The dreaded holding tank odor!

[peghall]

And for odors inside the tank, I used the Head Mistress's recommendation to add Downy (right product, Ms. P?) fabric softener.

I have NEVER recommended using Downy or any other fabric softener in the holding tank or anywhere else in a sanitation system and I don't know of anyone else in the industry who does. You must have gotten that from someone else who was active in a thread in which I was also active.


That said...I've never heard of it doing any harm to the tank or plumbing, but I don't know how much if any good it does either...so I'm gonna fall back on, "it's your boat...whatever makes you happy is ok with me." Just please don't interpret that as "recommending" it.


--Peggie



--Peggie

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by Navillus_83

As for the suggestion of vent filters, I would rather try to see if I can solve the odor problem rather than just use filters to absorb it.

Unless you already know that you don't have them, I'd guess filters were installed at the factory when the boat was built. They did that...

-Chris

[chef2sail]

Peggy gives the best advice. We’ve never had the issue of “smell” in the 23 years we’ve owned Haleakula. When I replaced hoses I made sure to use a quality hose ( Trident green stripe) . I also shortened runs of the effluent so there were no real trapping bends. Last thing I did was put a large 11/2 inch brass valve at the bottom of the tank where the effluent exits when pumped out.

http://www.dwyer-inst.com/Product/Va...CABEgJGjfD_BwE

The valve leads to the “Y” valve which then leads to the macerator and thru hull or to the deck pump out.

When not evacuating the holding tank this valve remains closed to prevent effluent in the hoses.effluent in the hoses to me is a no no.

Time to pump out....flip the valve open ....direct to proper pump out and your good to go.

Our 2 vent hoses are 1” non filtered so plenty of cross ventilation. Lastly we only use fresh water in our 30 gallon holding tank. The sink faucet has a flexible hose of 4 ft and reaches to the toilet bowl.

Proper flushing of effluent is important also. No effluent in lines is very important. We use zero chemical. Natural aerobic bacteria is what you want. The keeps the smell away. Chemicals can kill that.

[peghall]

I'm pretty sure you mistyped "brass" when you meant to say bronze.

There's an easier way to safely supply fresh water to a toilet than using a shower hose...some boat builders used to plumb their toilets this way. It provides a way to rinse sea water out of the entire system (water poured into the bowl only rinses out the toilet discharge line) or use fresh water all the time:

The toilet and head sink do have to be on the same side of the keel and the sink drain thru-hull should be below waterline:

Reroute the toilet intake line to tee it into the sink drain line below the waterline, as close to the seacock as possible Flush normally with sea water. To rinse it out of the system, close the sink drain thru-hull...fill the sink with CLEAN fresh water (never use gray water!)...flush the toilet. Because the thru-hull is closed, the toilet will pull the water out of the sink...rinsing the toilet intake line, toilet pump, channel in the rim of the bowl AND the toilet discharge line.

Even if you want to use fresh water exclusively, teeing into the line below waterline instead of higher is a good idea because you'll be able to switch to sea water if conserving your fresh water becomes necessary.

And btw...rerouting the head intake line to the sink drain line will leave you with unused thru-hull that can be repurposed to supply a washdown pump or whatever...or glassed over.

--Peggie

[doublewide]

1. Flush with gray water instead of sea water. Pour it into the hole you sit on. use a gallon.
2. pump air into the holding tank with a bait tank aerator. Constantly.
3. scrub the air exiting the vent with a homemade pvc pipe full of activated charcoal (get it at the aquarium store)
4. Toilet paper goes in the trash, in a plastic bag. Not in the head.
5. add KO if you wish; it can't hurt.
If you start with hoses that don't stink, they will stay that way. If your hoses stink, replace them.
You throw away gallons of gray water every day. Rain water, dish water, water from rinsing after a swim, washing your hands... Collect it and re-use it for flushing the head.
Too much trouble to do these things? Then your head will stink. I can't help you.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by peghall

Noflex does something more that I don't THINK Oxyclean can do: dissolve sludge and the buildup on tank walls.


--Peggie

Based on what information? Have you used Noflex personally?

I don't see any ingredients that suggest this. I'll bet dinner (figuratively) that they both get their percarbonate from Solvay and that both contain surfactants focused on cleaning. Both contain soda ash and silicate, intended to reduce lime problems by softening.

Could be, but what information, yeah or nay? Could be Zaal just saw the similarity and bought a standard Solvay blend. I tested Noflex side-by-side in heads, and it does help with odors. However, I did run the tests long enough (only a few months) to see any real difference in buildup vs. Odorlos and similar products. The were all good. The only ones with build up were those where traces of veggy oil have been added to simulate a common practice.

