Those Smells......

[CalebD]

Try Raritan 'K O' - kills odors. It is bacterial rather then harsh chemical. Wipe down your cupboards with it and let dry. Then try your ammonia.
Pour some in the bilges.
Its not going to fix stinky hoses or tank though.
Good luck

[maxcpt]

We are in the process of elimating a few possibilities. Have cleaned out the bilges - completely. Have wiped out with vinegar (very effective) all the cupboards in the head. The last that needs to be done is to flush out the holding tanks. The piping that is used at the moment is the white hoses - smooth on the inside, ridges on the outside. These seems to all be in very good condition. We need to check if there is a possible leak in one of the hoses. Great info from all - Thanks

[Gilbo]

Even if the pipes look good they might still be stinky due to the fact that they are partially permiable ie the stuff that goes through them gets absorbed into them in small amounts, depending on usage and age they may need to be replaced even if they still look good with no cracks or leaks.

[fishwife]

Could there be a possibility that you have a dead rodent somewhere? A single mouse or rat may have found it's way on and died some place inaccessible!

Paige

[bbyrd]

Regarding PVC - It's considered a no-no by the surveyors. The connections will eventually leak due to the vibrations inherent in a boat. At least that's what they say.
I had PVC in my head plumbing. It never leaked but it definitely is permeable. The smell will eventually come through. Not sure how long it takes but it does. It was on my boat God knows how long before I bought it.
I'd recommend sanitation quality flexible hoses. I did it and the smell went away.

[S&S]

Originally Posted by bbyrd

Regarding PVC - It's considered a no-no by the surveyors. The connections will eventually leak due to the vibrations inherent in a boat. At least that's what they say.
I had PVC in my head plumbing. It never leaked but it definitely is permeable. The smell will eventually come through. Not sure how long it takes but it does. It was on my boat God knows how long before I bought it.
I'd recommend sanitation quality flexible hoses. I did it and the smell went away.

Never had any issue with any surveys with our set up. And believe me, insurance surveys on a 45 year old boat are thorough. Properly suppoeted, it should have about the same chance at leaking as a hose chafing through- probably less.

The trick to any system is to have no low points in the line where sewage can collect.

[bbyrd]

Yeah, I didn't have any problem with the PVC connections leaking. It was pretty solid. Been there no telling how long.
PVC is definitely permeable though. Don't know how long it takes to permeate, (as I said, I'm not sure how long the PVC pipes had been in - maybe 7-10 years), but those PVC pipes stunk to high heaven!
Just touching one with your finger transferred an awful smell.
High quality sanitation hoses, replaced every 5 years or so, depending on your use, is the way to go I think.
My smell problems are over.