Jabsco pong!

[EdWingfield]

Can't blame it on the local curry house either..

Until the loo has been flushed a couple of times there comes an horrendous foul whiff. I'm thinking that some pipework needs disinfecting of bugs, but where?

Has anyone else suffered similarly and effected a cure?

 

[Csail]

i have recently been pooring vinegar down and it seems alot better now.

 

[chuzzlewit]

Mine's the same . It's hydrogen sulphide , produced when organic matter(present in sea water) decays in an anoxic environment (present in a shut off water pipe). Live with it or leave the shut off valve open(with its attendant risks).

 

[jimbaerselman]

Quite normal when seawater has been sitting static in the pipes for a week or so. Disappears after a couple of flushes.

 

[Bilgediver]

This pong is developing as others have said in the inlet pipe betwen the seacock and the pump. Your friendly swindlery will sell a device that can be inserted in the inlet line near the sea cock in which treatment tablets can be loaded. This is supposed to prevent the pong.

 

[MoodySabre]

Vinegar is the recommended thing. If it gets worse then you can shut off the inlet seacock, remove the pipe from it and immerse this in a container of vinegar and then pump this through and reconnect pipe. The vinegar sits in the pipe whilst you are off the boat and will kill off some of the bugs but it is not a long term cure. It will get worse when it gets hot.

Alternatively get someone to flush it a couple of times when you first get on board and then they'll know it's not you!

 

[FullCircle]

All very good replies, but leaves you with 2 things - put up with it, as it is 'normal' or pour a quid down the loo every week.

However, there is a third way. The organisms that create the smell live in salt water, and are not at all fond of fresh water.
So, here is the thing.

1.Cut the heads sink waste pipe, and insert a T piece, rejoin the waste pipe.
2. Add new piece of hose to remaining T outlet spigot, and add a new Shutoff valve.
3. Cut the Sea Water Heads inlet pipe, and inser a T Piece, rejoin the inlet pipe.
4. Add new piece of hose to remaining T outlet spigot, and connect to underside of new shut off valve.

Heres the clever bit.
When leaving the boat,
1. Close the sink waste seacock.
2. With new T Piece valve closed, half fill the sink with fresh water. Add a little splosh of white vinegar.
3. Close the Heads inlet seacock.
4. Use heads pump to pump out remains in inlet. 2-3 pumps is all.
5. Now open sink T Piece valve and let the (fresh) water in the sink flow through into the heads. There will be a bit left in the sink.
6. Operate heads pump 3 or 4 times until the fresh water in the sink is drawn into the system, and there is then fresh water in the heads bowl. Just as the sink empties, stop pumping shut the T Piece valve. This means there is fresh water in the whole system,
7. Turn the heads valve to pump out, and reduce the water in the bowl to a couple of inches, so it doesnt spill if the boat rolls.
8. Close the rest of the seacocks and go home.

PS you can add a mixture of Coca Cola and Olive Oil, which eats the lime and lubricates the valves seals.

I did mine with caravan water grade reinforced hose and a cheap valve from B&Q, total cost about 8 quid.

Result: No more smelly heads, as the Hydrogen Sulfide has nowhere to propagate.


With all due deference to Head Mistress and Others.

 

[EdWingfield]

Guys, thanks for the biologicals. Wasn't hydrogen sulphide the main ingredient of our favourite schoolboy stink bombs?

And thanks also for the remedies, I'm sure it's not only myself will benefit from the wisdom.

 

[sailorman]

You will be getting a "Gold Star" from the Headmistress Jim /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

wot a cleaver boy /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Billjratt]

We used to put clingfilm over the bowl and pump till fresh having come back to our boat in the Med. Believe me it's worse in the heat!

 

[TheBoatman]

Perfectly normal.
When I go aboard after a couple of weeks I always go through the start up routine which includes pumping the heads a couple of times - after that - no probs.

Peter.

 

[samwise]

The Full Circle solution sounds a bit complex to me, but he's dead right about the fresh water solution. When I leave the boat, I pump out our Lavac then close off the inlet seacock, fill the toilet bowl with fresh water, pump it through the system and then close off the outlet seacock. Works every time. Leaving vinegar , even diluted, in the system coiuld damage valves. It's also worth checking the pipe runs for any low spots where water could gather and stagnate.