Head odor

[Phil]

Like most other Hunter owners, the aluminium holding tank in my 94 Passage was more of a sieve than a tank and required replacement. I had a stainless tank fabricated in Ensenada ($450 US) and did the installation myself. However, even with new hoses the odor in the boat after a few uses was very bad. Thanks to some useful tips from the "headmistress", I determined that the problem was a lack of ventilation to the tank. It would have been a major job to re-work the tank so I came up with another way to get air into the tank.I purchased an aquarium air pump and by making a small slit in the tank vent hose (near the exterior vent), I then fed the small plastic hose down the vent hose and into the tank. With the little air pump running continuously, there has been no further problems with bad odors.A cheap fix.

 

[derek]

Head odor Clarification Please

Phil, I currently have a problem where the tank appears to vent through the forward head that I was going to tackle next week. Check vent hose etc.If I understand your post you are pumping air into your tank and the air is then expelled through the vent in the normal way. Is this correct?

 

[Phil]

Hi Derek,Sorry for the delay in responding. Have to use internet cafes down here at the moment!Yes, the air pump feeds into the tanks vent hose and the air is then exhausted back out the vent hose. On the 42 Passage the top ot the vent hose is accessed by removing interior side panel on the fwd starboard cabinet. Four screws hold that panel in place. There will be 3 hoses that make their way up there. Make sure to get the right one. You will need to trace the hose from the tank (under the "love seat" on the starboard side) which will have to be disconnected from the tank fitting anyway.Cut a slit into the top of that hose and feed the air pump line down the vent hose until you have about 8 inches exposed at the tank end. You don't want to have too much line extending into the tank otherwise it'll sit in the contents and you'll hear bubbling.Seal the slit with GOOP or a sealer of some kind.I let the pump sit inside the cabinet and wrapped it loosely in some foam to prevent it from making too much vibrating noise. The electrical wire was cut and fed behind the cabinet into the storage bin directly below and then plugged into the outlet in the bin.You might want to check the vent on your boat if it seems to be venting back through the heads. Sometimes insects will make a nest at the vent fitting and block it off.Good luck.PhilP.S. I was from Toronto a year ago!