Foul smells in clean boats

[sonic]

I am in the process of replacing the plastic hoses to and from toilet on my boat which I beleive is the source of a foul smell that greets me every time I go to the boat. Any one got ideas appart from spraying tins of air freshner into boat how to get rid of the odour that is left in the boat. I visit my boat several times a week and it is always the same. The boat is dry and not musty. I would have attached a sample of the smell but this site does not support the programme. Anyone got any ideas

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[DickB]

The smell is probably due to micro organisms growing in the feed pipe to the head. They die and rot on the inside wall of the pipe and generate hydrogen sulphide gas which is released when you flush the head... Hence the pong (rotten eggs)... Some vendors will sell a sanitary pvc pipe that does not allow light to penetrate and inhibits growth, but I found the best solution is to flush like crazy with the windows open. You can also get special kits that inject a biocide to inhibit growth of the algae...

<hr width=100% size=1>Dick

 

[pvb]

Get the best quality hoses...

The smell is from bacteria which thrive in the seawater in the hoses. There's no real way of stopping these bacteria. So to stop the smell getting in to the boat, you need high quality hoses. Some of the best are made by Shields in the US. Don't try to economise on hoses, you'll regret it.

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[Barry777]

Try www.leesan.com.

Lee Sanitation offer a number of products they they claim will cure the problem. Have not used them myself but some fellow "forumites" may offer comments

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[HenryB]

I agree with the other posters on the likely reason for the smell. I find that I can minimise it by pumping out a gallon or so of fresh water with a few drops of washing up liquid immediately before closing the seacock and leaving the boat.

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[stephenmartin]

I've heard that if sea water is used to flush the heads then it will smell....don't know how to cure it except use fresh water....

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[Talbot]

Flush with fresh water

I have been using seawater in mine for the last 10 years without smells so suspect this one is an urban myth.

Suggest - replace pvc pies, and make sure everyone pumps sufficiently to flush properly!

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[uforea]

Using cleaning products that contain bleach will cause a foul smell when used to clean toilets or sinks. It's something to do with bleach mixing with salt water, I'm sure the chemists out there will be able to explain. I've found that the easiest way to keep the heads fresh is to flush out occasionally with Fairy Liquid.

Ted.

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[john_morris_uk]

I have used the pipes from Lee Sanitation and they worked very well while we had the boat.

The answer to the question about how to get rid of the smell once the pipes have been changed might lie along the lines of 'wash the whole area several times with dilute bleach/toilet sanitation cleanser of some sort'. If you kill all the bugs, there shouldn't be a smell.

However I note that it has been argued in the past not to use bleach in a sea toilet. Therefore make sure you pump lots and lots when you flush. You've really got to flush the whole system through until there's nothing left for the bugs to feed on.

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[roger]

Urban myth well partly

Urine plus sea water tends to give ammonia and this among other things tends to deposit lime in the pipes.
In addition the local sewage engineers say they font like accepting holding tank waste as the salt water in the sewers make a lot of Hydrogen sulphide (bad eggs) that would make the valley stink (e.g. Dartmouth).
I dont think either of these is very likely to happen in the boat unless of course you have a holding tank and we are all going to have one of those fairly soon.

<hr width=100% size=1>Roger

 

[chrisc]

I am absolutely convinced smell comes from salt water .last year bought boat up from med through canals to baltic.no smell at all while we were in the rivers/canals but as soon as were back in saltyish water (well ok theres not that much salt in the baltic)back comes the smell ,with a vengeance.

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[chrisc]

I am absolutely convinced smell comes from salt water .last year bought boat up from med through canals to baltic.no smell at all while we were in the rivers/canals but as soon as were back in saltyish water (well ok theres not that much salt in the baltic)back comes the smell ,with a vengeance.

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[jtwebb]

I have one of the devices offered by Lee Sanitation and Tektanks. This is a small device which is fitted in the input pipe to the loo and dispenses from a small container of a blue solid. It does work. However, do turn the sea cock off otherwise your blue will be going out that way when left on the mooring. Also, never fit them below the watrer line as I have heard of one breaking by excessive tightening of a replacement dispenser bottle. I am told the smell is bacteria in the inlet pipe.

