Holding tank stink spreading

[flightlead404]

Go overboard as much as possible. I (male) pee overboard pretty much everywhere although in a busy marina in daylight I'm discreet or use the on shore head. I #2 over the swim platform and use water clean up while en route. I don't do that in an anchorage/marina ofc. Wife does #1 and #2 over the swim step.



Reduces our pump outs a fair bit.

[alctel]

Just repeating what others said.

Rip out the old hoses and then either:

- Buy Peggy's book and follow that

Or

- Install a composter

[Icarus]

Originally Posted by dr.j.levy

Hi all,



Just bought a boat that came with a 15 year old 130 litter holding tank. Sanitary plumbing never changed. It stinks It is located aft, but now the stink is spreading to the cabin. I need a plan, otherwise my wife will divorce me



Plan 1: Load it up with chlorine or bleach (I mean the full 130 litters), leave it there for a few days. Pump it out at the marine.



Plan 2: Do plan 1 and replace the sanitary plumbing pipes.



Plan 3: If plan 1 and 2 make no sense, take the deep dive into changing the entire system. Something very dirty and stinky which will take a few years off my life



Would value any suggestions, or other ideas.



Thanks in advance,



Cheers

Joel

I say all of the above...certainly clean out the tank and replace all the hoses as none of them will be odour proof.

[Coltrek]

Originally Posted by peghall

Unless a holding tank is leaking, it's rarely if ever the source of odor INSIDE a boat. If the source is permeated hoses, no amount of cleaning the tank, no tank product, NOTHING short of replacing ALL of the hoses including the vent line will eliminate or even reduce the odor.

So forget any of Plans 1, 2 or 3 except "replace the hoses." And once you've done that, there will still be residual odor left in every part of the boat the hoses have passed through--and maybe even soft goods (cushions, any carpet or rugs) too. There are products that can take care of that...but first things first.

Sanitation hoses are one thing on a boat that you do NOT want to buy cheap if you only want to do this job once. But it doesn't have to be the most expensive either. Raritan SaniFlex hose is top rated, even has a 10 yr warranty against odor permeation and has the added advantage of being so flexible it can be bent almost as tight as a hair pin without kinking, which makes most hose replacement jobs a LOT easier. Don't be spooked by the list price... Defender has it for about $10/ft and--unlike most retailers--sells it by the foot, so you only have to buy as much as you need Raritan Sani / Flex Sanitation Hose at Defender.

Chances are there will be better ways to route your new hoses and I'll be glad to help you one-on-one to sort out the best and easiest way to do this job if you'd like to send me a PM.


--Peggie

I guess this is directed towards Peggy, regarding the hose type - I have some stinky hoses that are the Saniflex. So, I am thinking of a couple experiments, and wonder what the consensus would be. One would be replacing most of it with hard household PVC, which doesn't seem to permeate, (except the ends, where there is flex) and another is to try Silicone hose. I use Silicone for some thru hull applications where I have to remove occasionally, as they are easily removed. But I wonder what the (Odor) permeability of Silicone is.

[peghall]

I strongly suspect that your hose is actually Trident SaniShield... 'Cuz while I have occasionally seen other reports of odor permeation failure with it, yours would be the first SaniFlex failure since Raritan introduced it 15 years ago. They even increased their warranty against it from 5 years to 10 a year or so ago.

So before discussing alternatives to SaniFlex, let's positively identify the hose you need to replace. There'll be writing on it every few feet that identifies it.

--Peggie

[AJAL]

GREAT book. Purchased, read throughout and several times the relevant chapters to me. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with all of us. One item - filters. Previous owner put a carbon one in. Thinking of getting rid of it (?)

[peghall]

Get rid of it!

I wish I could have invented a product that actually helps to create the very problem it’s sold to solve, because that’s what a vent line filter does. Filters do trap the gasses which try to escape through the vent line, but they impede the free exchange of air needed to prevent odor from forming in the first place, eliminating the need for a filter! What’s more, they only last about a year, are toast immediately if they get wet--which makes it impossible to backflush the vent line to prevent blockages--and ridiculously expensive. So install a vent line filter only as a last resort, because gasses that can’t easily pass through the vent line will go wherever they can-into hoses, eventually permeating even the best ones.


--Peggie

[Coltrek]

Follow up, You were correct Peggy, My hose is Shields Series 148, not the Saniflex. As soon as I get the correct measurement, I will be ordering the Saniflex.

[SV Confianza]

We thought we had the perfect system with all new Saniflex (miles of it on a catamaran...) and new Raritan Marine Elegance toilets with macerators. (I even wrote a whole post about it since I was so proud of myself). However, the stink returned!

It took me a couple of months to figure out what was going on. And I found that ALL 3 of my jabsco y valves in the system had very slow leaks. I tried getting new seals, but it didn't help. Seems these beefy hoses put too much pressure on the y valves, and they just don't seal properly anymore.

I was thinking of using some additional mounting brackets to put the hoses in a better position, but I decided to just go big with Groco/Apollo bronze y valves and hose adapters. So far so good.

I haven't seen anyone else post about this issue, so hope this helps someone.

Also, thanks to Peggy and Practical Sailor for doing so much to keep the smells out of our boats...

[JPA Cate]

Also, thanks to Peggy and Practical Sailor for doing so much to keep the smells out of our boats...

Oh, yeah.

Actually those plastic Y valves freeze up and don't work very fast in regular uses. Giant ball valves work better. But I think going bronze will be a longer lasting solution, so good you. And, thanks for letting everyone know, as well.

Ann

[Coltrek]

I know some who have substituted PVC Pipe for sections where there no flexing, this seems like it would be a lot cheaper. I don't believe stink leaches through PVC, I don't think it would be so prevalent in housed if it did.

[mcon12000]

Originally Posted by BistroMath

We thought we had the perfect system with all new Saniflex (miles of it on a catamaran...) and new Raritan Marine Elegance toilets with macerators. (I even wrote a whole post about it since I was so proud of myself). However, the stink returned!

It took me a couple of months to figure out what was going on. And I found that ALL 3 of my jabsco y valves in the system had very slow leaks. I tried getting new seals, but it didn't help. Seems these beefy hoses put too much pressure on the y valves, and they just don't seal properly anymore.

I was thinking of using some additional mounting brackets to put the hoses in a better position, but I decided to just go big with Groco/Apollo bronze y valves and hose adapters. So far so good.

I haven't seen anyone else post about this issue, so hope this helps someone.

Also, thanks to Peggy and Practical Sailor for doing so much to keep the smells out of our boats...

I tell everyone to replace those every few years or at least pull them, disassemble, clean and replace if there’s any odor.

I think I’ll do what you have done soon.

[gonesail]

pee bottle. dump overboard. no problem.

[Rumrace]

Could be a perforated hose, a plugged vent, or lack of consistent treatment. At any rate you can flush the tank or most of them but from there on replace all the sewage pipe with flexible Sewage hose UL CE approved to use below the waterline

[Tillikum]

Get a few gallons of Benefect, put in a pump sprayer and go to town. It won't hurt any surfaces, even upholstery and kills mold and bacteria dead. Active ingredient is Thymol IRRC. Spray on and wipe down, or just let dry for best killing action. Said to be as powerful as bleach. Canadian product BTW. Use in tanks and pipes too if desired, full strength or diluted. Won't brighten your laundry, but if the jug leaks or breaks at sea you won't have to live on deck for a week either!