Bilge Odor

[Bob Chaples]

I have an odor coming from my bilge. I think that there is water on the outside of the bilg sump. Can't find the source. Maybe the shower sump overflows on a port tack and gets trapped ? Any help

 

[Peggie Hall/Head Mistress]

Clean the sump, clean the bilge

Give the bilge a REAL cleaning...lots of detergent and water followed by a THOROUGH (till the water running out is clean enough to drink) rinsing out. When a bilge starts to stink, that's the ONLY way to cure it...read "Boat Odor Isn't ALL in Your Head" in the HM forum reference library (forum homepage). Shouldn't have to do it more than once or twice a year.

 

[Steve Dion]

Check out the Photo Forum.

Bob:Check out the Photo Forum. There are some pictures of what you are dealing with. Water gets trapped in the grid and you CANNOT clean it. My first suggestion is to cut some inspection ports in the cabin sole. This would give you a method of cleaning out the grid area. If you are adverse to this, I would suggest that you pour some mixture of cleaning product in this area and let it slosh around down there and see if it sweetens up the smell.The problem stem from the fact that water gets trapped in there from whatever source it may be (shower, ice box, etc) and you cannot dry it out.

 

[John K Kudera]

Check this

Try this, remove the table at the dinette, remove the leg and the part fastened to the sole. After you do that you will find the area that the water from the stuffing box and engine box drains to. I have dockside power, and a small 2 gallon sears wet/dry vaccum cleaner. I use that to clean and dry the settled water, then use Peggy's Bilge cleaner and deodorizer to keep it fresh. Best of luck!

 

[Jerry]

Bildge Cleaning is a must on a 31'.

Turn off the sump pump and fill it up the the floor boards a solution of cleaners and water. Go out for a good sail and let the solution slosh around for a while. Pump out the yellow water and sail around again with clean water again up the the floor boards. If the rinse water is still yellow, rinse it again. I follow with a 25/75 of bleach and water just in case something is growing. This is the first thing we do to start the season. We have dock side power so the de-humidifier gets rid of the rest of the water below. The boat interior now smells great.