<hr width=100% size=1>J Webb

 

[jtwebb]

Also do not use bleach if you have a holding tank. Got to keep the little bugs there alive and kicking.

<hr width=100% size=1>J Webb

 

[starboard]

One thing I forgot to say to you Harry is that confirms my theory of the hose problem.... I noticed whilst at the Naajad factory last month that they now cover their plastic WC hoses with some form of material barrier, obviously in an attempt to reduce this smell filtering through the hose

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[tony_brighton]

Vetus do the right type of hose - its not cheap but its an area where quality pays.

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[Trevor_swfyc]

No need to post the smell thanks we all know what you mean. I replaced my pipes a few years back with white low odour pipe, its the heads outlet pipe as you would expect that was the source of the stench. I know this because I took the old pipe home after washing it, it stank the car out. I washed the pipe in the garden in a tub of dilute bleach left it overnight then put the pipe up the garden, the wife complained it stank out the greenhouse. So no amount of washing will remove the smell the first step as you are doing is to replace the pipe.
If you leave salt water in the pipe the bugs in it will soon turn the water putrid, the answer is in HarryB post get rid of the salt water when you leave the boat by flushing with fresh water. I also add some swimming pool chlorinator to the water which kills the bugs in the pipe.
On the point of holding tanks I think this is a bad idea. I have experienced the putrid stench off a tank being emptied from a boat into the river very near my boat at anchor. If we were forced to have holding tanks then this would happen on a regular basis. I am sure if we must dump on the fish they would prefer it to be at least fresh!

Trevor

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[Trevethan]

I don't think its seawater per se, but bugs in general -- last summer in Limehouse, when the water turned green we had a real problem -- I replaced the hoses with vetud non odour and still it developed -- even after just a few hours or overnight,

As soon as the duck weed died back and the water cooled a bit, the smell went away.

To fix the problem some people advocate teeing off near the inlet with a valve and flexible hose. When you leave the boat fill the washbasin with fresh water, turn off the seacock, open the valve on the flexi pipe, put it in the basin and pump through clean water.

Not tried that yet, although since I have an unused water tank (not connected to the potable water system) I might use that as a source of rinsing water.


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[dickh]

Re: Foul smells in clean boats - The ONLY cure...

As other posters have said the smell comes from seawater left in the inlet pipes. It CAN be cured the following way -
1) Replace ALL hoses with the "No Smell" type.
2) You HAVE to replace the seawater in the inlet pipes with FRESH water - I achieve this with a 20litre container near the inlet seacock. I have Tee'd in another ¾" pipe fitted with a ballvalve.
3) Operation as follows-
3a) Close inlet seacock
b) Open ballvalve on Tee'd in ¾" hose
c) Put end of hose into fresh water and flush thro' system with fresh water
d) Close ball valve
e) Close outlet seacock.

This system ALWAYS works - GUARANTEED!!
DON'T use the inline deodorants - they DON'T WORK - but they do make the water a nice blue colour!
The forums resident expert on this problem - the headmistress - will confirm the above.
I have left the boat for several weeks and it has been fine the first time the loo is flushed.
Some people fit an auxilary tank for the water, or even tee in from the boat water tank but I wouldn't recommend this due to possible cross contamination.


<hr width=100% size=1>dickh
I'd rather be sailing... /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

 

[global_odyssey]

This probably doesn't answer your problem, but I'll share the experience anyway...

Our boat had a slight sh*tty-smell problem forward when we bought her - the problem turned out to be a leaky 3-way plastic diverter valve to the holding tank.
Frankly this type of valve would be OK for a bilge pump divertor but not for sewerage.
Since replacing the valve with a 38mm 3-way seacock-type valve, and a bit of serious cleaning in the V-berth stowage below the valve, the problem has gone and we smell of roses again.
(The downside is that the boat is about 2.5kg heavier and my wallet is about the same amount lighter!)

<hr width=100% size=1>I've got wind......................
...............................in my sails!