Peggy, et.al.: After troubleshooting my problem with sewage odors throughout the cabin of our new Catalina 400, we thought we'd found the problem when my wife (who is a LOT smaller than me!) discovered the vent hose wasn't even connected to the hull fitting! There wasn't even a hose clamp which tells me someone at the factory went to lunch at the wrong time.... It was extremely difficult, but we were able to get the hose back on the fitting and secure it with a hose clamp. Figured we'd found the problem and merrily went day sailing with friends. Soon after we left the dock and started to move about in wind/wave action, the odor returned. The odor is worst in the cabin (where the holding tank is) and only smells when the tank is agitated underway. My dealer is working pretty hard to help me, but they are a bit lost here as well. Since there is no apparent sewage leak from the system, I have to suspect some sort of hairline crack in the tank or lines which allows gases to escape but not liquid (the tank has never been more than 1/2 full). Any additional ideas? This continuing problem is really ruining our time on the water. FYI, I am planning to totally flush the system a number of times today to hopefully get the odor under control, but obviously we need to get the darn thing fixed. Thanks in advance for any further advice you may have here. Tim Leighton (S/V "Magic")
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Check all the hoses and fittings.
Tim: You are probably on to something now. Check ALL the hoses and fittings to be sure that they are secure. It is probably doubtful that you have a cracked tank. You are just going through the new boat shake down period.
Tim: You are probably on to something now. Check ALL the hoses and fittings to be sure that they are secure. It is probably doubtful that you have a cracked tank. You are just going through the new boat shake down period.
Several possibilities
1. Trapped stagnant water somewhere in the bilge (read the article "Boat Odor Isn't All in Your Head" in the HM forum library) 2. Permeated sanitation hose. Never mind that the boat is new...brand new hose permeated on my own boat in less than 90 days. Why the motion of the boat "activates" odor from permeated hoses is something I've never quite understood, but I've seen it happen many times. You can confirm or eliminate by wetting a rag in hot water...wring it out...wrap it around the hose (use a new clean rag for each test)...remove it when it's cooled. If you can't smell anything on the rag, the hose isn't the culprit...but if you can, the hose is permeated with sewage odor. If two heads are connected to the same tank, and if the head discharge hose from one or both is longer than about 6-8', the likelihood of permeated hoses is very high. 3. Loose hose connections. All hoses in fuel and sanitation systems should be double clamped. 4. Cap in inspection port on tank is missing a seal. There should be an 0-ring on the cap. Without it, the cap can't seal, allowing odor to escape...pushed out by the motion of the boat. (if the tank doesn't have an inspection port, this can't be your problem). 5. Waste splashed out the vent fitting while there was no hose on it. However, I think you'd see some signs of that on and around the tank. 6. Y-valve or macerator is leaking. I really doubt that the tank is cracked unless a fitting was cracked by over-tightening a thread-barb fitting when it was installed. Ronco Plastics--who makes excellent thick-walled tanks--makes all of Catalina's tanks. If you and the dealer can't find and solve the problem, I guess you'll just have to talk him into importing me to the Bay to trouble-shoot it. My fee would be very reasonable: airfare and getting to go sailing for a week.
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1. Trapped stagnant water somewhere in the bilge (read the article "Boat Odor Isn't All in Your Head" in the HM forum library) 2. Permeated sanitation hose. Never mind that the boat is new...brand new hose permeated on my own boat in less than 90 days. Why the motion of the boat "activates" odor from permeated hoses is something I've never quite understood, but I've seen it happen many times. You can confirm or eliminate by wetting a rag in hot water...wring it out...wrap it around the hose (use a new clean rag for each test)...remove it when it's cooled. If you can't smell anything on the rag, the hose isn't the culprit...but if you can, the hose is permeated with sewage odor. If two heads are connected to the same tank, and if the head discharge hose from one or both is longer than about 6-8', the likelihood of permeated hoses is very high. 3. Loose hose connections. All hoses in fuel and sanitation systems should be double clamped. 4. Cap in inspection port on tank is missing a seal. There should be an 0-ring on the cap. Without it, the cap can't seal, allowing odor to escape...pushed out by the motion of the boat. (if the tank doesn't have an inspection port, this can't be your problem). 5. Waste splashed out the vent fitting while there was no hose on it. However, I think you'd see some signs of that on and around the tank. 6. Y-valve or macerator is leaking. I really doubt that the tank is cracked unless a fitting was cracked by over-tightening a thread-barb fitting when it was installed. Ronco Plastics--who makes excellent thick-walled tanks--makes all of Catalina's tanks. If you and the dealer can't find and solve the problem, I guess you'll just have to talk him into importing me to the Bay to trouble-shoot it. My fee would be very reasonable: airfare and getting to go sailing for a week.
