Increasing problem with head odor

[cygnussailor]

My boat is a 1998 Catalina C400 which I purchased new. Over the last couple of years I have noticed an increasing problem with head odors, especially after the boat has been closed up for a while. Yesterday, when we got on the boat the odor was quite intense. After airing the boat out and using some Frebreze the odor seems to be gone. What can I do about the odor? Can I add anything to the tank, other than the typical head treatment chemicals which I already use, to help eliminate this ongoing problem?

Thank you,

Gary Harkins

 

[KD3PC]

hoses been replace with the top of the line white stuff???

aluminum holding or plastic??

these would be my two first checks to make...

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

Most likely permeated sanitation hoses.

It wouldn't be the tank....Catalina has only used poly tanks (made by Ronco, in fact) for decades, and poly tanks do not permeate. Nor would adding anything to the tank have any effect on odor inside the boat...'cuz unless a tank is leaking, odor from inside the tank has only one place to go: out the tank vent.

The only cure for permeated hoses is new hoses. The only sanitation hose I recommend any more is Trident 101/102 (identical except for color) Trident Marine: Sanitation Hose It's been on the market for more than 5 years without a single reported odor permeation failure...something that cannot be said about any other hose. The online store on this site has the best price for it. sbo.com plumbing

However, there's another possible source for your odor: A wet dirty bilge is a real primordial soup that can make a whole boat smell like a swamp or even a sewer. I get a lot of calls from people who've replaced their entire sanitation system in an effort to get rid of what they think is "head" odor, when all they really needed to do was clean their bilges and sumps--really CLEAN 'em for a change, and flush ALL the dirty water out, instead of just dumping some kind of cleaner or bleach into 'em and calling it done. I dunno why so many owners think that's the way to clean a bilge...You wouldn't just squirt some Dawn into a sinkful of dirty dishwater, swish it around a bit, then just pull the plug and expect to have a clean sink.

So before you start ripping out any plumbing, I suggest you test your hoses for odor permeation and CLEAN your bilges and sumps (which prob'ly need it
anyway, whether they're the source of your odor or not). You'll find quite a bit of discussion about odors, causes and cures in the discussions in this forum...I suggest you spend some time reading 'em. The link in my signature is a good reference too.

 

[CalebD]

I'll second Peggy's book. It is a cheap investment that your nose will appreciate.

I'd also take exception to using 'typical head treatment chemicals' which I do not use. I only use KO as a tank treatment. I believe that Peggy recommends this product in her book.

 

[Alan Johnson]

I also have a C400 #130 and solved my head odor problem by replacing the choker valves. The ends had rotted off and were letting tank odor into the heads. I only found this out after rebuilding the Jabsco electric pumps.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

Before resorting to anything, always do the easy stuff first. Pull up the stb cushion and make sure the gasket holding the tank valve isn't leaking - a common problem on C400s. Same with the fwd holding tank.

 

[31seahorse]

After you have eliminated this odor episode......Always flushing with fresh water will eliminate marine life from entering the system and adding to the smell as they die in the tubing/tank. If pumpout facilities are available rinsing the system with fresh water after pumping out is helpful too. An overnight soak of vinegar and mineral oil seems to prevent the backflow from the joker valve.

Phil O'Day 34 Day Dream

 

[Rick D]

I think she's a freshwater boat...

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

Welllll, seahorse...you got it half right

Flushing with fresh water will only eliminate odor in the head intake and head discharge line that's caused by the dead and decaying sea organisms in sea water...and that odor is always confined to the head because the source is in the toilet...it's not gonna permeate the whole boat. And it's easy to prevnet...just rinse out the system with fresh water last thing before the boat will sit (see previous discussions on this subject in this forum for more detail). Flushing with fresh water will NOT do a thing for holding tank odor...'cuz there's so much bacteria in the waste itself that the tank contents don't even notice a little more in the flush water.

However, if you never bother to rinse the sea water waste you leave in the line because you never flush long enough to rinse it out of the head discharge line, AND you haven't replaced the joker valve in the toilet in at least two years, odor from the head discharge line can certainly escape via the toilet.. But again, that odor will be confined to the head...it won't be all over the boat.

Geeze Alan...just how old WAS your joker valve??? I've been doing this for more than 20 years and I've NEVER seen one so old it had rotted! And if it had rotted, I'm amazed your toilet could still move anything out of the bowl...that the rubber seals and o-rings etc hadn't crumbled.

Fwiw, joker valves should be replaced AT LEAST every two years...annually is better...and toilets should be rebuilt at least every 5-6 years. It's people who don't bother to do either who want to know what to do about back flow and/or don't dare flush even the flimsiest toilet paper.

 

[SailArkansas]

My 1994 Precision 28 had such a bad odor that I tore everything out including the toilet and replaced everything except my rear-end. I am a real believer in flushing with fresh water. Usually your shower head is close enough to the bowl that you can use it as a source. Joker valves are mysterious and some are better than others but I second the 2 year repacement program.

One other thing, measure the overall length of your discharge hose from the joker to the tank. My Jabsco came with a guide to tell you how many pumps at a minimum per foot of hose. It was far more pumps than I would have believed.

 

[Paul Mermelstein]

One other thing, measure the overall length of your discharge hose from the joker to the tank. My Jabsco came with a guide to tell you how many pumps at a minimum per foot of hose. It was far more pumps than I would have believed.

Good point. I usually keep pumping until I hear air sucking thru the toilet discharge and keep going until I hear the waste water STOP pouring into the tank. Fortunately, the tank is right behind the toilet, so I can hear what's happening. On my boat, the forward head takes around 20 pumps and the aft head around 15.