H37cutter holding tank, followup

[Edward Kennedy]

This is a followup on the homemade fiberglass holding tank I installed on my 37c.There were no leaks, or any serious problems. but by the end of the summer, I was noticing a slight smell in the forward cabin after the boat was closed up during the week. I'm not sure if this is the new tank, the hoses, especially the drain hose which is constantly filled with waste (yuch!) a leaky valve on the vented loop, or leftover smell from where the previous tank was leaking under the v-berth (double yuch!!). Now that the boat's hauled for the winter, I will be investigating, and will keep you informed.

 

[Ray Bowles]

Ed, Did you use the special hose Peggy

requires? It really works! I did the saran wrap trip and realize I too will be making the decision soon on how to tell my wife that this is what she wants for Christmas.Did you ever see the show where they sent the burning boats down the river. On the rerun one of those could be mine when she finds out.RayS/V Speedy

 

[Ed Schenck]

Were hoses new?

Ed, when you did the built-in tank did you also install new hose? I noticed that after I removed my tank a week later the odor had not changed. In my case it is obviously in the hoses. I'll be purchasing some Sealand hose per Peggy's recommendation.Did you build the tank with regular cloth and epoxy? Which brand? How did you do the hose attachments? Can't wait to hear what you find.

 

[Edward Kennedy]

hoses and epoxy

The hoses were new, but they are ordinary vinyl hoses, I suspect that they are probably the problem. I also suspect that the valve on the 20 year old vented loop is not sealing properly. The tank was made with System 3 epoxy. It is comperable to the West system. Their tech support said that it would work just fine, but only time will really tell.I will be pulling the parts out this weekend, and checking out the hoses and tank. I'll keep you informed.Just to qualify, I had a slight smell after the boat was closed up all week. This is a GREAT improvement over last year. I'm just trying to get a bit closer to perfection.