Ditto on Peggy's book. We stuggled with ours a bit - turned out that the vent to the holding tank was partially blocked and the loop on the bidge pump was excessive, causing alo of backflow
Does your boat have BO?
- Thread starter Phil Herring
- Start date
This is the answer folks.... if the bilge smell like poop or diesel then you have bigger issues. I have a diesel engine and 2 heads that we happily do our #2's in and the boat and bilge don't smell.... except for the smell of the ocean breeze!!
btw didn't realize the age of the post.... ha!
Good Luck!
Greg
My boat smelled dreadful when I bought it. First thing I did, after reading Peggy’s book, was to replace the old permeated vinyl hoses and give the entire bilge a thorough cleaning. Also got rid of the prohibited (on the Great Lakes) overboard pump out hose, y-valve & through hull, and replaced leaking scupper hoses.
Since then, it‘s just regular bilge cleaning in the fall as part of winterization and generally once mid-season, plus routine complete draining and drying of the bilge during sailing season whenever I close up the boat. It might sound obsessive to some, but I actually remove the last bit of water, mostly backflow from the bilge pump hose, with an oven baster. A clean & dry bilge is key.
I try to keep humidity down in the cabin when the boat is closed up with about six H2Out desiccant dryers. They’re a bit pricey, but rechargeable - about three hours in the oven once a month. I switched to those after having one of those hanging Damp-Rid bags spring a leak and make an awful mess. I use a half dozen Damp-Rid buckets during winter storage.
Since then, it‘s just regular bilge cleaning in the fall as part of winterization and generally once mid-season, plus routine complete draining and drying of the bilge during sailing season whenever I close up the boat. It might sound obsessive to some, but I actually remove the last bit of water, mostly backflow from the bilge pump hose, with an oven baster. A clean & dry bilge is key.
I try to keep humidity down in the cabin when the boat is closed up with about six H2Out desiccant dryers. They’re a bit pricey, but rechargeable - about three hours in the oven once a month. I switched to those after having one of those hanging Damp-Rid bags spring a leak and make an awful mess. I use a half dozen Damp-Rid buckets during winter storage.
It's impossible to eliminate any odor(s) unless you first eliminate the source(s). As for how well the portable ozone generators work when it comes to getting rid of odors… yes, people who've bought them rave do about how well they work. And, yes, the manufacturers do assure you that the ozone concentration is well below that which can present any health hazard. But if that's true, they can't deliver enough ozone to destroy the sources of any odors. If they did deliver enough ozone to destroy the sources of odors, it should only be necessary to run one occasionally. But among all the people you know who've bought ozone generators, have you ever met anyone who has one who's ever been able to turn if off without having odors return? That should be enough to tell you that ozone generators are only very expensive air fresheners, because they don't deliver enough ozone to be anything else. Save your money and get rid of the SOURCES of your odors. Eliminating the source is the only thing that really works.
--Peggie
--Peggie
Damage cabinet finishes and things that are plastic.
Ozone is created by electricity, lightning strikes and ultraviolet radiation.
It is a powerful Oxidizing Agent
That should be warning enough about use in boat interiors.
Sailboat Owner's Guide to Corrosion
See link above, since Ozone is corrosive.
Jim....
One thing not mentioned here is fabrics. Our Oday was made in 1981 . I scrubbed ,disinfected every inch of our hull .
Still there was pronounced lingering smell . I could not place . It wasn't a strong or offensive smell . It was just always there .
When I removed the cushion covers ,I finally found the souce . The foam for the seating had absorbed every
conceivable smell imaginable over the forty years . I washed them with liquid laundry soap gently
and laid them in the sun for several days . Made a huge differance
Still there was pronounced lingering smell . I could not place . It wasn't a strong or offensive smell . It was just always there .
When I removed the cushion covers ,I finally found the souce . The foam for the seating had absorbed every
conceivable smell imaginable over the forty years . I washed them with liquid laundry soap gently
and laid them in the sun for several days . Made a huge differance
Last edited: