smelly loo

[sealine]

Hi all

When I clean the loo, which is not used for it's intended purpose No1s or 2s I get a smell of bad eggs when its flushed? I have tried a range of cleaners with little luck. Do any of you guys or gals know of a product that will get rid of the smell.
John

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[adarcy]

1: - do you have old pipes ? crud + anaerobic organisms build up giving off H2S smell - also think worse if they are translucent

2:- User "HeadMistress" aka Peggy Hall on this forum is a self proclaimed expert in marine toilets + has a website on it (can't remember the name of it though) - do a search on her posts

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[l'escargot]

You won't get rid of it, it is caused by bacteria in the seawater inlet pipe usually when the boat hasn't been used for several days. The only way to prevent this is to draw up fresh water or cleaner through the inlet before closing the seacock - not a practical option. There are some attachments you can get which inject a small dose of biocide into the pipe and there are some types of pipe that reduce it. Just flush the toilet through when you first get on the boat, the smell soon disperses once some water has moved through the pipe. Regular use is the best preventative.

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[HeadMistress]

I've never claimed to be an expert, only someone with a lot of experience in marine sanitation. I don't have a website either, although my book is on my publisher's site at http://www.seaworthy.com/html/get_rid_of_boat_odors.html

Your odor has several possible sources:

If it's in the whole head, it could be as simple as a shower sump in desperate need of cleaning.

If it's emanating from the toilet, it may be caused by stagnant sea water that sits in the head intake and pump between your uses of the boat. If it's much worse for the first few flushes when you first come aboard, that would confirm it as the source. Unfortunately nothing poured down the toilet will cure it because nothing poured down the toilets is recirculated (thank God!) through the intake.

It's also possible that you may have pulled in some weeds or other animal or vegetable sea life that has become trapped in the channel in the rim of the bowl where they're decaying and stinking.

If you get the odor only when you flush after cleaning the bowl, the problem is likely to be caused by your choice of cleaners. Household chemical bowl cleaners should never be used in a marine toilet, nor should bleach, any cleaning products containing bleach, nor any products that contain pine oil or petroleum solvents. Not only are these products highly damaging to the rubber parts in the toilet and the sanitation hoses, but can combine with urine and/or each other to produce gasses that are not only nasty, but highly toxic. A sulphur or "rotten egg" odor means hydrogen sulfide gas, which in enough quantity can even kill you.

If it's coming back into the bowl from the head discharge line, it's long past time that the joker valve in the toilet discharge was replaced...the joker valve is a one way valve--a "cup" with slit in the bottom and "lips" on the outside. It's supposed to block both a flood and odors from inside the hose from escaping back into the bowl...but over time the slit becomes so stretched with use that it's no longer a slit, but a hole. It should be replaced every couple of years.

It'll take a bit of effort, but you should be able to solve your odor problem no matter what the source by doing this: close the head intake seacock...remove the hose from it and stick it into a bucket of clean fresh water and low suds detergent...don't skimp on the detergent. Flush the whole bucketful through the toilet. Let it sit for an hour or two to give the detergent time to work--but NOT long enough to let the system dry out!...then flush another bucketful or two of clean fresh water through the system to rinse it out. If anything is trapped in the head intake or channel in the rim of the bowl, you'll see a lot of black flecks in the bowl as you flush. Follow that with a gallon of undiluted white vinegar. Be sure to flush all the vinegar completely out of the toilet, but do not follow it with any rinse water. Replace the joker valve now, and reconnect the head intake hose to the thru-hull.

If this doesn't cure the odor and if you still see black flecks when you flush, it may be necessary to remove the bowl to put it on the dock and blast out the channel with a hose.

To prevent the problem in the future, plus prevent sea water calcium carbonate buildup in the head discharge hose, flush a cupful of undiluted white vinegar down the toilet once a week when the toilet won't be used for at least several hours. If the odor returns, the solution may be to keep the intake seacock closed and flush by pouring fresh water into the bowl instead.

