always water or holding tanks, it is quite likely a dead battery and this one was extreme. Advice is do not leave your battery charger on even if it trickle charges, only put on when you need it and not for a week, because if you have a dead battery it creates hydrogen sulphide, very badly.
Thanks for all your comments and keep smelling fresh air!!!Kim2
 
Now come on. Be serious. The bog has behaved quite well recently, theres hardly anyone dead and only a few folk injured.
Your wife had the News Of The World on her lap, last time I saw you. Swore it was nothing to do with her, but had had the NOTW deposited on her!! Yep remember it well.

Having said that, we have not had the bad egg smell for yonks.






Think folk are a bit paranoid about the bad egg smell, if it happens. It's dealt with in a few moments and a few flushes. Dont ge me going on the Exploding one though, thats another story. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
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