Peggie; I replaced my Grocco with a Lavac. My significant other blames the unit for the awful smell coming out every time we flush. The install does not have a vented loop but does have a vent coming out of the tank. I'm thinking that it is a problem with this tank vent. it looks like a small tube and goes through a hull fitting which looks heavily corroded and probably somewhat clogged. i've tried all of the bio additives but no improvement. I have to sell the boat if I can't solve this problem, or she won't go back on the boat.
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Ed,...
I had a similar problem. There is a small screen inside the vent that I had to remove with a pair of needle-nose pliers to allow it to vent properly.
I had a similar problem. There is a small screen inside the vent that I had to remove with a pair of needle-nose pliers to allow it to vent properly.
Lavac isn't to blame for your problem
It's just a toilet...the odor is coming from the tank. If you've tried a variety of tank products without first thoroughly flushing the previous one out of the tank, they may be cancelling each other out. Otoh, tanks should be thoroughly flushed out 2-3x/year anyway, and at least nominally rinsed out after every pumpout. It's also important to follow ALL the directions for use of tank products. If you just dump some into the tank after pumping out and expect it to last till you have to pump out again, that doesn't work for any products except live bacteria...and not always with bacteria. So part of your problem may be that you aren't using tank products according to directions. If your vent through hull is a mess, you can bet that the other end of the vent line--both that end of the hose and the vent fitting on the tank are also at least partially blocked with waste that's gotten into it when the boat is heeled. So so thoroughly flush out your tank with plenty of water...knock out any screen in the thru-hull and/or clean out the crud in it...and also remove the vent line from the tank and clean out that end. It may even make sense just to replace the vent line. Then try Odorlos in your tank...using it ACCORDING TO DIRECTIONS! If that doesn't cure your odor problem, it may be necessary to modify the tank vent to one that has a larger diameter and is shorter and straighter than what you have now. I think you'll find the link below useful, too.
It's just a toilet...the odor is coming from the tank. If you've tried a variety of tank products without first thoroughly flushing the previous one out of the tank, they may be cancelling each other out. Otoh, tanks should be thoroughly flushed out 2-3x/year anyway, and at least nominally rinsed out after every pumpout. It's also important to follow ALL the directions for use of tank products. If you just dump some into the tank after pumping out and expect it to last till you have to pump out again, that doesn't work for any products except live bacteria...and not always with bacteria. So part of your problem may be that you aren't using tank products according to directions. If your vent through hull is a mess, you can bet that the other end of the vent line--both that end of the hose and the vent fitting on the tank are also at least partially blocked with waste that's gotten into it when the boat is heeled. So so thoroughly flush out your tank with plenty of water...knock out any screen in the thru-hull and/or clean out the crud in it...and also remove the vent line from the tank and clean out that end. It may even make sense just to replace the vent line. Then try Odorlos in your tank...using it ACCORDING TO DIRECTIONS! If that doesn't cure your odor problem, it may be necessary to modify the tank vent to one that has a larger diameter and is shorter and straighter than what you have now. I think you'll find the link below useful, too.
Mass Flow in = Mass Flow Out
Hi Ed - It sounds like something besides the head system has changed. Is it possible that the new system moves more volume or the same volume more quickly than the old one? Maybe your boat has been turned around in its slip so the vented air blows into the cabin or it's hot so different hatches are open, etc. Maybe the installer pulled charcoal filters from the vent lines when the heads were swapped. When you flush, the volume of water and waste that moves to the tank forces an equal amount of foul air from the tank and it will always stink to some extent regardless of what people tell you. How much it stinks depends on a number of things. Aeration is supposed to help but there is no way it will make a stew of pee and poo smell like roses. A smear of dog poo on the bottom of your shoe stinks horribly as does an unflushed toilet and both of those receive plenty of air circulation. A neighbor installed aquarium bubblers in the bottom of his holding tank and 1" vent hoses to make sure aeration is excellent and he STILL needs charcoal filters to keep the expelled air from stinking out his neighbors even though he is using enzymatic products as well. He added super-cheap GE charcoal cartridges from Home Depot that were designed as water filters. They are 1/10th of the price of filters from West Maripoff and do the job. Of course he is in a power boat so he doesn't worry about the the filter getting filled with sludge when heading to weather. You may be able to add a high loop and charcoal filter to your system to avoid the problem, or just buy a few extra filters for a few $$ each and replace when necessary. Good luck with your wife. Demanding that you abandon your boat b/c poo stinks sounds a like a power play. Children, pets and wives make stinky poo too.
Hi Ed - It sounds like something besides the head system has changed. Is it possible that the new system moves more volume or the same volume more quickly than the old one? Maybe your boat has been turned around in its slip so the vented air blows into the cabin or it's hot so different hatches are open, etc. Maybe the installer pulled charcoal filters from the vent lines when the heads were swapped. When you flush, the volume of water and waste that moves to the tank forces an equal amount of foul air from the tank and it will always stink to some extent regardless of what people tell you. How much it stinks depends on a number of things. Aeration is supposed to help but there is no way it will make a stew of pee and poo smell like roses. A smear of dog poo on the bottom of your shoe stinks horribly as does an unflushed toilet and both of those receive plenty of air circulation. A neighbor installed aquarium bubblers in the bottom of his holding tank and 1" vent hoses to make sure aeration is excellent and he STILL needs charcoal filters to keep the expelled air from stinking out his neighbors even though he is using enzymatic products as well. He added super-cheap GE charcoal cartridges from Home Depot that were designed as water filters. They are 1/10th of the price of filters from West Maripoff and do the job. Of course he is in a power boat so he doesn't worry about the the filter getting filled with sludge when heading to weather. You may be able to add a high loop and charcoal filter to your system to avoid the problem, or just buy a few extra filters for a few $$ each and replace when necessary. Good luck with your wife. Demanding that you abandon your boat b/c poo stinks sounds a like a power play. Children, pets and wives make stinky poo too.
