Sailboat smells

[Panonian Sailor]

Originally Posted by Panonian Sailor

Ozone generator works, just never mix bleach and vinegar

Correction, rinse one well before using the other one

[Kevin84]

Distilled white vinegar. Works wonders on my boat, even with a composting head.

[colemj]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

in the land of foiling tractors

OK, I gotta bite. Are these the next America's Cup boats if NZ wins? Do they ride above the ground on plowshares? Will we be seeing Prada "Bandag" hats on the drivers?

Never heard of them and too lazy to google...

Mark

[colemj]

I just googled wet and forget (but will not google foiling tractors - I'm too afraid).

From the same company you also can get:

"Ants in Ya Pants"
"Waspinator"
"Wheelie Bin Wash"
"War Paint"
"Bugger Off"
"Hit Man"
"Hit the Decks"
"Shower Witch"
and "Miss Muffet's Revenge"

I want to buy them just to have things with those names on board!

Mark

[Liam Wald]

Originally Posted by Panonian Sailor

Ozone generator works, just never mix bleach and vinegar

Ozone causes fiberglass to de-laminate!

[colemj]

Originally Posted by Liam Wald

Ozone causes fiberglass to de-laminate!

Uhh, can you back that up with some evidence or data? I won't dismiss this, but as a chemist I don't have any plausible mechanism for that.

Mark

[Panonian Sailor]

Vinegar is acetic acid, when acid is mixed with chlorine it creates a master gas used as a chemical weapon in WWI

[boatman61]

I do a 50/50 mix for topside... shifts those annoying rust spots on GRP you get on long crossings a treat... but work upwind... it truly makes your eyes water...

Originally Posted by Panonian Sailor

Vinegar is acetic acid, when acid is mixed with chlorine it creates a master gas used as a chemical weapon in WWI

[colemj]

Also do not mix bleach and ammonia - even worse toxic effects than with vinegar.

Mark

[lifeofreilly57]

Both actually produce chlorine gas as will pvc when broken down, as in when you burn it or heat it too much. I've worked in the plastics industry and you really don't want to be around when PVC gets too hot.
Burns the lungs and moist tissue like nothing you've ever experienced.
As for ozone, I do know it's the worst enemy of rubber tires when storing for long periods, don't know about fiberglass though. Anyone who's had a collector car or motorcycle long term would have experienced that.

[Mike Vogdes]

Originally Posted by Kevin84

Distilled white vinegar. Works wonders on my boat, even with a composting head.

So what are you saying?
I was under the impression composting heads were pretty much odorless, no?

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Panonian Sailor

Vinegar is acetic acid, when acid is mixed with chlorine it creates a master gas used as a chemical weapon in WWI

Actually. chlorine gas is released, which is different from mustard gas. Still mixing vinegar and bleach is, well, stupid. The other well known no-no is mixing bleach with ammonia, which makes chloramine gas. Just about as bad. There are reasons why people do this in industry, but most of them don't make any sense on a boat, and certainly not without understanding what is going on.

I've been doing some tests for an upcoming article. A few surprises:

• Vinegar makes the mold grow faster than the control in some cases (fabric). Lots faster. Cheap for cleaning, but irrational for mildew control since mold likes both vinegar and acid residues. It depends on how much moisture is present; if it's relatively dry it helps, if more damp it's a disaster. If folks actually did side-by-side comparisons they would learn there are more dependable products. But it is cheap. It is also a religion.
• Home remedies can work. You can do a lot of good with washing soda, TSP, baking soda, and borax if you get the ratios and concentrations right. None of these are mold food.
• Natural oil gels. Barely effective. If the level is high enough to kill anything the stench is reasonably unbearable. Perhaps they make the boat smell better until they run out. So does Renuzit.

IMHO, dry is the real answer.

[boatman61]

Worked for various industries using a variety of chemicals so I am aware of health hazards, that's why I said topside and upwind...
But a lot of things in the marine world are harmful in various levels... even the boat you live in...

[lifeofreilly57]

One good use for vinegar is removing mineral deposits in heat exchangers, it also works well in trying to remove internal mineral deposits in outboards if they are run in salt water (most of us?).
Traditionally muriatic acid is used to remove mineral deposits in heat exchangers if the matetials they're made of are robust enough (copper, bronze) but along with that comes the issue of disposing of the old acid and the fact that you really wouldn't want to run it through a whole system. It's only good if the heat exchanger is removed and dipped separately.
White vinegar can be run into the raw water side of your heat exahcanger through the raw water intake hose, let sit for 45 minutes or so then flushed with plenty of clean water to help keep mineral buildup in check, the same for an out board if you can flush it. Although it's not as effective as muriatic acid it is a much milder way to do it.
IT will also help reduce mineral buildup on heads using salt water flush, much milder than many of the commercial products, not sure what it does to the balance in the holding tank though, I usually do it with an overboard flush with no waste product in the system at the time.
SO, not so good for mold but good for other things.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by Normanby

I've had great success with clove oil.

On my new/old boat I had mutant mould of epic proportions. Scrubbed everywhere (often hanging upside down) with 20% bleach.
But after that I put a teaspoon of clove oil in a water-filled spray bottle and sprayed this mist everywhere, especially inside lockers. What happens is that because the clove oil is an oil, the water evaporates off but the oil residue stays, at a microscopic level. This clove oil barrier kills mould and prevents its return, even in areas you can't reach. Even on carpet.
My boat smells like...nothing, just a hint of clove scent, which is nice.

I have an "open to air" shower sump. I have clove oil mixed with water. I spray the grating down and a couple of squirts in the sump. Seems to do the trick.

Originally Posted by colemj

Are these the next America's Cup boats if NZ wins?
Mark

Not if...but when.

Originally Posted by Liam Wald

Ozone causes fiberglass to de-laminate!

I would also like to see evidence of that. It is basically O3 that breaks down creating one radical molecule acting as a sterilizer. Please tell me how that react with something as inert as cured f/g.