When I worked in marine retail, (short lived career move), I had a customer who would come in and ask a million questions on "how to" and "what's best". Would take up to about 45 mins of my attention, giving him tried and true answers, and for those questions I could not answer I called my boss over. Slowly the boss got busy every time the customer walked into the store. After a while, I got fed up with "but I read on line" and "I've heard" and he had all the answers but still came in for that 10 cent screw or 5 cent washer. He just didn't want to learn, just talk and went about doing a lot of work, very much the wrong way. Eventually he stopped coming. Two years later he sold the boat. Became too much for him. Guess who bought it for 5 cents on the dollar and had to redo all the work he declared was done using all very expensive and done wrong methods. My advice is listen to those who have gone before you, learn from them, take their sound advice, measure it well and apply! Just saying.
Venting 3 compartments at once
- Thread starter Ted10028
- Start date
Certainly but in this case, everyone is giving you the same answer.
Very apples to oranges comparison. Ask the same yard what they'll charge to (properly) install effective ventilation, including over-drilling the hole for the fan, epoxy sealing the core, bedding the fan so it doesn't leak, running wiring, fusing, and all the unexpected complications that will go along with those steps.
Or manage the smells at the sources.
building codes on land require a fan in a bathroom. On a boat it is even more necessary though not a requirement. The simplest solution for me is a two or 3 inch computer fan blowing air from the battery & holding tank compartments into the bathroom and then out the open hatch in the bathroom. $10-15.
how on earth do you manage the smell at the source when it is a human being in your bathroom??
Boats are not houses. Similar to your question about managing the "black stuff" in your bilges and lockers - boats are made with fiberglass and gelcoat, which is very different from a wood and drywall house. House bathroom fans aren't required for smells, they're required to vent moisture before it causes mold in surfaces like painted drywall. Boats are inherently moist environments and designed to handle that. There's a reason every boat you see, even high end boats, aren't finished the way houses are.
I like “duct tape” sometimes too sometimes but have to ask - how much volume do you expect to effect a reasonable exchange rate from a $10 muffin fan pushing air through 2 closed compartments and then through a bathroom area exiting out a vent of limited size? And for extra credit, what would be the CFM rating for an effective fan?
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The boat guy said it would take him two days to change the sanitation hoses on my Catalina 320. starting with taking the table off so he'd have access to the area.
boats are inherently moist in are designed to handle it????
Marine Mold and Mildew Control: Guide for a Mold-Free Boat
www.partsvu.com/blog/marine-mold-and-mildew...
Damp air becomes trapped without proper ventilation, increasing the likelihood of mold and mildew growth. Lack of air circulation is especially problematic in areas with limited access to fresh air, such as closed compartments and storage spaces.
But none of the places you're trying to ventilate (the head, the battery compartment, or the black water holding tank area) are upholstered. Two of those three don't have any significant sources of moisture. And your original concern in the thread was not mold or mildew but just odors and battery off-gassing. Think about the problems you're trying to solve, and how they're effectively managed on other boats, not houses.
I'm just trying to suggest things that would help based on my experience and what I've read from authoritative sources. Your boat, your choice though.
If you take a different approach and it works out great report back so we can all learn new strategies.
Humidity tends to equalize throughout the boat. I have some black discoloration throughout the boat. I was running some wiring the other day, opened up the floor past the bilge opening, and sure enough it was there too. I put in a Marinco solar vent too. Maybe when I get it working that will be sufficient to totally change the air quality in the boat. People make stinks in houses and on boats too. Thanks will let you know how it turns out.But none of the places you're trying to ventilate (the head, the battery compartment, or the black water holding tank area) are upholstered. Two of those three don't have any significant sources of moisture. And your original concern in the thread was not mold or mildew but just odors and battery off-gassing. Think about the problems you're trying to solve, and how they're effectively managed on other boats, not houses.
I'm just trying to suggest things that would help based on my experience and what I've read from authoritative sources. Your boat, your choice though.
perhaps you are right. I just saw an article on the web which said five hours at $100 an hour. My boat is in the water though.
Depending on location, shop prices of $100-$150 per hour is about right. That's why many of us have read and learned how to maintain boats on our own. Whether the boat is in the water or not should make not difference when changing sanitation hoses, in fact it is probably easier to change them when the boat is in the water because it is not necessary to climb a ladder to get on the boat.
It is quite apparent that you have very little knowledge about sailboats and their maintenance. You would be much better off listening to the advice and counsel you are being given than arguing and trying to convince a bunch of experienced knowledgeable sailors that we don't know what we're talking about. If you don't you may find boat ownership is about as much fun as a root canal and in two years your boat selling far below market value because of your "better ideas." Your boat, your time, your money.
The advice is thoughtful but often not consistent so almost impossible to follow. One guy said simple wrap the hose in tape to solve the problem easily. See what I mean?
Not sure which guy said that, but I don’t think you would get that advice here on SBO.
Peggy is the resident expert, but many of us have been working with our boats for a while now, and have learned a few things.
I find it better to try and break the issues down to their core issues…in your case:
1) Battery venting - probably not necessary as long as the battery compartment has a vent.
2) Holding tank odors - replace the hoses (or some of the hoses if can’t afford to replace the all). You may not resolve the issue though if you don’t replace them all. Also, read Peggie’s book on head odors to understand air flow, etc.m using fresh water for the final flush of the day to get the discharge hose free of the organisms in salt water may help (I do this on my boat and I am in fresh water.
3) Head odors (I assume you mean the bathroom) - Reread Peggie’s book…figure out the source, and eliminate if you can. Then keep a hatch open when on the boat, use a fan to circulate air, burn some incense or a candle now and then, get some Renuzit bathroom spray
.A closed up boat will get some odors, especially if it has a wet and dirty bilge. Do your best to keep her dry, and opened up as much as you can.
Greg
How many people have told you to replace the hoses to eliminate the odor? How many have told you to wrap the hose with tape? The answer to those questions will be a big clue about how to solve the odor problem.
The members of SBO are among the most knowledgeable recreational sailor and among the major sailing forums, they are the most helpful and giving of their time and knowledge. I know this because I monitor the other forums and a number of moderators from the other forums are active and helpful members on SBO. The advice you have been given here has been very consistent and often not the advice you want to hear, that's unfortunate, however that's the reality. The bottom line, your batteries are probably past due for replacement, the charger needs to be replaced, the sanitation hoses need to be replaced and adding a 3 or 4" inline ventilation fan to remove odor is basically a dumb idea because it won't solve the problems you have.
Owning and maintaining a larger sailboat with multiple systems is expensive. There's no way around it. Essentially you have three choices, pay a lot of money to have someone else maintain it, learn to maintain it yourself, or just let it go and become worthless and unsafe. The choice is yours. As a boat owner you have a responsibility to know your boat systems and have an understanding of how they work. If you don't take the time read and learn you will be ripped off by unscrupulous boat yards or you will spend your time and money chasing after fool ideas like wrapping the hoses in tape to stop odor. Your boat Your choice.
That must be a quote for yard labor at about $135./hour or more. DIY, and save the money. Hoses over about twenty years old need to be replaced. It is not fun, but seems to be within the "skill set" of most of us amateurs. I replaced all of our hoses, and have not (!) had any HT odor in our boat in 15 years. Not as in "none"....
Also, re-read replies # 37 and 38. Memorize them.
