Freshwater head intake smell

[GreggL]

Have a new hunter 33 and somehow am already getting a smelly head. I always flush properly and excessively pump out. The smell is never outside by the vents but more so in the flush water after not using it for a few days. I'm under the impression that it may be stagnant fresh water in the flushing intake hoses.

Any thoughts if this could be the case and how to avoid in the future?

Also, it seems that the smell only occurs at its worst for the first few uses after not using it for an extended time, it does however make faint appearances randomly. The smell is eggy and sometimes the water is opaque.

Thanks!

[DeepFrz]

There was a very recent thread on this subject. Look up Peggy Hall's last post and read that thread.

[Sailorman375]

When your "fresh" water sits for days, the organisms in the water die and smell. This is not water like you get from the city. Water from the ocean or lake is full of living organisms.

[GreggL]

Originally Posted by Sailorman375

When your "fresh" water sits for days, the organisms in the water die and smell. This is not water like you get from the city. Water from the ocean or lake is full of living organisms.

Is there a way to drain the hoses completely and avoid this?

[Astrid]

Add a bit of bleach to the fresh water tank and run the water through all the fresh water lines. The main problem is you get critters living and multiplying in the lines, not just the water tank. Essentially you need to shock treat the water lines and drain the tank completely. Also, if you have strainers or any charcoal or other kinds of filters between the tank and your faucets and fresh water fittings, remove prior to flushing the lines. Once the lines are thoroughly flushed, replace the old filters or elements with new ones and put back in any faucet strainers you may have removed.

As Deepfrz recommended, check out Peg's latest post as well if using raw water not fresh water for flushing the head.

[HopCar]

When you say fresh water, I'm assuming you mean sea water. Sailorman is correct about things dieing and creating a smell. A big problem is that sea grass gets into the rim of the bowl and rots. A strainer in the intake line will catch that before it gets to the rim.
If you want to eliminate the smell problem from the intake water totally, switch to a toilet that flushes with fresh water from your water tanks. Don't try to convert your existing head, buy a toilet designed to flush with potable water.

[Sailorman375]

Do you have a shower head that will reach the head? If so, close the intake seacock and flush using real fresh water from the shower head. You can do this only when you plan on leaving the boat for a couple of days or more. If the head is used several times a day, you won't have any issues using sea water or lake water.

[KnuckleDragger]

The OP has a new Hunter which, if it's like most new Hunters, does indeed have a fresh water flush head. IE potable water from the boat's water tanks not seawater. Supposed to help mitigate the odor problem inherent with seawater flush. I have found that you need to run sufficient water during the flush to clear the line all the way to the holding tank. If you only use enough to evacuate the bowl, it seems that some "dirty" water will leak back into the bowl.

[GreggL]

Originally Posted by Sailorman375

Do you have a shower head that will reach the head? If so, close the intake seacock and flush using real fresh water from the shower head. You can do this only when you plan on leaving the boat for a couple of days or more. If the head is used several times a day, you won't have any issues using sea water or lake water.

That's a good idea. Assuming I can turn off the intake valve. If I do get it turned off and fill my head with fresh water from the shower, pump it all the way out, I believe there still may be some water in the intake valve which would get stagnant and defeat the procedure.

[HopCar]

Sounds like you should buy Peggie's book: Get Rid of Boat Odors by Peggie Hall

Peggie describes an easy safe way to flush with tank water once in a while to clean out the intake line. Filling the bowl with the shower won't help with intake water smells unless you do it every time. If you want to switch to flushing with tank water, buy a toilet designed to hook into your water pressure system.