I've read most of the archive articles and tried KO, Odorlos, and vinegar, but not liquid lubricant, hydrogen peroxide, or a low sudsing detergent to get rid of this very persistent odor coming from the toilet bowl itself and the vent on the outside of the boat. I understand why it's not a good idea to put chlorine bleach into the bowl where it goes thru the lines, but why not put just a little directly into the holding tank? The tank is polyethylene, so I don't see where it would hurt. As far as the intake, I haven't tried unhooking the intake and flushing it, but that seems to be a real nuisance to have to do every time we take a trip. Any advice would be appreciated.
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OK, Try This..
... every once in a while, we get 'Red Tide' in SoCal which is heavy plankton. The head intake stinks to high heaven shortly thereafter, or about every six months afterward. I take the intake off the pump (since taking it off the through hull is more hassle than I want). I then pump vinegar, or a mixture of CP through the line and let it sit overnight. No more odor. Good luck, you'll fix it eventually. Rick D.
... every once in a while, we get 'Red Tide' in SoCal which is heavy plankton. The head intake stinks to high heaven shortly thereafter, or about every six months afterward. I take the intake off the pump (since taking it off the through hull is more hassle than I want). I then pump vinegar, or a mixture of CP through the line and let it sit overnight. No more odor. Good luck, you'll fix it eventually. Rick D.
It won't help
But it will degrade the pumpout line, same as the head discharge line. You have more than one problem. Odor out the vent is coming from inside the tank, but the odor inside the boat coming out of the toilet has another source, either from the head discharge line (cure: replace the joker valve) or animal or vegetable life trapped in the head intake. In light of everything you've poured down the toilet, that's what I suspect it is...'cuz anything poured down the toilet just goes out the discharge...it doesn't ever get into the intake hose or the channel in the rim of the bowl. To clean it out, disconnect the intake hose from the thru-hull (close the seacock first!) and stick it in a bucket of clean fresh water Lberally laced with Raritan C.P. Cleans Potties (available from the online store here). Pump it through the toilet. If that doesn't cure it, you may have to remove the bowl and blast out the channel with a hose. There's a very simple permanent cure...described in the article "Intake Odor Cure" in the Head Mistress forum reference library (link is on the forum homepage). And btw...You said you've read the ARCHIVED articles...have you read the articles there? They cover at least 99% of possible causes and cures for your problems. Otoh, it may not have anything to do with the toilet...a dirty sump can smell even worse than a sewer. As for your tank odor...have you EVER thoroughly rinsed out the tank with clean fresh water...or rinsed it at all? Tanks WILL stink if they're not flushed out every few weeks. If you've overflowed out the vent, and haven't flushed the vent out, that could be the source of the odor. Your tank vent may be partially blocked, preventing even Odorlos from working. Read the articles in the library...check out your holding tank vent and thru-hull to see if it can be improved...and clean out the head intake.
But it will degrade the pumpout line, same as the head discharge line. You have more than one problem. Odor out the vent is coming from inside the tank, but the odor inside the boat coming out of the toilet has another source, either from the head discharge line (cure: replace the joker valve) or animal or vegetable life trapped in the head intake. In light of everything you've poured down the toilet, that's what I suspect it is...'cuz anything poured down the toilet just goes out the discharge...it doesn't ever get into the intake hose or the channel in the rim of the bowl. To clean it out, disconnect the intake hose from the thru-hull (close the seacock first!) and stick it in a bucket of clean fresh water Lberally laced with Raritan C.P. Cleans Potties (available from the online store here). Pump it through the toilet. If that doesn't cure it, you may have to remove the bowl and blast out the channel with a hose. There's a very simple permanent cure...described in the article "Intake Odor Cure" in the Head Mistress forum reference library (link is on the forum homepage). And btw...You said you've read the ARCHIVED articles...have you read the articles there? They cover at least 99% of possible causes and cures for your problems. Otoh, it may not have anything to do with the toilet...a dirty sump can smell even worse than a sewer. As for your tank odor...have you EVER thoroughly rinsed out the tank with clean fresh water...or rinsed it at all? Tanks WILL stink if they're not flushed out every few weeks. If you've overflowed out the vent, and haven't flushed the vent out, that could be the source of the odor. Your tank vent may be partially blocked, preventing even Odorlos from working. Read the articles in the library...check out your holding tank vent and thru-hull to see if it can be improved...and clean out the head intake.
