It didnt smell that way when I bought it!?

[The Other Gary]

What has not been addressed here and since you do not say if you have one holding tank for two heads or one for each is the vent line for the holding tank. If your boys head is on a separate holding tank and the vent line is plugged the only way the tank will vent is back up through the head. Also have the boys put toilet paper in a waste can and not down the head.

Vent lines can be plugged by insect nests, or by an overfilled tank.
Check the simple stuff first.

[Son of a Sailor]

wow! thanks for all the positive replies guys...i do appreciate it! i will begin the different approaches and update soon. thanks again.

[Carver Power]

Head smell, Trust me I have been through it, First saltwater starts stinking after just a few hours , the living stuff in the water. you must use fresh water for head, contact me for any more questions about your complete head system.
JH

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Carver Power

Head smell, Trust me I have been through it, First saltwater starts stinking after just a few hours , the living stuff in the water. you must use fresh water for head, contact me for any more questions about your complete head system.
JH

Simply nonsense! Thousands of boats successfully use salt water in the heads without issues.

Cheers,

Jim

[Carver Power]

the amount of organisms living in our coastal water is simply amazing , Having a boat using seawater in a bay like San Diego for your head is not done in this area ,it's simply not tolerable,I'm sorry I don't want to be disrespectful

[clockwork orange]

If you remove all of the hoses and replace them with common, very inexpensive pvc plumbing pipe you will be rid of the smell permenantly, dont waste money on the ridiculously expensive marine sanitation hose, it is only a temporary fix. The only customer boats we have worked on over the last 30 years that dont stink have either pvc plumbing or composting toilets. It does not mater if you flush with salt or fresh lake water, they both stink the same, i expect that flushing with fresh water from your tanks would probably work but the idea of filling my water tanks with precious municiple water at the marina only to pump it into my holding tank then carrying it around until i can pay to have it pumped out is to me, absurd.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Carver Power

the amount of organisms living in our coastal water is simply amazing , Having a boat using seawater in a bay like San Diego for your head is not done in this area ,it's simply not tolerable,I'm sorry I don't want to be disrespectful

Nor do I wish to be disrespectful, but I kept a boat in SF Bay for twenty years or so, all used sea water. I ahve visited San Diego bay numerous times and used seawater in the head, and the few boats that I knew well enough in SD to be aware of their plumbing also used sea water.

Perhaps such usage is not tolerable to you, but to many others it isn't a problem. For instance, I bet that if you asked Zeehag (a frequent contributor here on CF, and who lived aboard in SD for years) you would find that she tolerated it quite well.

I think that you are incorrect in your judgement about what must be done.

Cheers,

Jim

[HopCar]

One of the most overlooked sources of odor in marine sanitation systems is the rim of the bowl. Seaweed and other bio stuff is pumped into the bowl rim with the flush water but doesn't make it out through the holes. It sits in the rim of the bowl, rots, and the smell gets out through the holes in the rim. It's very difficult to clean the inside of the bowl rim while it's mounted on the toilet. Take the bowl off the boat and then do what ever is needed to clean inside the rim.
A good strainer in the intake line will help to prevent the problem in the future.
Here is the book you need.


I'd appreciate it if you would buy it from me.
http://www.hopkins-carter.com/getridofbood.html

[mcarling]

Originally Posted by HopCar

A good strainer in the intake line will help to prevent the problem in the future.

Straining the water is not sufficient. Filtration is needed. Desalination is not needed.

[HopCar]

I really don't think a filter is needed. A strainer does the job fine. Anything small enough to get through a sea strainer is small enough to be washed through the rim holes. Before I put a strainer on my intake, I had to deal with some surprisingly large pieces of seaweed. Rotting seaweed really stinks.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Simply nonsense! Thousands of boats successfully use salt water in the heads without issues.

Cheers,

Jim

If you make a lot of fresh water, by all means change over to fresh flush if you want. But most boats do just fine with sea water. You cant let it sit forever in some locations though. Flush, flush, flush! For some reason it starts fast in some locations and in others, doesnt seem to at all.....

[zeehag]

the ONLY toilets NEEDING fresh water are in those boats not leaving dock and boats unused for months. thru flushing with salt water rids boat of the stagnant salt water smell you so dislike. fresh water toilets are a land lubber item. enjoy.

[boating2go]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Nor do I wish to be disrespectful, but I kept a boat in SF Bay for twenty years or so, all used sea water. I ahve visited San Diego bay numerous times and used seawater in the head, and the few boats that I knew well enough in SD to be aware of their plumbing also used sea water.

Perhaps such usage is not tolerable to you, but to many others it isn't a problem. For instance, I bet that if you asked Zeehag (a frequent contributor here on CF, and who lived aboard in SD for years) you would find that she tolerated it quite well.

I think that you are incorrect in your judgement about what must be done.

Cheers,

Jim

I am in San Diego Bay with no problems. We flush both heads well. We also have the holding tanks pumped every other week. We made sure all lines, intake and discharge, where in good shape so we did not have problems with them.

[Lagoon4us]

Totally agree it's only when you leave saltwater in the bowl or tank untreated, if you are leaving the boat awhile simply put some chlorine (as Jim Cate pointed out) into the system so the residue in your holding tank is sterilised and some eucalyptus oil in the bowl flushing it through then a couple more drops and leave alone.

When you come back to your boat it will be sweet it really is as simple as that. Seawater is full of life when that life dies it smells of death = foul!

[zeehag]

since 1990, when i firstmoved on board boats, i have used sea water heads. is not a problem when they ar e used constantly. they smell like rotting eggies when not used for a few days.

they NEED thorough flushing of sea water thru them to continue smelling sea water fresh and without problems.

boats and men rot in port. rot stinks.