Matters lavatorial

[JeremyF]

I'd always been told to keep away from even non-bleach domestic loo cleaners, as they corrode the valves in the pump unit pretty quickly. However in the article in Sailing Today on tarting up a boat for sale, they recommend those blue thingies that hang over the edge of the loo rim.

What tips do others have on keeping the heads looking and smelling fresh without destroying the valves.

The loo on Goldeneye is new, so too the pipework (odor-containing white stuff), and it gets fully pumped through after standing for a week.

Jeremy Flynn

www.yacht-goldeneye.co.uk

 

[romany123]

We always pump through fresh water with washing up liquid added before we leave the boat...

Dave

 

[robp]

Yes it's the marine life left in the loo and pipes that stinks. Make sure that the entire system, pipes and all are left with fresh (tap) water in them. It's worth a good bucket full. It'll be as sweet as a nut every time.

 

[chas]

I nwas told ages ago to use vinegar - seems to keep all shining white and odourless.

 

[Chris_Stannard]

As an alternative you can buy a fitting, which goes into the inlet pipe, and onto which a little bottle of blue cleaner screws. This releases a small amount of cleaner into the heads at each pumping. I cannot remeber the name but most chandlers stock them and the cleaner is formulated so that it does not damage the heads, and additionally will prevent the build up of ureic acid crystals. These will build up in time unless you always pump the heads enough to empty the whole soil pipe, which very few guests and girls will remember to do. After all its not them who will have to put it right.
If you are going to use vinegar it should be white vinegar, not the ordinary brown. It works well for keeping the galley sink drain smell free so it is a good idea to have some onboard.
Last thought, if you are in a smelly river, like the Hamble, close the inlet seacock and pump all of the water out of the inlet pipe before you leave the boat. This is often where the smell builds up whilst you are away.

SSweet dreams

 

[cynthia]

If you go for the blue inlet pipe solution, use Yachticom, not the Lee Sanitation one. Much more cost effective and lasts longer. Mind you, not sure either is the perfect solution! Might just try the white vinegar myself - boat still is a bit pongy when we arrive, but everything fine once flushed through.

 

[MartinGPerry]

We also suffered 'pongy' heads, the smell of H2S (rotten eggs) was really bad after the boat had been standing for a week or so and the heads were first flushed. We tracked it down to stagnant water in the inlet pipe - no amount of pumping through with fresh water or vinegar was going to shift that!

We fitted one of those little capsule containers that go in the inlet line and contains an exhorbitantly priced blue tablet ( we got ours from West Marine in the States) but found that it didn't really improve things. made the water a pretty colour but didn't stop the smell.

I finally solved it by picking up a swimming pool chlorine block in the Auchan supermarket in Cherbourg for about 9 francs, breaking it up with a hammer and putting a piece about the size of a pea in the inlet capsule container.

This fixed the problem instantly, the treatment lasted about 3 weeks and the heads smelt very slightly when first flushed, just like a swimming pool. The treatment needed repeating every 6 weeks or so.

Before anyone tells me this will rot the heads valves and seals, I can only comment that I first did this treatment 18 months ago and the valves and seals are still fine.

Not only that but I still have enough of my 9 Franc tablet left to last about another 20 years!

 

[romany123]

Nice one martin......

Dave