Here's the set-up: The hose from the sump from my refrigerator connects to the hose from the sink drain which then empties through a through-hull. This sump drains by a foot pump. Whenever I drain it, I get a sewage smell and smelly water backing up through the sink drain. I figure it's bacteria in the hose from the sump drain. I was thinking of pouring a gallon of water treated with a couple of tablespoons of bleach through this sump, let it sit for a little while, and then flush it out with pure water. What does Peggy - or anybody else - think of this? Any better ideas?
Frige smell
- Thread starter John
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Try squirting a couple of good squirts of Raritan "CP - Cleans Potties" down the drain (about an ounce) the last thing at night, before retiring. Let it stay there overnight and do it's thing. Then flush the lines out in the morning. CP is a bio-enzymatic solution that will break up soap scum and hair accumulations in the sump, and liquify them, so thay can be pumped overboard - it is great for drains and sumps!
John, as I recall, you have a fridge, not just an icebox. Disconnect the hose connecting the fridge from the galley sink, and plug the fridge output. Smell gone. Do that after you do HM's suggestion.
I like both suggestions
The hose from the sump from my refrigerator connects to the hose from the sink drain which then empties through a through-hull. This sump drains by a foot pump. Whenever I drain it, I get a sewage smell and smelly water backing up through the sink drain. I figure it's bacteria in the hose from the sump drain...
Nope. Ok, maybe a tiny bit of the source...but the source of 99% of the odor is the "primordial soup" in the sump coming back up the line. A dirty sump or a wet dirty bilge can make a whole boat smell like a swamp or even a sewer.
I was thinking of pouring a gallon of water treated with a couple of tablespoons of bleach through this sump, let it sit for a little while, and then flush it out with pure water. What does Peggy ...think of this?
Not much.:naughty:
Any better ideas?
Yep...Just thoroughly flushing it out with plenty of clean water once in a while would help a lot...but real maintenance in the form of weekly doses of Raritan C.P. down the drain is the best solution.
Raritan only markets their C.P. as a toilet bowl cleaner, but it's also the best sump and drain cleaner on the planet! It's a bio-enzymatic cleaner that not only destroys odor on contact, but the enzymes in it "eat" hair, soap scum, and anything else in the sump. A couple of ounces of C.P. down the drain once a week when it can stand at least overnight will keep the sump sweet smelling and clean as a whistle. Put enough water into the sump to fill it about 1/4-1/3 full...add the C.P...that's it. It can stay in the sump forever without harming anything...unlike bleach which is corrosive and destructive to rubber and plastic hoses.
The hose from the sump from my refrigerator connects to the hose from the sink drain which then empties through a through-hull. This sump drains by a foot pump. Whenever I drain it, I get a sewage smell and smelly water backing up through the sink drain. I figure it's bacteria in the hose from the sump drain...
Nope. Ok, maybe a tiny bit of the source...but the source of 99% of the odor is the "primordial soup" in the sump coming back up the line. A dirty sump or a wet dirty bilge can make a whole boat smell like a swamp or even a sewer.
I was thinking of pouring a gallon of water treated with a couple of tablespoons of bleach through this sump, let it sit for a little while, and then flush it out with pure water. What does Peggy ...think of this?
Not much.:naughty:
Any better ideas?
Yep...Just thoroughly flushing it out with plenty of clean water once in a while would help a lot...but real maintenance in the form of weekly doses of Raritan C.P. down the drain is the best solution.
Raritan only markets their C.P. as a toilet bowl cleaner, but it's also the best sump and drain cleaner on the planet! It's a bio-enzymatic cleaner that not only destroys odor on contact, but the enzymes in it "eat" hair, soap scum, and anything else in the sump. A couple of ounces of C.P. down the drain once a week when it can stand at least overnight will keep the sump sweet smelling and clean as a whistle. Put enough water into the sump to fill it about 1/4-1/3 full...add the C.P...that's it. It can stay in the sump forever without harming anything...unlike bleach which is corrosive and destructive to rubber and plastic hoses.
The cure is the same for any "well" that has a stinky primordial soup standing in it, whether it's technically a sump or just a well full of stinky primordial soup.
I think the smell comes from stuff (and bacteria) that has collected in the sump drain hose itself, because if it were the sump - which is really just a depressed part of the floor of the fridge, then the fridge itself would be smelling. Anyway, I'll get some of that Raritan and pour it in and pump it through the hose. Hopefully, it will sit wherever those little critters that cause the smell are sitting.
Wherever it is, flush it out very thoroughly, then close the seacock and pour in a few ounces of C.P. ...followed by enough clean water to fill up the hoses at least 75%. Now go away at least overnight to give it enough time to work.
Result
I followed Peggie's advice and now the problem is that when I pump out the fridge standing water it smells so sweet I want to drink it! Thanks. That did the trick - CP worked great.
And it'll stay that way if you use it regularly each time the boat will sit.
Btw...C.P. is also an outstanding toilet bowl cleaner...just squirt some under the rim...you'r done.
Btw...C.P. is also an outstanding toilet bowl cleaner...just squirt some under the rim...you'r done.
Waste Marine
Waste Marine had two bottles of it in their "will call", but they had been there a long time and gave me one bottle. They charge $18 or $19 per bottle, but I'd printed out an on-line price of $9.00 which they matched. They carry it, but I don't think they keep it in stock.
If you just google Raritan C.P. you'll turn up a whole BUNCH of places that have it for as little as $9.09 bottle. WM's price is $17.99--which is 25% higher than Raritan's LIST price!
Why not solve this the same way it is solved in every house?
