No More Smelly heads

[alahol2]

Even with the Lavac we occasionally get the sulphur smell. So I think that points more to contaminants being drawn in with the flushing water. We don't do anything more than flushing far beyond what is necessary, and I scrub the pump (internally) every winter with hot water and detergent. The smell is only ever on the first flush so, as already mentioned, that's part of 'opening up' the boat.

 

[prv]

So, it looks like another win for Lavac. We just leave the lid up and pump a few basins full of fresh water through then a final skoosh of something pleasant that the captain buys.

The lavac wins because it doesn't have a double-sided pump. Emptying basins of fresh water into it won't do anything for the inlet pipe.

Pete

 

[johnalison]

If it's the anaerobes causing the smell, maybe we need pipes which are more porous?

Personally, I can't be bothered with worrying about it. Perhaps I have just learned to love rotten eggs. It soon goes away.

 

[Daydream believer]

. Why one heads is fine and the other smelly I do not know but I am particularly unlucky as it's my heads that smells and my wife's that does not.

Actually you are possibly luckier than you realise !!!!

 

[Momac]

On our last boat the loo would smell when we arrived at the boat.
Closed the inlet sea cock and flushed with fresh water . The shower head was on a long hose so used water via the shower head to flush the loo. Problem solved .

Present boat is similar but with a holding tank. on this boat We seem to need to flush with more fresh water to keep smells at bay despite using chemicals. The hoses are much longer than our old boat. Pretty sure some smell penetrates the hose walls. I have heard of people replacing the waste hoses with success.

 

[jac]

We fill the bowl using fresh water from the shower before we leave. Quick squir of something pine fresh and Eco and then pump out. Smell is almost non existent.

 

[Mistroma]

You pump out when at anchor?

We can be pretty sure it's cross contamination in the pump as we only ever pump out when underway - otherwise it's into the holding tank so a 2m height of pipe of diluted unpleasantness - so either joker valve which I have test by taking the pump apart to see if it leaks back, or the pump itself. Why one heads is fine and the other smelly I do not know but I am particularly unlucky as it's my heads that smells and my wife's that does not.

The forward head in our Jeanneau 42DS used to smell but the aft one never did. I thought it was odd, especially as the forward head was very rarely used for solids. However, I did fix the problem by fitting the same system mentioned by the OP. It has worked well and is used to flush the system a few times each season.

Simply pouring water and disinfectant into the bowl is a waste of time. This only flushes the outlet side and doesn't touch the inlet side where the smell originates. Treating the inlet side certainly worked on our boat. Still haven't bothered to make the mod. to the aft head.

The aft. head outlet goes to a holding tank. Nothing comes out of the outlet when the hull valve is closed and the inlet should only get clean sea water. I imagine that helps reduce the problem of smells in that head.

 

[PetiteFleur]

My previous boat had a jabsco loo and it smelt after only a few days of idleness. Cured by fitting a freshwater tank tee'd into the inlet pipe as close to the seacock as possible with it's own ballvale. On leaving, closed seacock and opened freshwater tank and pumped through, then cosed ballvalve. Problem cured, no smells even after a month. The Lavac on my current boat does not smell, although I do leave it with fresh water from the shower in the bowl.

 

[KRG]

I've been using a similar system as op's for about 10 years. New loo and pipes fitted two years ago, never used for solids, flush inlet with fresh water-no smell. Leave sea water in inlet- eggy pong. Op's idea works for me.

 

[westhinder]

I've been using a similar system as op's for about 10 years. New loo and pipes fitted two years ago, never used for solids, flush inlet with fresh water-no smell. Leave sea water in inlet- eggy pong. Op's idea works for me.

+1
A spare hose T-d into the inlet hose. The inlet is closed, the spare hose fed into a bucket filled with fresh water or vinegar if we want to be thorough. No smells, even with a Jabsco pump.
Previous boat did not have this arrangement and did have the smell.

 

[Vanilla]

I'm aware of Vyv's research storing seawater and checking if it developed a pong after different time intervals.....but I'm convinced that the smell, which my boat very rarely gets, ONLY happens if a bit of seaweed/dead fish whatever, has got drawn into the inlet side (rather than just seawater) and left for some weeks before the heads are flushed through again. This might explain why it is such a randon event. Boat can go a year with no smell, then out of the blue it stinks whether or not the heads have been "used"!

 

[aquaplane]

Sometimes putting up with a bit of a niff when you first pump the bog is a reasonable price to pay for a no hassle sailing experience.

What was the problem again?

 

[Anders_P42]

I bought one of these, no smell after two weeks away from boat. My boat has sea water flush.

http://www.seasmartmarine.co.uk

Anders

 

[Daydream believer]

I bought one of these, no smell after two weeks away from boat. My boat has sea water flush.

http://www.seasmartmarine.co.uk

Anders

The video suggests it needs it own battery power
Do you know how long these last- I want to put something in the club boat & it will get no attention plus missuse so need something that will work in this environment
How much did it cost ?
Thanks

 

[VicS]

The video suggests it needs it own battery power
Do you know how long these last- I want to put something in the club boat & it will get no attention plus missuse so need something that will work in this environment
How much did it cost ?
Thanks

See http://www.seasmartmarine.co.uk/faqs.html

FAQ number 4 in particular

 

[theoldsalt]

The unit for a manual toilet costs £128.80 + £10 delivery.....ouch!!!!

 

[theoldsalt]

If the unit is fitted close to the pump, I just do not see how the disinfectant gets to the inlet seacock especially if the inlet pipe has an anti-syphon loop in it.

 

[VicS]

If the unit is fitted close to the pump, I just do not see how the disinfectant gets to the inlet seacock especially if the inlet pipe has an anti-syphon loop in it.

you connect it close to the seacock then

The disinfectant is dispensed directly into the flushing water, at the seacock, right at the start of its journey into the marine toilet. In this way, ALL of the water in the system is disinfected and sanitized, right from the start of the system.

 

[Anders_P42]

The video suggests it needs it own battery power
Do you know how long these last- I want to put something in the club boat & it will get no attention plus missuse so need something that will work in this environment
How much did it cost ?
Thanks

It runs on 9V battery, mine has been installed 7 months and still going (used every weekend in summer and every other in winter). The battery runs a small pump for 1-2 seconds to discharge the fluid.

 

[Anders_P42]

If the unit is fitted close to the pump, I just do not see how the disinfectant gets to the inlet seacock especially if the inlet pipe has an anti-syphon loop in it.

The water hose insert supplied has a small 2-3mm diameter tube that you push down the inlet water pipe towards seacock (trim to length required). This is how it dispenses liquid close to inlet. I can't comment on anti-siphon loop, my boat doesn't have one. I think the insert has to live near water pump as it senses the pressure drop or flow of water when water pump activates, then dispenses liquid.