[Mirage35]

"I started by replacing 3 waste hoses that I determined permeate smell by using the wet paper towel trick."

Can someone tell me about the "wet paper towel trick"? I have what seems like the beginning of a musty odor in an area where a waste hose runs, and would like to diagnose and fix if necessary before it becomes a serious problem.

Thanks.

[Jahwork]

Greetings,

The “paper towel”, or really any rag will work, trick is a deeply held state secret that involves significant research, design, testing and cost to perfect. I will try to condense it into a an easy to follow set of pre-established rules and procedures.

First one must procure the above mentioned paper towel or suitable rag, preferably clean and unused.

Then one must choose some solution to moisten it. Although most any liquid would make it moist, the most usual choice is often clean fresh water. I would caution against using alcohol, that’s better for drinking, fuel, that’s better for propulsion/cooking, or really any other liquid than water.

I will let you figure out how to apply the previously chosen liquid to the dry clean rag to make it now a damp, clean rag. If you need help with that step it is beyond my skill set.

Now for the proprietary secret testing formula.........wipe the now moistened rag over the hoses, fittings, tank, area in question to be “tested”......

Finally the fun part......find someone with a good sniffer.......preferably not yourself......have them, or you, hold the “test rag” under or in close proximity to their sniffer. If what they smell reminds them of a long walk in a tulip or rose garden then you are golden. If what they smell......well.... smells like a “hit” with an S” in front of it, then you have found your source, or at least one of the sources, of the undesirable odor.

Sorry for the sarcasm....I clearly have way too much free time on my hands. You would think I don’t have any boat projects my time could be better used on.

Safe Journeys,
~Jake

[Mirage35]

Jake - lots of us have too much time on our hands right now. Your answer was informative and entertaining.

[peghall]

Hi Jake!

<LOL>!!! I love your "proprietary secret test formula"..it's very entertaining but it's hardly proprietary! It only over-complicates a very simple test that I've posted for years...even included in my books! The easy way: Wet CLEAN rags, in HOT water--as hot as you can handle. Wring out and wrap around the lowest spot on every section hose (you can omit tanks and fittings, they never permeate)--a separate rag for each. When the rags have cooled, remove and smell each one. If you can't smell anything on that rag, that section of hose hasn't permeated...if you can, it has...replacement is the only cure.

If you can smell anything on any of the rags, you need to clean your bilges--actually CLEAN 'em for a change instead of just dumping some bilge cleaner into 'em, adding water, letting it swish around for a while, then turn on the bilge pump and calling it done!

--Peggie

[Jahwork]

Hola once again,

Well I suppose you should listen to her and not me. But I must say that I cannot, and will not, invite Peg Hall to be part of my start up consulting firm, and certainly she will not be in the running for the position of chief marketing strategist and Ponzi scheme coordinator in my new venture. She clearly doesn’t know how to bait and switch the perspective customer as she went ahead and gave you the best answer first, without any hesitation. I, on the other hand, gave you sub par advice with the hope of you coming back for follow up advice. This would then allow me to charge you my usual consultation fee of $250 for a one time visit. So.... the way I see it Peg owes me $250 since she went ahead and messed up my whole business model! Peg, feel free to PM me for the PayPal address to send the money.

See.....I told you I have way too much free time on my hands.

Joking aside, she has much more knowledge and experience in this subject matter than do I, and probably anyone else walking or sailing upon the big round ball we all occupy, so go with her suggestion.

But please don’t share her suggestions with anyone else so that I can hold out hope of my business flourishing someday soon! ;-)

Good luck and let us know what you smell......Er I mean find out.

Safe Journeys,
~Jake

[peghall]

If people will actually pay you $250 to give bad advice, I'm definitely doing it wrong, 'cuz I'm giving good advice for free! So maybe we should talk!

Luv ya, Jake!

--Peggie

[CarlF]

Another NoFlex convert (from Odorlos)

In three years with NoFlex we've not had a single whiff of sewage smell from the tank - except when my wife smelled it from a boat three slips away.

After dealing with this problem on-and-off for almost 40 years of cruising - it's been amazing.

[George_SD]

An off the wall suggestion, but it could be worth a try - check your batteries and see if they are leaking/boiling over.

I've been dealing with a similar smell in the cabin and even cockpit, but it got much better after replacing a house battery that leaked some acid due to overcharge, overheated and was releasing gas.