Actually, Jim...aeration CAN...
"make a stew of pee and poo smell like roses"...or more accurately, like nothing at all. Your dog poo on a shoe sole analogy doesn't apply. As for your neighbor who installed aquarium bubblers in his tank, the only thing he proved is that there's a lot more engineering to a holding tank aeration system than he realized...because when designed, installed, operated and maintained correctly, aeration DOES completely eliminate holding tank odor. Vent line filters actually increase odor in the tank...then trap it--iow, they create the problem they solve (if only I could have invented something that does that, I'd be a LOT richer today!). You were partly right when you said, "When you flush, the volume of water and waste that moves to the tank forces an equal amount of foul air from the tank." It does displace a volume of air that's equal to the volume of the incoming waste, but it doesn't have to be FOUL air. Once I learned how to prevent it, I never had any odor out the tank vent on any of my own boats, and there are many here who have no odor out their own vents either. I've been doing this for 20 years...I sell nothing, I only advise. So you can either take the position of, "Don't try to teach me anything, my mind is made up and nothing can change it," or you can learn how to eliminate holding tank odor on your own boat. Your choice.
"make a stew of pee and poo smell like roses"...or more accurately, like nothing at all. Your dog poo on a shoe sole analogy doesn't apply. As for your neighbor who installed aquarium bubblers in his tank, the only thing he proved is that there's a lot more engineering to a holding tank aeration system than he realized...because when designed, installed, operated and maintained correctly, aeration DOES completely eliminate holding tank odor. Vent line filters actually increase odor in the tank...then trap it--iow, they create the problem they solve (if only I could have invented something that does that, I'd be a LOT richer today!). You were partly right when you said, "When you flush, the volume of water and waste that moves to the tank forces an equal amount of foul air from the tank." It does displace a volume of air that's equal to the volume of the incoming waste, but it doesn't have to be FOUL air. Once I learned how to prevent it, I never had any odor out the tank vent on any of my own boats, and there are many here who have no odor out their own vents either. I've been doing this for 20 years...I sell nothing, I only advise. So you can either take the position of, "Don't try to teach me anything, my mind is made up and nothing can change it," or you can learn how to eliminate holding tank odor on your own boat. Your choice.
thank you
Thank you for your suggestions. Peggie, I have your book coming from Amazon as we speak. Do you have a suggestion for the part that I should use to replace the small through hull fitting that is in there now? The current through hull has two small holes and it is clearly corroded. Thank for the help. Here's to a more odor free future. Ed Reiss Being There out of Marion, MA
Thank you for your suggestions. Peggie, I have your book coming from Amazon as we speak. Do you have a suggestion for the part that I should use to replace the small through hull fitting that is in there now? The current through hull has two small holes and it is clearly corroded. Thank for the help. Here's to a more odor free future. Ed Reiss Being There out of Marion, MA
You should be able to find "vent" thru-hulls at
any marine store. However, since you have to replace it anyway--and pro'bly the vent line too, this would be the ideal time to "upgrade" the vent to 1"...in which case, you wouldn't use a "vent" thru-hull ('cuz they don't come in any size but 5/8"), you'd need a bulkhead/mushroom thru-hull. You'd also have to install a larger fitting in the tank...which is easy, thanks to a li'l gadget called the UniSeal http://www.aussieglobe.com/uniseal1.htm (scroll through ALL the pages to see how to install it and the price list)...the only other things you'd need are a threaded plug--available from any decent hardward store--for the existing vent fitting, a short piece of PVC pipe that has an OD (outer diameter) that'll fit in a 1" hose and couple of hose clamps. Use a hole saw to drill a new hole in the top of the tank. If you have ANY more mechanical ability than it takes to turn a doorknob, you should be able to do this job yourself. I can sympathize with your wife's position that either the odor goes or the boat has to go...'cuz that's exactly where I was 20 years ago when my late husband and I bought our first boat that had to have a holding tank. Solving our own odor problem and then sharing how I did it with dockmates who had the same problem is what led to my starting my own company specializing in marine sanitation--which, btw, I sold to Raritan in 1999.
any marine store. However, since you have to replace it anyway--and pro'bly the vent line too, this would be the ideal time to "upgrade" the vent to 1"...in which case, you wouldn't use a "vent" thru-hull ('cuz they don't come in any size but 5/8"), you'd need a bulkhead/mushroom thru-hull. You'd also have to install a larger fitting in the tank...which is easy, thanks to a li'l gadget called the UniSeal http://www.aussieglobe.com/uniseal1.htm (scroll through ALL the pages to see how to install it and the price list)...the only other things you'd need are a threaded plug--available from any decent hardward store--for the existing vent fitting, a short piece of PVC pipe that has an OD (outer diameter) that'll fit in a 1" hose and couple of hose clamps. Use a hole saw to drill a new hole in the top of the tank. If you have ANY more mechanical ability than it takes to turn a doorknob, you should be able to do this job yourself. I can sympathize with your wife's position that either the odor goes or the boat has to go...'cuz that's exactly where I was 20 years ago when my late husband and I bought our first boat that had to have a holding tank. Solving our own odor problem and then sharing how I did it with dockmates who had the same problem is what led to my starting my own company specializing in marine sanitation--which, btw, I sold to Raritan in 1999.
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