I was reading about building an air filter for the vent line on a holding tank and built one easily. Now the problem: Where can I find activated charcoal to fill it with? (There are no mobile home supply stores near me.) Or, failing that, is there any other substitute? Will regular charcoal work at all? Anything else?
activated charcoal
- Thread starter John R
- Start date
why do you need a filter of activated charcoal??? all you need is a screen to keep the spiders and bugs from getting in a plugging it up.
using activated charcoal WILL reduce the odors for a couple days (but NOT eliminate them), until the charcoal becomes saturated with the odor itself, then you will need to change the filter again... part of the minor success with this type of "cure" is because it restricts the vent line... you can do that cheaper and easier with a PLUG..... a plugged up vent line emits no odors
what you actually need is a more thorough venting system, and installing an actual filter is only reducing what you already have and will only make it worse in the long run....
if you get the book "Get Rid of Boat Odors" about marine sanitation systems, you will find that you already have all you need to control the odors except the knowledge of how to do it... and the book will give you that.
activated charcoal and restricting the vent line is not the answer
using activated charcoal WILL reduce the odors for a couple days (but NOT eliminate them), until the charcoal becomes saturated with the odor itself, then you will need to change the filter again... part of the minor success with this type of "cure" is because it restricts the vent line... you can do that cheaper and easier with a PLUG..... a plugged up vent line emits no odors
what you actually need is a more thorough venting system, and installing an actual filter is only reducing what you already have and will only make it worse in the long run....
if you get the book "Get Rid of Boat Odors" about marine sanitation systems, you will find that you already have all you need to control the odors except the knowledge of how to do it... and the book will give you that.
activated charcoal and restricting the vent line is not the answer
That is liquid phase carbon. You would need vapor phase carbon. Tougher to get from common outlets.
More importantly, why do you want a filter on your holding tank vent? That not going to cure your odor issues. Read Peggy The head mistress' stuff. She knows her poop (sorry for the bad pun).
explanation
It's not a problem of head odor in general. It's just that when the toilet is flushed, there's an odor in the cockpit as air is pushed out the vent. So I'm trying to build a filter to filter out the smell as the air is pushed out this vent.
I didn't explain myself properly.why do you need a filter of activated charcoal??? all you need is a screen to keep the spiders and bugs from getting in a plugging it up.
using activated charcoal WILL reduce the odors for a couple days (but NOT eliminate them), until the charcoal becomes saturated with the odor itself, then you will need to change the filter again... part of the minor success with this type of "cure" is because it restricts the vent line... you can do that cheaper and easier with a PLUG..... a plugged up vent line emits no odors
what you actually need is a more thorough venting system, and installing an actual filter is only reducing what you already have and will only make it worse in the long run....
if you get the book "Get Rid of Boat Odors" about marine sanitation systems, you will find that you already have all you need to control the odors except the knowledge of how to do it... and the book will give you that.
activated charcoal and restricting the vent line is not the answer
It's not a problem of head odor in general. It's just that when the toilet is flushed, there's an odor in the cockpit as air is pushed out the vent. So I'm trying to build a filter to filter out the smell as the air is pushed out this vent.
You may have read the article I wrote for an issue of Good Old Boat. A holding tank vent line filter is an effective means to eliminate the odor that sometimes is present from the holding tank.
Activated carbon is used in acquarium tank filters. The last time I needed to refill my filter, I purchased a jar at Walmart...about 5 bucks. Bob
John, what others are trying to tell you the odour is in your holding tank. Peggy Hall is the guru of heads and holding tanks. It's a good idea to get her book, it explains how to eliminate / reduce odours from the holding tank. It's at least a good start, then explore the charcoal filter.
Get Rid of Boat Odors
Others have pointed you to Peggie Hall's work. I think we all understood why you want the charcoal filter but here is why some of us have said not to do it and deal with the odors.
It is very common that holding tanks get over filled. Perhaps you have a non-boat person on your boat and they pump too much water with their flush. Or perhaps you are just not paying attention that day. When it happens, the liquid pushes up the vent line. Anything floating on top of the water goes with it. That stuff will then get pushed into the filter. Even after you pump out it may stay there and now you have a clogged vent. This can lead to all kinds of issues included split tubing and leaking holding tanks. You think you have bad odors now?
Waste can also enter the vent line when under heel based on the design of your system. So you don't have to over fill your tank to have this be a problem.
Even without a charcoal filter vent lines can clog. That is why a good practice is to back flush the vent and flush out the tank with fresh water. The frequency is different for us because we use our boat daily during the season, but once a month after a pump out, we flush the holding tank with fresh water through the deck port, back flush the vent and pump that water out as well. We will do this 2-3 times during that one pump out.
Our holding tank vent is right on the edge of our cockpit. Since I started following Peggie's advice on eliminating odors (didn't for the first month we owned the boat and had some odor issues) we have not had any issues with odors. We live aboard from April to December every year and will soon be full time live aboards.
