Stinky head no more

[thinwater]

I can't see myself asking guests to pull the screen out and replace it each time. Me either. Not happening.



Even easier, and this one is effectively free. And yes, the full description is in the post.

Basically, instead of dumping head treatment chemical in the head each time you pump out, keep a spray bottle of the treatment in the head (diluted) and give it is spray before you leave the boat and any time you feel like it. It also cleans the bowl, instead of just making it smell nice. Camco Ultra Citrus is good, as is Forespar Refresh. The trick is the chemical needs to be pleasant smelling, mild, and ALSO an effective bio-augmenting treatment. PS did several studies on that.



Sail Delmarva: Something Lazy, Something Free

[Valmika]

I like the idea of a diluted spray in a bottle. What I usually do is do one fresh water flush at the end of each day on each head. I use the faucet/ shower head for this but you could use a bucket. I try to get enough in to fill hoses. At the end of a week or so I flush the tanks with fresh water and deodorizer by putting about 2 gallons in the tank and going sailing. (shaken not stirred) Empty the tank when finished. That is for charters but for myself not quite so often. I do carry 120 gallons of FW though.

[Stu Jackson]

Head Pumps 101 Why just pouring water into the bowl is NOT a good idea Head Sea Water Shutoff Valve & Antisiphon question

[john61ct]

Originally Posted by SV Sailfish

Say, did you ever find your dream boat?

Yes, I've checked out quite a few, several candidates did fit my criteria, but for various reasons (both family obligations and financial limitations), probably means I won't actually close on one for a few more years.

Unless an irresistible bargain pops up, but my current landlord won't let me park it on the property, so would need to move house if I did that, wouldn't want to try to live in the boat while working on it.

I am acquiring a lot of knowledge in the meantime and also ancillary gear as I go,

including a fine 37' aluminium trailer rated for 13000#,

getting quite a bit of solar and DC electrics install work as a side gig,

and yes doing my best to pay things forward for this blessed community.

Thanks for asking!

[Windcall]

I have no sense of smell (I would love to be able to smell a stinky head) But Captian Mary does, In DIY Sailors, mentioned using Calgon water softener, it lubes the works and the Captian, hasn't complained.

[alctel]

Using a composting head fixes the smell issue as well...

[wcapman]

Hose permeation is an issue for odors. The small gas molecules can eventually pass right on through a hose. A few years ago I wrapped my hoses with heavy aluminum foil HVAC tape. It has a sticky back and wraps the hoses securely. I left about a 1/2" overlap on the wraps so there would be no gaps. It may not be permanent but it has certainly extended the life of the hoses. In areas where the hose is visible, like behind the head, I over-wrapped the aluminum tape with white duct tape. Looks better that way. Odors are far less likely to penetrate metal than rubber.

[geoff3nebel]

This may sound complicated, but it isn't:
Assuming the inlet pipe is 3/4 inch you'll need a 3/4" or 22mm ball valve, a couple of T joints - 3/4" and 1/2" - a few stainless jubilee clips, a short length of 3/4" pipe and a reducing 3/4" to 1/2" pipe join.
Cut into the existing flexible inlet seawater flushing hose close to the 3/4 inch inlet valve leaving both ends connected to valve and bowl, fit a T joint in it to give a straight run. Fit a short length of pipe just long enough to allow you to fit the new the ball valve to the right angle of the T. Fit the valve and run a pipe from this valve to a T that you cut into your fresh cold water pipe supplying the wash basin/shower. I assume your fresh water supply is 1/2 inch pipe so you'll need a reducing adaptor.
After seawater flushing the lav, close the seawater inlet valve, open the freshwater valve and pump and purge the pipe to rinse the bowl with fresh water. Then close the freshwater valve. Leave the seawater inlet closed too as the system is now 'filled and fresh'.
Next time you use the lav, remember to open the seawater inlet to flush, then repeat the freshwater purge.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by geoff3nebel

This may sound complicated, but it isn't:
Assuming the inlet pipe is 3/4 inch you'll need a 3/4" or 22mm ball valve, a couple of T joints - 3/4" and 1/2" - a few stainless jubilee clips, a short length of 3/4" pipe and a reducing 3/4" to 1/2" pipe join.
Cut into the existing flexible inlet seawater flushing hose close to the 3/4 inch inlet valve leaving both ends connected to valve and bowl, fit a T joint in it to give a straight run. Fit a short length of pipe just long enough to allow you to fit the new the ball valve to the right angle of the T. Fit the valve and run a pipe from this valve to a T that you cut into your fresh cold water pipe supplying the wash basin/shower. I assume your fresh water supply is 1/2 inch pipe so you'll need a reducing adaptor.
After seawater flushing the lav, close the seawater inlet valve, open the freshwater valve and pump and purge the pipe to rinse the bowl with fresh water. Then close the freshwater valve. Leave the seawater inlet closed too as the system is now 'filled and fresh'.
Next time you use the lav, remember to open the seawater inlet to flush, then repeat the freshwater purge.

complicated. The two best options imo are either convert to straight freshwater flush or convert to composting head and eliminate the hose and tank issues for ever. ( gaining storage space in the bargain.)

[Rol1964]

In the airplanes that I fly, the F/A’s open a new bag of coffee grinds and dump it in. Works very well to get rid of lav odour.
FWIW.....
cheers

[leftbrainstuff]

A clean odor free head is simple to manage. Never use bleach or any industrial chemicals that kill the good bugs.

First use good triple layer epdm sanitation hose. Not that cheap soft pvc junk hose.

Second a splash of vinegar every few days overnight gets rid of any calcium buildup. We also occasionally use an eco friendly cheap rv biocide to keep the bug balance healthy.

Thirdly good ventilation in the black water tank lets the second set of bugs do their thing converting the foul smelling H2S.

We use sea water flush in our 30+ yr old Raritans and have no problems. And we live aboard full time.

We also flush with clean water and propylene glycol (not ethylene glycol) when we are off the boat. This eliminates coming back to a foul smelling boat.

The key to managing odors is to let the two sets of bugs do their work decomposing your black water. The first set of bugs are anaerobic and the second set is aerobic. They need air to convert the H2S to odorless by products.

[leftbrainstuff]

Originally Posted by Rol1964

In the airplanes that I fly, the F/A’s open a new bag of coffee grinds and dump it in. Works very well to get rid of lav odour.
FWIW.....
cheers

That's needed because your sanitation contractor either isn't back flushing or skimping on their cleaning products.

[peghall]

...and run a pipe from this valve to a T that you cut into your fresh cold water pipe supplying the wash basin/shower.

Don't even think of doing that unless you're willing to risk sea water contaminating your fresh water!

The safe--and whole bunch simpler--way: reroute your toilet intake line to tee into the head sink DRAIN line. To be able to continue flushing with sea water, the tee needs to be below the waterline as close to the thru-hull as possible. To rinse all the seawater out of the ENTIRE system--intake line, pump, channel in the rim of the bowl AND the discharge line-- just close the seacock, fill the sink with clean fresh water...flush the toilet. Because the the thru-hull is closed, it'll pull the water out of the sink. This also makes winterizing easy: with the head drain seacock closed, just pour the antifreeze down the sink.

--Peggie

[john61ct]

Wow, ever more convincing case for "composting" type heads here.