oooooh....ooooooh that smell !!

[briget parks]

MY HUSBAND AND I ARE NEW CATALINA 30 OWNERS....OF AN OLDER MODEL, 1980 TO BE SPECIFIC. WE HAVE HAD SEVERAL OTHER BOATS, BUT NONE HAVE HAD A BUILT-IN CRUISE-AIR SYSTEM. IT REALLY WORKS IN THIS HOT TEXAS ENVIRONMENT, BUT IT SEEMS TO STIR UP ODORS FROM THE HOLDING TANK AND MACERATOR PUMP SYSTEM THAT WE CAN'T TAKE ANY MORE. WE HAVE USED EVERY TYPE OF FILTERING, VENTING APPROACH, WITH NO SUCCESS. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO ODOR WHATSOEVER UNTIL WE RUN THE AIR COND. ( WHICH THEY MOUNTED IN THE AFT CLOSET ) THEN ALL SMELL BREAKS LOOSE. WE ARE TRYING TO TAKE THIS AS A CHALLENGE..... BUT IF WE CAN'T FIND A SOLUTION SOON, WE MAY JUST RIP THE WHOLE SET-UP OUT, HOLDING TANK, A/C AND ALL AND RE-DO IT WITH A PORTA-POTTIE. THERE IS NO ODOR WHILE SAILING, EVEN WITH AN ALMOST FULL HOLDING TANK. BUT JUST COME IN, HOOK UP TO SHORE POWER AND START UP THE A/C......... O BOY IT IS UNBELIEVABLE. HAS ANY ONE HAD THIS PROBLEM?WE ARE LOOKING INTO ONE OF THOSE IONIZING/NEUTRALIZING UNITS. NO TELLING WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT.

 

[rp]

Could be the duct work

Just a thought, but maybe there is mold and algae in the duct work. There could be slight condensation in the ducts, and after years of use, mold could have grown. So basically, you might need to replace the duct work.rp.

 

[Sean]

ohhhh Peggy where art thou

sounds like a great question for Peggy "our Head Mistriss"

 

[Allen]

Check the intake duct

I'm not an expert in this field, but I did have one thought: If the smell only comes when the A/C is turned on, then the intake duct must be drawing air from your holding tank. I wonder if the intake duct happens to be near the holding tank, or if it's near one of the vents to the holding tank.I'm guessing that when you turn on the A/C, you are creating a vaccuum that draws air out of the holding tank that otherwise would just stay in the tank. I'm willing to bet that the solution to your problem is as easy as redirecting your intake duct, or neutralizing the vaccuum created by the A/C.Here's my suggestion: Check to be sure that all hoses related to the head are intact. Especially the vent hose from the holding tank. A small hole in that hose in a vaccuum environment will draw foul air directly into your cabin. Next, I'd try to identify any vaccuum conditions that might exist as a result of the intake duct. If there's a definite vaccuum area, just cut a few holes in the bulkhead & finish it off with a vent cover.Without a vaccuum condition, there's no way the A/C will draw the noxious gasses from your holding tank. I'd suggest that you at least give it a try. Removing all of your plumbing & relying on a porta-pottie will be a problem in & of itself & could lower your resale value when it's time to trade up to that C-36.Let me know how it works out! allens@mathworks.com

 

[Frederikus]

Inlet outlet

check the aircon engine's intake of air, if that cannot come properly from the outside, the problem might be 'vacuuming' the smelly air into its system.Good luck with it.Regards, Frederikus on:sailmalaysia@hotmail.com

 

[David]

Just a thought

On my c30, the intake for the water and the macerator thru hull are one and the same. They are separated by a y-valve (yes this is legal). IF the ac was operated with the Y valve in the wrong direction, you would actually be drawing cooling water from your holding tank which would be quite odiferous I would imagine. I have a padlock on mine so that I never accidently make this mistake. I also know of several other boats in my area that use this set up. I don't know if it is the cause of the odors on your boat, but it's another place to look.

 

[briget parks]

thanks for all the input on the catalina 30

we think we have isolated the odor problem and appreciate everyone's thoughts. after most of the day below pulling out tubes and such, we decided that the previous owners had possibly had such an over flow with the holding tank or the hoses leaking to the point that the compartments were saturated with that "pottie treat" smell. my husband is ultra sensitive to that kind of thing and i was starting to get sick from it. the a/c evidently was sucking the bad air through its intake. anyway, we feel like a good scrub-down now that all that stuff is out of there, including removing the mascerator pump and y valve and all the hoses down there, so we can get to it to re-surface the interior with paint.it's like the holding tank treatment had permeated the fiberglas? it's already much better with the stuff out and washed down. thanks again