Good luck and fair winds,
Jesse
John,
when the toilet is flushed and putting odor in the cockpit, (or cabin) its because the air is being displaced from the tank by incomming "effluent"..... sewage odor in the cockpit (or anywhere else) is only a symptom of the problem, or "issue" if you prefer to call it that. if you solve the odor problem in the tank you will have solved the symptom you are experieancing in the cockpit...
another issue may be where the vent is located. it may need to be moved to another location farther from the cockpit....
you will always have some smell from the holding tank, but a healthy system will have more of a mildew smell than a rotton sewage smell.
a charcoal filter, or other filter in the vent line is only "temporarily" treating the symptom, and NOT the issue, or real problem... AND, its just as easy to treat the problem as it is to treat the symptom, with forever results
"The most affordable way to do anything, is by doing it right the first time".....
John,
DON'T do it.
Head Odors 101 http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,5755.0.html
Head Odors 101.1 - "T" into sink drain: http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,5755.msg38216.html#msg38216
Head Odors 101.2 The Difference between KO & Odorlos (scroll up to Reply #2) http://forums.catalina.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=890493&highlight=odorlos
You DO want the vent line to be as big as possible and as CLEAR as possible.
DON'T block it with charcoal.
DON'T do it.
Head Odors 101 http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,5755.0.html
Head Odors 101.1 - "T" into sink drain: http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,5755.msg38216.html#msg38216
Head Odors 101.2 The Difference between KO & Odorlos (scroll up to Reply #2) http://forums.catalina.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=890493&highlight=odorlos
You DO want the vent line to be as big as possible and as CLEAR as possible.
DON'T block it with charcoal.
So much misinformation in one thread. I'm just guessing, but I'l guess most have not tried carbon.
Aquarium carbon works fine. I have used it succesfully...
For three years, and it is still fine. So much for temporary. It turns out the carbon catalyzes the breakdown of reduced sulfur compounds. I've proven this in refinery applications as well. Others have reported similar life.
Clogging is a matter of good installation. High, with a bypass if possible.
Chemicals and ventilation work too. Oderlos is OK, but Camco Ultra beat it in side-by-side testing.
Actually, I've done a lot of side-by-side testing of both filters and chemicals. Glad I'm done.
Aquarium carbon works fine. I have used it succesfully...
For three years, and it is still fine. So much for temporary. It turns out the carbon catalyzes the breakdown of reduced sulfur compounds. I've proven this in refinery applications as well. Others have reported similar life.
Clogging is a matter of good installation. High, with a bypass if possible.
Chemicals and ventilation work too. Oderlos is OK, but Camco Ultra beat it in side-by-side testing.
Actually, I've done a lot of side-by-side testing of both filters and chemicals. Glad I'm done.
John:
What product are you using. We only use Odorlos and have no issues unless we don't do our pumpouts in a timely manner.
What product are you using. We only use Odorlos and have no issues unless we don't do our pumpouts in a timely manner.
Thinwater pretty much nails it. I put in a brand new holding tank and lines. And everything still stunk. While underway the smell would draft right back to the cockpit when someone flushed the head . I built my own in 2010. Made it out of 4 inch PVC pipe about 15" tall. I purchased a couple of half gallon containers of charcoal from an aquarium store. I put screens on the intake and exhaust side of the lines inside the tank. So the charcoal would not fall into the lines. That same charcoal is still in there to this day. I will not bother changing it until I smell something. I don't care of the holding tank is balanced or unbalanced. It makes me no difference because I can't smell it.
In my previous life I served on Fast Attack submarines. Our sanitary tanks were blown to sea with high pressure air. We then had to vent the tank back to atmospheric pressure and because venting overboard would release a trail of bubbles possibly allowing the boat to be detected by an enemy, the tanks were vented inboard through an activated charcoal filter. It didn't really do much to eliminate the odor.
Vent Filter
I got got tired of trying different ways of controling the odor when some one flushed and the holding tank odor would come out the vent and into the cockpit.
So since 2007 I have had to buy my second vent filter from Defender and guess
what no odor at all coming out the vent and all are very happy,I use gallon jug from WM and mix another jug of it with water and use fresh water flushing and pour my mix of holding tank chemical every few flushes and never any odor any place.
Vent filter $85.00 and I think I replaced the first with a second filter 1 or 2 years ago since 2007 and no orders.
Nick
I got got tired of trying different ways of controling the odor when some one flushed and the holding tank odor would come out the vent and into the cockpit.
So since 2007 I have had to buy my second vent filter from Defender and guess
what no odor at all coming out the vent and all are very happy,I use gallon jug from WM and mix another jug of it with water and use fresh water flushing and pour my mix of holding tank chemical every few flushes and never any odor any place.
Vent filter $85.00 and I think I replaced the first with a second filter 1 or 2 years ago since 2007 and no orders.
Nick
Tank odors
Go to the source of the problem. Holding tanks are essentially anaerobic. By using a sewage tank treatment that generates an oxygen reaction the system becomes more aerobic (i.e. healthy) and eliminates the lumps and TP thus producing clean water and no odors.
http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=1101419#post1101419
Go to the source of the problem. Holding tanks are essentially anaerobic. By using a sewage tank treatment that generates an oxygen reaction the system becomes more aerobic (i.e. healthy) and eliminates the lumps and TP thus producing clean water and no odors.
http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=1101419#post1101419