Head is Stinky LOL

[Tori]

Dint know where to put this but we are new liveaboards on a 26 foot sail boat. The boat is equipped with an RV port a portable toilet equipped for pumpout at the dock. Yes I know heads aren't pleasant but we only pee in it and it has been pumped out already once but it absolutely reeks! I dont mind if it stinks just in the head but don't want the entire cabin to smell well like a head....
What would be the best chemicals etc.to help with this? I know it will have odor but right now it us pretty bad we used rv chemicals this time....
Hints?

[MarkJ]

I think you might find a new one is much cheaper than you expect.


Smells can permiate plastic, it seams, so maybe it will solve the immediate problem and you can keep your new one cleaner than the old owner

[Tori]

Well until we filled it with chemicals and used it there was no odor at all. It was only used as a liveaboard two months out of the year for the last 6 years and this potty is roe years old. The very first owner raced her on the great lakes and never lived aboard.

[Tiki 38']

Mine stinks if we leave salt water in while we're away for the working week. If we put fresh water in it, it stays sweet.

[peghall]

Rinse it out VERY thoroughly, then start using a product called Odorlos (available from RV supply stores for a LOT less than marine stores) ACCORDING TO DIRECTIONS...which will prob'ly require adding more every 3-5 days. When used as directed, it does work. And it's very "green." You can get it online if there are no RV stores nearby.

All tanks, even MSD portapotties, require SOME maintenance other than just dumping a chemical in and holding your nose...it's minimal. And if you do it, you won't have ANY odor. Make sure your tank vent line stays open...backflush it with a hose every time you wash the boat and/or pumpout. Rinse out the tank every time you pump out...either with a hose or just pour a bucket of water into it during pumpout. That's it.

As you've already discovered, urine alone can stink just as much as solid waste...so there's no reason to avoid putting solid waste into it...simply add some water to the bowl ahead of use...use a cup if necessary.

[Cormorant]

Peg -- do you know how Odorlos would interact with Raritan's CP? I think they both have bacteria or bacterial feed -- but CP also has cleaning agents? . . . We like CP for cleaning our head, but would gladly add a bit of Odorlos to keep tank and hose odors down.

[ADMPRTR]

Originally Posted by Tori

Dint know where to put this but we are new liveaboards on a 26 foot sail boat. The boat is equipped with an RV port a portable toilet equipped for pumpout at the dock.

We had a similar configuration. It always stank, especially when being pumped out. The best chemical that I found was some noxious stuff sold by the port-a-potty manufaturer, Thretford, but I felt uncomfortable with the chemicals that were were adding.

The best "non-toxic" product was RVM, later renamed Mr.Green which contains an enzyme to break down the waste. It still stunk but there was a noticable improvement over doing nothing and various other products that we had tried.

MrGreen RVM RV & Marine Holding Tank Treatment 33.81 oz

[peghall]

Odorlos and CP get along just fine. CP is a bio-enzymatic cleaner (which, btw is also the best sump and drain cleaner on the planet...it not only destroys odor on contact, but also "eats" hair, soap scum, grease, body oils etc)...the active ingredient in Odorlos is sodium nitrate, which promotes oxygen release from the waste itself...helping to create the aerobic environment necessary to prevent odors.

Enzyme tank products don't work all that well because they exhaust themselves so quickly. You'd almost have to add to every flush to eliminate odor completely using enzymes. The cheaper ones are even less effective because they contain fewer enzymes.

[Tori]

Head pumped and rinsed and Joe put some different chemical in it and seems better. I am going to try odorlos next....

[svtadpole]

If you don't poop in the head on board ... where do you poop & why don't you pee there also ?

It is also true that whilst pooping over the side would be frowned upon ... peeing in a pottie or bottle & decanting it over the side is so commonly used that it hardly raises an eyebrow ....

I would get rid of the portapotty & install a proper marine head with a correctly vented holding tank .... not horrendously expensive as a DIY project ...

[zeehag]

odorloss.. you will love it.

[rebel heart]

We have a composting head. Best smelling boat in the harbor.

[Tori]

We have bathrooms at the marina up the dock so we poop there
We pee in the head though and have considered both a regular marine head and a composting toilet just money is an issue at the moment so we are making the best of what we have

[Doodles]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

We have a composting head. Best smelling boat in the harbor.

Same here. If you are living at a marina and just peeing on board there shouldn't be much odor. When we are at the marina we just pee on the boat and use the bathhouse for the rest. On our composting toilet the pee container is sufficient for a couple days then it gets dumped over the side. We also use to just use a plain bucket the same way. This seems so much simpler if you are just peeing.

[Tynesider]

Originally Posted by Tori

Dint know where to put this but we are new liveaboards on a 26 foot sail boat. The boat is equipped with an RV port a portable toilet equipped for pumpout at the dock. Yes I know heads aren't pleasant but we only pee in it and it has been pumped out already once but it absolutely reeks! I dont mind if it stinks just in the head but don't want the entire cabin to smell well like a head....
What would be the best chemicals etc.to help with this? I know it will have odor but right now it us pretty bad we used rv chemicals this time....
Hints?

What you do not say is do you have the correct 'white' Hygenic pipework for your heads system, not standard rubber pipework and is it vented.

Also I would never recommend putting any chemicals down the looe other than washing up liquid or vinegar to help lubricate and clean the system operating valves.

Also you would be surprises just how many people only give it one or two pumps to empty it, we recommend six to clean it through.

Agree with others, replace you existing system, here in the UK we can buy a basic sea water looe for under £100 plus pipework and they are easily fitted.