Is bleach a good idea?

[Bilgediver]

It also stops the smell.

Any thoughts?

It might cover the smell but it is not stopping it as the smell is produced in the inlet hose to the toilet so is being drawn into the treated toilet. Unfortunately bleach is the last thing you need in the holding tank as it kills the good bugs and will make it smellier than before and less active.

 

[santeana]

Like Monique, fresh water and vinegar works for me. No smell - no maintenance issues. Rather surprised it is not more mentioned as I was taught this in my 'apprenticeship' days of cruising under sail.

 

[BrendanS]

Yeah, but how sophisticated was Noah's Ark, and haven't modern bogs moved on since then?

 

[santeana]

Served my time on 'The Arc' and it was Noah who taught me. He had a Lavac too!

 

[prv]

I bought a boat that had lived at Kemps Quay years ago. (Sitting in the mud every six hours). When I asked the surveyor what the unbelieveable smell was, he told me "Itchen mud - only way to get rid of it is to replace the pipes"!

KS is at Kemp's Quay. I don't seem to have a heads smell problem (although I rarely use it) but I can certainly attest to the smell of the mud. From about half an hour before dry-out a real pong starts to rise out of the water. Goes away once all is dry, I guess since the mud is no longer being stirred.

Pete

 

[BrendanS]

Served my time on 'The Arc' and it was Noah who taught me. He had a Lavac too!

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

In most cases the smell has been embedded into the pipe (50 mm diameter?) outlet. I had thesame problem and i replaced the pipe which was only 4 ft long and now i have no problems.

 

[vyv_cox]

Whatever you put in the bowl will not have the slightest effect on the smell, which is generated in the region above the piston. Other than leakage through the piston o-ring when pumped, nothing in the bowl will affect the inlet areas.

For what it's worth, I put concentrated hydrochloric acid in the bowl of my toilet on a fortnightly basis to remove the calcium salts that develop in the joker valve and discharge pipes. Many liveaboard sailors do the same. This does not have the slightest effect on any of the internal parts. I doubt very much that bleach, either concentrated or dilute, will have any harmful effect. It won't stop the smell, though, and neither does the HCl.

 

[Tintin]

For what it's worth, I put concentrated hydrochloric acid in the bowl of my toilet on a fortnightly basis to remove the calcium salts that develop in the joker valve and discharge pipes.

I use a litre of cola - HCL worries me with a 3 and 5 yr old on board. Seems to do the trick.

rgds. chris

 

[Tintin]

All your problems solved here:

http://tinyurl.com/2b6h82k

The original article that led to this books is here.

http://www.boatbuilding.com/article.php/MarineSanitationFactvsFolklore

You'll probably find enough info in that without having to buy the book.

rgds, chris