Loose clamp, long term drip

[Dubo]

Hi,
I discovered a clamp leaking at the holding tank on my 87 31' Hunter. The drip seemed to be occurring for a while i assume since the fgp was stained. After tightening all clamps and insuring there were no other leaks I was hoping some of the smell would magically go away. No such luck.:cry: My question is, since the flow seemed to be a longterm occurance and it was flowing to the lowest point of the hull, is there a way to nuetralize the smell and any residual stuff from what has leaked? Would something like baking soda help? Due to the liner over the hull I have limited access to see where this stuff drained to. Is there a success way to flush something like this out since I don't think that whatever flowed is good for the keel bolts, etc or my nose?

TIA for any recommendations.

JD

 

[Kefaa]

Get rid of the smell - don't cover it.

I have been there - last fall as a matter of fact. However, I could reach mine. Let me presume your bilge is the final recipient, before it goes overboard--AND you can pump overboard without legal issues. My last caveat is if you poured chemicals down there, this will probably fail.

First - nothing like a hundred gallons.of clean water to start. Leave the bilge pump off for a few gallons so you are at least as deep as it ever got (you hope). Baking soda is probably fine too, but mix well and put it in the first few gallons.

For the last 10 gallons add a little KO to the water and pour in. Again pump off so it does not just disappear. 95% of the odor will most likely be gone by this time so you are good and the KO "magic" should take care of any lingering things.

If not (or you used chemicals) - 100 gallons and then at the end put a product called Nilodor in the last few gallons. Read the instructions - a little goes a very very long way. More is definitely not better. Let it soak for a while and flush away. Nilodor is used in kennels, etc. to get rid of the odor. It works great to neutralize odors but too much and you just replace a stinky odor with another more pleaseant one - but still an odor.

Option three - after flushing, rent an ozanator. The commercial kind they use for house fires, floods, mold, etc. Run it for no more than two hours inside the boat (no living thing in the boat). It creates a toxic atmosphere but it does kill any odors. Look up the instructions for using it and recognize it is not friendly to living things of any kind (even roaches) and many latex or rubber type compounds if left running for any great length of time. Again, longer is not better because things get an ozone like odor if over exposed (in about a week it goes away). That will reach ever nook, cranny and crevice. You will also find people (who will probably reply to this) saying "don't do it because..." and they may be right. But it does work - as long as you follow the instructions. (and don't over do it.)

Good luck.

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

I discovered a clamp leaking at the holding tank on my 87 31' Hunter.

Just one clamp?? If the connections are only single clamped, that's your first problem. It's also possible that the hose and fittings are a mismatch, which will require replacing one or the other--most likely both--to completely solve the problem.

The drip seemed to be occurring for a while i assume since the fgp was stained. After tightening all clamps and insuring there were no other leaks I was hoping some of the smell would magically go away.

No..it won't.

Step one: Fix the hose/clamp problem.

Step two: Clean your bilges...really CLEAN 'em this time, and flush ALL the dirty water out (based on what you've said about how long this has been going on, it's pretty obvious that you never have, so it's way overdue anyway) instead of only dumping more "miracle cleaner" into 'em and calling it done . Any good detergent, a scrub brush, plenty of elbow grease and lots of water will do...better yet, a power washer and a strong solution of detergent and water, followed by a THOROUGH rinse. If you don't already have a power washer, buy one...it's the handiest tool any boat owner can own.

Once you have a clean bilge, use a wet vac, dinghy bailer, sponge, bucket--whatever works--to mop up excess water...then, using a pump up garden sprayer jug (unless you actually like squeezing a trigger sprayer 1500 times), spray every surface, nick and cranny with a product called PureAyre PureAyre It WORKS! Don't rinse, just let it dry with all hatches open, even a fan on it if possible for 24 hours. That'll eliminate any residual odor left after you've solved the hose and clamp problem and cleaned out the area.

 

[Dubo]

Thank you for the ideas however unless I am misunderstanding something it appears that the bilge pump sits on top of the liner and the liner blocks my access to where the problem is. Do I need to cut an access hole in the liner to get to the lowest point of the hull? I am not totally verse in Hunter construction so I am a bit slow here.

JD

 

[Roger Long]

When I put a new holding tank in my boat, I rebuilt the compartment it sits in so that it forms a watertight tray about 6 inches deep. There is a thru hull installed in the bottom connected to a plastic hose which runs all the way back to my bilge pump sump.

I don't expect a leak with a brand new system but, if I ever have one, I can run water and KO through while keeping everything isolated from the bilge.

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

Works for me

I installed FOUR new hatches when I restored a "project" boat...you can't have too much access to areas under the sole. Installing hatches isn't nearly as hard to do as most people imagine...and the increased access is worth its weight in gold, even at today's gold prices.

But you'd be amazed at what you can clean out with a power washer... combine THAT with a couple of new hatches and you just might come close to reaching boat owner maintenance nirvana.