We have a rotten egg smell when we use the head for the first time every trip. It has been getting worse over time and the longer the boat sits unused, the worse the smell. It's a Jabsco head plumbed to the same through hull as the sink drain. Any ideas?
Rotten egg smell on first flush
- Thread starter Project_Mayhem
- Start date
Use the fresh water flush from your head sink for the LAST flush BEFORE you leave the boat.
Those of us in salt water usually have this problem.
Those of us in salt water usually have this problem.
I'm a bit apprehensive to do this on a regular basis with a plastic through hull and sea cock that bends whenever I use it. However, Installing an electric solenoid valve seems like a very easy to use solution.
Would replacing the hoses help as well? There was a lot of black flakes coming off of them when we commissioned the boat last year. I can still see some dark areas on the clear hoses
This is a freshwater boat
Would replacing the hoses help as well? There was a lot of black flakes coming off of them when we commissioned the boat last year. I can still see some dark areas on the clear hoses
This is a freshwater boat
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Replace the hoses, all of the hoses intake and sanitation hoses. One of the culprits is antifreeze, it makes a great breeding ground for bacteria, especially if it has spent some time in warm weather. Flush out as much as possible when winterizing.
I found that doing an “end of day” flush using fresh water from my hand-held shower helps with smells when the boat sits for days. Even on Lake Michigan, the lake water has critters in it…and they die in the hose.
A few pumps with the pump in dry mode, while spraying fresh water from the shower head seems to flush them down to the tank.
Are you putting rotten eggs down the sink?
Greg
A few pumps with the pump in dry mode, while spraying fresh water from the shower head seems to flush them down to the tank.
Are you putting rotten eggs down the sink?
Greg
Good point. The boat was on the hard for two years when I bought it so plenty of antifreeze for an extended period of time
I was trying to keep the critters from dying in the hose by feeding them eggs
Sea water is full of micro and not-so-micro animal and vegetable sea life that when left to sit in the intake line, pump and channel in the rim of the bowl while the boat sits even for a day or two, dies, decays and STINKS! You're already using the head sink drain thru-hull as your toilet's intake thru-hull, making this problem easy to prevent:
Last thing before leaving the boat, close the seacock on the sink drain thru-hull, fill the sink with clean fresh water, flush the toilet...rinsing the sea life out the whole system--intake line, pump, channel in the rim of the bowl AND the toilet discharge line. Just pouring water into the bowl won't do it because whatever is added to the bowl doesn't recirculate through the intake plumbing, (you wouldn't want it to!) it only rinses out the discharge line.
--Peggie
If you use clean drinking water this should help, even in a fresh water lake.
It sounds like this means you are afraid of exercising your seacock? Is that the case?
Use ONLY clean fresh water, never gray water! The soap scum, toothpaste, body oils etc can "gum up' your toilet pump.
There can be coves on lakes that are aren't fed by creeks that flush them out allowing them to get pretty skanky.
--Peggie