You did not describe the plumbing in detail, so I could be wrong for you.
In a house every sink and every toilet is connected to the same sewer. The only reason sewer gas doesn't come up your kitchen sink is that little trap underneath, full of water. The sewer gas can go through the water and so it goes up the vent in the roof.
You can create a simple trap by taking the sink drain hose and turning a loop in it. Yes, it does in theory increase the chance of clogging, if the hose is small, but I haven't seen it, and I have done this on my head sink (it shares a line with the shower sump pump, so the situation and problem are similar) without trouble.
In my case the through-hulls are above the water line so a vent is not required. IF they are below the water line it is possible that some gas may force it's way through the trap, but I doubt there is enough. The traps can dry out if not used for over 6-months in warm weather. Freezing in hose should cause no trouble, but you can always pour some PG down each sink in the winter.
You did not describe the plumbing in detail, so I could be wrong for you.
In a house every sink and every toilet is connected to the same sewer. The only reason sewer gas doesn't come up your kitchen sink is that little trap underneath, full of water. The sewer gas can go through the water and so it goes up the vent in the roof.
You can create a simple trap by taking the sink drain hose and turning a loop in it. Yes, it does in theory increase the chance of clogging, if the hose is small, but I haven't seen it, and I have done this on my head sink (it shares a line with the shower sump pump, so the situation and problem are similar) without trouble.
In my case the through-hulls are above the water line so a vent is not required. IF they are below the water line it is possible that some gas may force it's way through the trap, but I doubt there is enough. The traps can dry out if not used for over 6-months in warm weather. Freezing in hose should cause no trouble, but you can always pour some PG down each sink in the winter.
Because...
Boat plumbing and house plumbing have almost nothing in common. Drains on boats don't go into a sewer, they drain overboard...so there's no need for a trap to block sewer gasses. Boat plumbing, except for tank vents, isn't vented either. In fact, a trap would only create a place for water to sit, stagnate and stink...and they don't dry out, either, because the environment on a boat is so humid. And if they freeze, a pipe CAN burst. It's not cold temps that cause freeze damage...when water freezes it expands. Ice needs 110% of the space that liquid water needs.
If anything is needed in some lines connected to a thru-hull, it's a vented loop--just the opposite of a trap, for the very reason that water can't sit and stagnate in a loop.
A bilge isn't a sewer either...although, unless bilges are kept clean they can turn into "swamps" that can make a whole boat SMELL like a sewer. But traps in drains wouldn't solve that problem either...only diligent maintenance does. So if I were you I'd remove the trap and try cleaning your sump a little more often. A weekly dose of Raritan C.P. is all that's needed to keep a sump clean.
Boat plumbing and house plumbing have almost nothing in common. Drains on boats don't go into a sewer, they drain overboard...so there's no need for a trap to block sewer gasses. Boat plumbing, except for tank vents, isn't vented either. In fact, a trap would only create a place for water to sit, stagnate and stink...and they don't dry out, either, because the environment on a boat is so humid. And if they freeze, a pipe CAN burst. It's not cold temps that cause freeze damage...when water freezes it expands. Ice needs 110% of the space that liquid water needs.
If anything is needed in some lines connected to a thru-hull, it's a vented loop--just the opposite of a trap, for the very reason that water can't sit and stagnate in a loop.
A bilge isn't a sewer either...although, unless bilges are kept clean they can turn into "swamps" that can make a whole boat SMELL like a sewer. But traps in drains wouldn't solve that problem either...only diligent maintenance does. So if I were you I'd remove the trap and try cleaning your sump a little more often. A weekly dose of Raritan C.P. is all that's needed to keep a sump clean.
I only reported what has worked as a permanent solution to a problem.
a. Freezing won't damage a hose. Yup, I've replaced enough water pipes in refineries to know the ins and outs. As I said, though, a few ounces of PG will remove any concern.
b. If the lines are connected downstream of the trap, the plumbing is the same, only the vent is through the hull instead of a roof vent.
c. Correct, traps do not dry out on a boat. However, like a home, it is required that the trap be rinsed with enough clear water that it is not an odor source, the same as at home (kitchen sinks often stink for this reason).
d. Most boaters do not visit weekly, so that chemical schedule is not practical for them.
e. Yes, there are places on boats where traps and loops are terrible ideas; bilge pumps and scupper drains come to mind. Everything on a boat needs thought-through.
f. A vented loop isn't the opposite of a trap; it's unrelated in this application. You could have both and they would not fight each other. In fact, in a house that (a roof vent) is basically what you have, for a similar reason.
Ok...
No...a VENTED loop isn't the opposite of a trap. But you're confusing shape with function...and a loop is an arch..a trap is a U--the opposite of an arch.
As for a "chemical" solution to smelly drains...Raritan C.P is a non-chemical bio-enzymatic cleaner that can remain in a sump or drain indefinitely without harm. The enzymes "eat" hair, soap scum, grease and all the other things that sink and build up in drains, sumps...and traps. Fresh water rinses alone won't clean 'em out. Anything else requires some manual labor.
Traps do not belong in drains on a boat.
No...a VENTED loop isn't the opposite of a trap. But you're confusing shape with function...and a loop is an arch..a trap is a U--the opposite of an arch.
As for a "chemical" solution to smelly drains...Raritan C.P is a non-chemical bio-enzymatic cleaner that can remain in a sump or drain indefinitely without harm. The enzymes "eat" hair, soap scum, grease and all the other things that sink and build up in drains, sumps...and traps. Fresh water rinses alone won't clean 'em out. Anything else requires some manual labor.
Traps do not belong in drains on a boat.
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