Flush the Vent from the Outside
rick; Try using a battery water filler bulb and 1/4 tubing [from Pep Boys} and shooting 3 or 4 oz of KO down the vent from the the outside of the boat. It worked for me and beats dismantling the vent hose to deodorize it. Fred Miller S/V M Squared
rick; Try using a battery water filler bulb and 1/4 tubing [from Pep Boys} and shooting 3 or 4 oz of KO down the vent from the the outside of the boat. It worked for me and beats dismantling the vent hose to deodorize it. Fred Miller S/V M Squared
Garden Hose
Leann, Heed what Peggie is saying. The better you clean and rinse your system, the less odor you will notice. I use a garden hose to introduce water into the vent as the tank is being pumped out. I know that I am going to be heavily chastised for this practice, but it accomplishes a couple of things. You must NOT pressurize the holding tank by introducing pressurized water into the tank. You just merely flow water gently at the vent opening. As you are pumping out, the waste is being replaced by water instead of air. You are diluting and flushing the tank. If you empty the tank first and then fill it with water to rinse, you are then displacing the left over atmosphere in the tank with the fresh water. All of the odor of the tank is venting out and causes quite an unpleasant environment. Every time you flush your head, you are displacing the gas in the holding tank. The volume of waste and water going in causes this gas to vent. I also like the water displacement procedure because it keeps the vent line clear and it will signal a problem in the vent at pump out time; that is, no suction action at the vent inlet while the pump out is under way. I usually use this procedure to rinse the tank until the water comes out clear. Don't forget to give your head enough pumps to clear the lines before a pump out. Also, I have been mixing a little chemical while clearing the lines when the boat is sitting and not being used. It seems to eliminate any odor that may leach through the lines. Good luck, Mike D
Leann, Heed what Peggie is saying. The better you clean and rinse your system, the less odor you will notice. I use a garden hose to introduce water into the vent as the tank is being pumped out. I know that I am going to be heavily chastised for this practice, but it accomplishes a couple of things. You must NOT pressurize the holding tank by introducing pressurized water into the tank. You just merely flow water gently at the vent opening. As you are pumping out, the waste is being replaced by water instead of air. You are diluting and flushing the tank. If you empty the tank first and then fill it with water to rinse, you are then displacing the left over atmosphere in the tank with the fresh water. All of the odor of the tank is venting out and causes quite an unpleasant environment. Every time you flush your head, you are displacing the gas in the holding tank. The volume of waste and water going in causes this gas to vent. I also like the water displacement procedure because it keeps the vent line clear and it will signal a problem in the vent at pump out time; that is, no suction action at the vent inlet while the pump out is under way. I usually use this procedure to rinse the tank until the water comes out clear. Don't forget to give your head enough pumps to clear the lines before a pump out. Also, I have been mixing a little chemical while clearing the lines when the boat is sitting and not being used. It seems to eliminate any odor that may leach through the lines. Good luck, Mike D
Backflush your vent hose.
Leann: Be sure that you backflush you vent hose every time you pump your head. Use fresh water and flush it with a couple of gallons of water. Also rinse your tank with 3-5 gals of fresh water after the pump out too. Then pump this out too. Be sure to add your chemicals as soon as your pump out is completed. As for your odor from the head itself, I would pump about a quart of white vinegar thru the raw water intake hose and let it sit for a couple of days. When you return it will smell like a vinegar salad but should neutralize the odor. Be sure to check that you do not have ANY leaks in the housing of the pump, manifold and hoses on the head too. This can sometimes cause bad odor in the head area. We usually spray Lysol in/on the toilet and fiberglass areas to kill any bacteria in this area. When you leave the boat, I would pump a couple of quarts of FRESH water down the head each time you are leaving for a few days or longer. This will ensure that live creatures are not multipling and dying in the lines.
Leann: Be sure that you backflush you vent hose every time you pump your head. Use fresh water and flush it with a couple of gallons of water. Also rinse your tank with 3-5 gals of fresh water after the pump out too. Then pump this out too. Be sure to add your chemicals as soon as your pump out is completed. As for your odor from the head itself, I would pump about a quart of white vinegar thru the raw water intake hose and let it sit for a couple of days. When you return it will smell like a vinegar salad but should neutralize the odor. Be sure to check that you do not have ANY leaks in the housing of the pump, manifold and hoses on the head too. This can sometimes cause bad odor in the head area. We usually spray Lysol in/on the toilet and fiberglass areas to kill any bacteria in this area. When you leave the boat, I would pump a couple of quarts of FRESH water down the head each time you are leaving for a few days or longer. This will ensure that live creatures are not multipling and dying in the lines.
How's that again???
"Be sure that you backflush you vent hose every time you pump your head." Every time the toilet is flushed???? Surely, you meant the tank, not the head. "As for your odor from the head itself, I would pump about a quart of white vinegar thru the raw water intake hose and let it sit for a couple of days. When you return it will smell like a vinegar salad but should neutralize the odor." Bad idea...undiluted white vinegar left in the pump will cause every rubber part in it to swell up and make the head impossible to use till it's rebuilt. Vinegar should ONLY be poured down the toilet and pumped completely clear of the bowl and joker valve unless it's to be flushed out immediately. Lysol in the toilet isn't good for it or the hoses either. Contrary to their commercial message, life does not demand it. In fact, our society's current obsession with killing every bacterium on the planet is only creating more resistant strains of bacteria, interfering with the body's ability to create and maintain an immune system, and harming the environment.
"Be sure that you backflush you vent hose every time you pump your head." Every time the toilet is flushed???? Surely, you meant the tank, not the head. "As for your odor from the head itself, I would pump about a quart of white vinegar thru the raw water intake hose and let it sit for a couple of days. When you return it will smell like a vinegar salad but should neutralize the odor." Bad idea...undiluted white vinegar left in the pump will cause every rubber part in it to swell up and make the head impossible to use till it's rebuilt. Vinegar should ONLY be poured down the toilet and pumped completely clear of the bowl and joker valve unless it's to be flushed out immediately. Lysol in the toilet isn't good for it or the hoses either. Contrary to their commercial message, life does not demand it. In fact, our society's current obsession with killing every bacterium on the planet is only creating more resistant strains of bacteria, interfering with the body's ability to create and maintain an immune system, and harming the environment.
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