))THANKS FOLKS
Peggy (you too Steve): Thanks for the input. Going to go through the system again today with a fine tooth comb and see what I see. Dealer is going to replace the vent hoses with "odorsafe" type and maybe that will resolve at least part of the problem. I suspect we'll keep whittlin' away at it until something works and we may never know exactly what it is...OK as long as I don't have to hold my nose whenever in the cabin underway!! Peggy.. suspect there is some trapped water in a part of the bilge (keep finding construction debris and I think water is stagnating and causing a bad odor). Going to work the limber holes today and make sure we aren't trapping water. As for you sailing the Chesapeake....come on up to God's sailing paradise! You are always welcome whether you are troubleshooting a boat or just on the road! The least I can do for all the good advice you've given here. I'll keep you up to date. Smooth Sailing! Tim (S/V "Magic") (Steve: You are invited as well, but you have to bring the beer!)
Peggy (you too Steve): Thanks for the input. Going to go through the system again today with a fine tooth comb and see what I see. Dealer is going to replace the vent hoses with "odorsafe" type and maybe that will resolve at least part of the problem. I suspect we'll keep whittlin' away at it until something works and we may never know exactly what it is...OK as long as I don't have to hold my nose whenever in the cabin underway!! Peggy.. suspect there is some trapped water in a part of the bilge (keep finding construction debris and I think water is stagnating and causing a bad odor). Going to work the limber holes today and make sure we aren't trapping water. As for you sailing the Chesapeake....come on up to God's sailing paradise! You are always welcome whether you are troubleshooting a boat or just on the road! The least I can do for all the good advice you've given here. I'll keep you up to date. Smooth Sailing! Tim (S/V "Magic") (Steve: You are invited as well, but you have to bring the beer!)
If you suspect trapped water, that's the FIRST
thing to go after. It can smell just like a sewer, and you wouldn't be the first person--or even 100th--who's torn out most of a sanitation system trying to get rid of what they thought was "head/holding tank" odor, when the real culprit was stagnant water in their bilge. I had a call last year from a couple with a steel hull trawler...an all-pervasive sewer odor they couldn't get rid of...but THEIR bilge was clean and dry. We were stumped...till the boat came out of the water to repair some corrosion in the keel. They were in the yard when the keel was drilled into, 'cuz they wanted to see the extent of the corrosion. When it was opened up, water came POURING out--about 25 gallons that was SO foul, everyone had to leave the area....it had seeped into the keel through bolt holes that had corroded. Once they got it all cleaned out, their odor was gone. Once you eliminate sanitation hoses and leaks, there's only one thing left: trapped stagnant water. You just have to find it and get rid of it.
thing to go after. It can smell just like a sewer, and you wouldn't be the first person--or even 100th--who's torn out most of a sanitation system trying to get rid of what they thought was "head/holding tank" odor, when the real culprit was stagnant water in their bilge. I had a call last year from a couple with a steel hull trawler...an all-pervasive sewer odor they couldn't get rid of...but THEIR bilge was clean and dry. We were stumped...till the boat came out of the water to repair some corrosion in the keel. They were in the yard when the keel was drilled into, 'cuz they wanted to see the extent of the corrosion. When it was opened up, water came POURING out--about 25 gallons that was SO foul, everyone had to leave the area....it had seeped into the keel through bolt holes that had corroded. Once they got it all cleaned out, their odor was gone. Once you eliminate sanitation hoses and leaks, there's only one thing left: trapped stagnant water. You just have to find it and get rid of it.
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