<hr width=100% size=1>Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987

 

[byron]

2:- User "HeadMistress" aka Peggy Hall on this forum is a self proclaimed expert in marine toilets

What you mean "self proclaimed", she has been proclaimed the expert on such matters by others for many many years. There is no doubt about it, she knows the Lavvie business from rectum to tank.

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[Camayo]

Dont know how old the boat is but in my boat it was the water inlet pipe from the sea cock that had broken down inside, take the pipe of at the loo and have a niff.
Only replace with proper sanitation pipes.

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[kghowe]

The device you want is called 'Stinky Head' costs about £35 and works beautifully, oh and its simple to fit.

Regards
KGH

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[HeadMistress]

Hello Byron! Welcome back! Do you still have the Broome?

Byron and I are old friends...we did battle--and he lost -- when he tried a hostile takeover of my forum on the old CompuServe Sailing forum. Shortly afterward, during my last visit to the UK, I was with a friend who knew where his boat was tied up on the Thames near London...words cannot even BEGIN to describe the look on his face when he climbed out of his cockpit to find me standing on the dock pounding on his hull wake him up! He didn't know me on sight but it only took a couple of words...and then his jaw dropped!

Have you gotten over it yet, Byron? <LOL> Apparently not...'cuz from what I've read, you're stirring up trouble here too !

Btw...the definition of an expert: someone who learns more and more about less and less, till finally (s)he knows everything about nothing.

<hr width=100% size=1>Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987

 

[Planty]

If the system is fresh water flush, then it could be that Sealine have not routed the outlet pipe so that it has a vertical up turned U bend close to the WC so that the top of the U is higher than the WC`s uppermost point. We have a similar sounding problem where any water left in the bowl after flush slowly drains away thus leaving no water "trap" and the smells from the tank back feed to the head. Sealine yet to sort this one as means removing Head wall lining I think.

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[Mrtallsheep]

I used to have a Sealine F43 and the smell from the aft cabin loo was enough to knock you out. It is due to the bacteria in the pipe from the sea water etc. There was an odourizer fitted to ours but it made no/little difference to the smell. However it did change the colour to a pleasant blue, sod all use when your nearly passing out!

The best way to sort the problem is to use fresh water to flush the loos, problem solved instantly and not for hugh costs either.

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[adarcy]

Re: Byron + Peggy

No way was I trying to cause trouble or offence to anyone, if I have done so I apologise unreservedly.

I am sorry my memory played tricks and the web address I remember being in her posts was how to get her book not her website.

I am not knocking Peggy or her undoubted expertise but

PLEASE

is her tagline a self-proclamation or what?

Best wishes and again no offence intended

Anthony

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[HeadMistress]

Re: Byron + Peggy

No need to apologize, Anthony...you didn't offend me at all! Your questions and concern is quite valid.

As for my tag line, I'm well known in the US...in fact host sanitation and "boatkeeping" forums on nearly a dozen boating websites--but not in the UK (though becoming better known since Libby Purves' article in the Feb issue of Yachting Monthly)...so it only makes sense--to me anyway--that if I'm gonna give advice here, I should identify myself here as someone qualified to do so.

However, I freely admit that I'd have unabashedly self-promoted by also including the link to my book on my publisher's site, but it's too long to fit the space allowed for signatures!

<hr width=100% size=1>Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987

 

[adarcy]

Re: Thank you Peggy

So,

no offence taken by you, good, it's just that rat Byron then that I've got to get even with. Now, how can I get the esteemed moderator Kim Hollamby to throw him off in public disgrace. He's only been back here posting for a week after some self imposed purdah and is causing trouble already! <BG>

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[HeadMistress]

Re: Thank you Peggy

But that's what Byron does! He only goes on his self-imposed exiles because he wants someone to notice his absence and beg him to return. He never actually leaves, but continues to lurk till they do.

Byron is fun to needle...and he's a major PITA online! <LOL> But he's actually a very nice person "in person." His Broome (I don't know if he still owns it) is a very nice boat, and well kept.

He'll prob'ly never forgive me for revealing that!



<hr width=100% size=1>Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987

 

[byron]

Re: Thank you Peggy

The Broom was sold ages ago, had Princess 435 since then. I have now given up serious boating since a health scare. I only run a 30' river launch now.


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