THIS IS NOT A CURE... but it did relieve about 95% of a head odor problem on my boat. As Peggy has stated in her information on what causes head odor, the holding tank in my boat was not getting sufficient ventilation. In order to improve that, I installed an aquarium air pump to force air into the tank. The process took less than a day and only required getting access to the holding tank vent line at the through hull. On the P42, this is located inside the forward cabinet. I cut a small slit in the vent line nearest the through hull and fed the small vinyl air line down the vent hose and into the tank. The slit was then sealed with silicone seal. The vent hose connection at the tank is exposed under the seating. This was disconnected to make it easier to work the tubing through. The tubing should extend about 4 inches beyond the end of the vent hose.. in other words, just inside the tank. The air pump sits in the cabinet wrapped in a bit of foam and runs continuously. Power is accessible from an outlet just below the cabinets. This has now been running for 2 months and I have no head odor problems in the boat at all. It would be best to do this with an empty holding tank... for obvious reasons... but mine wasn't at the time. It took nearly a week before the stink settled down outside the boat as the tank was obviously working overtime on it's contents. But now all is fine. Hope this can help someone else.
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Here's the cheapest solution:
Pump your holding tank!
Seriously, I went sailing on a friend's C30 this weekend & politely said nothing about the stench coming from an obviously over-full holding tank. He finally mentioned it & asked why it smelled so bad when he had installed an inline treatment system. We asked when the last time he gave the system a good cleaning. Never. When's the last time you pumped out? Couple months!!! And this guy LIVES ABOARD!!! We all had a great laugh at his expense (luckily, he has a good sense of humor) and insisted we stop at the potty dock on the way in, but as captain of his vessel, he declined. At least I don't have to live with that smell! LaDonna
Pump your holding tank!
Seriously, I went sailing on a friend's C30 this weekend & politely said nothing about the stench coming from an obviously over-full holding tank. He finally mentioned it & asked why it smelled so bad when he had installed an inline treatment system. We asked when the last time he gave the system a good cleaning. Never. When's the last time you pumped out? Couple months!!! And this guy LIVES ABOARD!!! We all had a great laugh at his expense (luckily, he has a good sense of humor) and insisted we stop at the potty dock on the way in, but as captain of his vessel, he declined. At least I don't have to live with that smell! LaDonnaActually, LaDonna...
Maybe you should give your friend a copy of the article on odor control in holding tanks in the Head Mistress forum...sounds like he NEEDS it! 'Cuz if a holding tank is well-enough ventilated/oxygenated for aerobic bio-active treatment to work, it shouldn't be necessary to pump out to get rid of odor because there won't be any...the waste can sit in a tank for years without stinking. I blew an engine on my previous boat (the $3600 lesson in why they give you owners manuals I've mentioned before) on Memorial Day. By the time mechanics got through messing with it and an a rebuilt engine was installed, it was mid-September. The boat sat in my slip in the deep South GA heat ALL summer with a half-full holding tank...no odor. In fact, when I was finally able to take it the boat to get it pumped out, the dock hand questioned whether or not we were really pumping out the holding tank because he couldn't smell anything. And I don't think I've used my boat enough this summer--with temps in the high '90s and low 100s for weeks at a time--to pump out but twice...yesterday was the second time.
Maybe you should give your friend a copy of the article on odor control in holding tanks in the Head Mistress forum...sounds like he NEEDS it!
'Cuz if a holding tank is well-enough ventilated/oxygenated for aerobic bio-active treatment to work, it shouldn't be necessary to pump out to get rid of odor because there won't be any...the waste can sit in a tank for years without stinking. I blew an engine on my previous boat (the $3600 lesson in why they give you owners manuals I've mentioned before) on Memorial Day. By the time mechanics got through messing with it and an a rebuilt engine was installed, it was mid-September. The boat sat in my slip in the deep South GA heat ALL summer with a half-full holding tank...no odor. In fact, when I was finally able to take it the boat to get it pumped out, the dock hand questioned whether or not we were really pumping out the holding tank because he couldn't smell anything. And I don't think I've used my boat enough this summer--with temps in the high '90s and low 100s for weeks at a time--to pump out but twice...yesterday was the second time.Hey Mistress Is the Slit OK??
I have a Hunter 42 and and maybe there is some odor. I'm not sure yet. It dis have some growth under the rim, and my next project is to clean in there via our Head Mistress's forum posts. But I swear I heard a vacuum in the holding tank when I removed the holding tank fill. So, maybe the aqaurium ting is ok?? What about larger hose?? Hey Phil, what made you even think of installing that aquarium pump???? I am VERY interested in reading about that.
I have a Hunter 42 and and maybe there is some odor. I'm not sure yet. It dis have some growth under the rim, and my next project is to clean in there via our Head Mistress's forum posts. But I swear I heard a vacuum in the holding tank when I removed the holding tank fill. So, maybe the aqaurium ting is ok?? What about larger hose?? Hey Phil, what made you even think of installing that aquarium pump???? I am VERY interested in reading about that.
Hi Jolie
The idea for the air pump came up as I was trying to figure out a way to force air into the holding tank. The thought process was like.. ok, I need an air pump that can run continuously and draw little power, so what's available and how would I connect it to the tank. At any rate, the aquarium thing popped to mind and it worked.
The idea for the air pump came up as I was trying to figure out a way to force air into the holding tank. The thought process was like.. ok, I need an air pump that can run continuously and draw little power, so what's available and how would I connect it to the tank. At any rate, the aquarium thing popped to mind and it worked.
Check you tank vent, Jolie!
It's possible that you're only hearing a "vacuum" in the pumpout/dumpout hose when you open the pumpout deck fitting...created when the macerator pulls against it. However, once the tank level drops below the top of the tank discharge fitting, air from the tank vent SHOULD relieve that. So make absolutely certain that there's no blockage in your holding tank vent line or through hull. The aquarium pump does work. However, as Phil noted when he first described his installation, it's not immediate. It takes a while--several weeks or even longer--for the system to "balance" itself aerobically...and meanwhile, the acceleration in breakdown created by the pump can make odors MUCH worse before they start to get better. Once the system is in balance, though, there's no more odor at all. Larger vent hose does help. Read the Odor Control article in the Headmistress reference library for a detailed explanation. And while you're there, read some of the other articles too...lotta useful stuff there.
It's possible that you're only hearing a "vacuum" in the pumpout/dumpout hose when you open the pumpout deck fitting...created when the macerator pulls against it. However, once the tank level drops below the top of the tank discharge fitting, air from the tank vent SHOULD relieve that. So make absolutely certain that there's no blockage in your holding tank vent line or through hull. The aquarium pump does work. However, as Phil noted when he first described his installation, it's not immediate. It takes a while--several weeks or even longer--for the system to "balance" itself aerobically...and meanwhile, the acceleration in breakdown created by the pump can make odors MUCH worse before they start to get better. Once the system is in balance, though, there's no more odor at all. Larger vent hose does help. Read the Odor Control article in the Headmistress reference library for a detailed explanation. And while you're there, read some of the other articles too...lotta useful stuff there.
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