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#1
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Head odor solution
One of the things I'm not looking forward to about sailing is head
odor, especially in a boat where we'll be sleeping on top of the holding tank. I'm thinking of setting up an arrangement like this: I'll put a tee with a valve into the head intake line just upstream from the seacock. This will run to a plastic tank of two to five gallons with a large diameter screw top and a hose with valve nearby running to the fresh water system. Throw the deodorizer of your choice into the tank and fill it with fresh water. Last flush of the day, switch the head over to the tank so that fresh water and deodorizer runs through everything. I wouldn't hard pipe the tank to the FW system because there needs to be an airgap between it and any possible connection to sewage. Obviously not a solution for long distance cruising where fresh water supply is an issue but, if you're doing that, you've probably gotten used to odor. -- Roger Long |
#2
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Roger:
I would advise sticking to the KISS principle. I presume you are equipped with a holding tank. As long as your VENT IS CLEAR, your hoses are reasonably new and your connections are caulked and tight, you won't have odour. And far simpler way to add deodorizer is to flush it through the head. Gary MacDonald Kingston, ON http://home.ca.inter.net/~gkmd/sail/CarpeDiem.htm Roger Long wrote: One of the things I'm not looking forward to about sailing is head odor, especially in a boat where we'll be sleeping on top of the holding tank. I'm thinking of setting up an arrangement like this: I'll put a tee with a valve into the head intake line just upstream from the seacock. This will run to a plastic tank of two to five gallons with a large diameter screw top and a hose with valve nearby running to the fresh water system. Throw the deodorizer of your choice into the tank and fill it with fresh water. Last flush of the day, switch the head over to the tank so that fresh water and deodorizer runs through everything. I wouldn't hard pipe the tank to the FW system because there needs to be an airgap between it and any possible connection to sewage. Obviously not a solution for long distance cruising where fresh water supply is an issue but, if you're doing that, you've probably gotten used to odor. -- Roger Long |
#3
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Ah, I see you are in fresh water.
In salt water, it is the head itself that stinks. Different kinds of bugs and chemistry. There is simple and there is simple. Kneeling down in the head compartment to scrub and clean the thing isn't simple in my book. This set up will get fresh water and deodorant anywhere the water goes. As for the tank, sure, you can just dump the stuff in the bowl but that doesn't get it where it is needed. -- Roger Long wrote in message ups.com... Roger: I would advise sticking to the KISS principle. I presume you are equipped with a holding tank. As long as your VENT IS CLEAR, your hoses are reasonably new and your connections are caulked and tight, you won't have odour. And far simpler way to add deodorizer is to flush it through the head. Gary MacDonald Kingston, ON http://home.ca.inter.net/~gkmd/sail/CarpeDiem.htm Roger Long wrote: One of the things I'm not looking forward to about sailing is head odor, especially in a boat where we'll be sleeping on top of the holding tank. I'm thinking of setting up an arrangement like this: I'll put a tee with a valve into the head intake line just upstream from the seacock. This will run to a plastic tank of two to five gallons with a large diameter screw top and a hose with valve nearby running to the fresh water system. Throw the deodorizer of your choice into the tank and fill it with fresh water. Last flush of the day, switch the head over to the tank so that fresh water and deodorizer runs through everything. I wouldn't hard pipe the tank to the FW system because there needs to be an airgap between it and any possible connection to sewage. Obviously not a solution for long distance cruising where fresh water supply is an issue but, if you're doing that, you've probably gotten used to odor. -- Roger Long |
#4
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Use the thickest wall tank you can find, this can delay the odor seeping
out. I had no oder for the first year or so and then it was pretty bad. I flushed with fresh water and never allowed # 2 in the tank and it still got me. Scott "Roger Long" wrote in message ... Ah, I see you are in fresh water. In salt water, it is the head itself that stinks. Different kinds of bugs and chemistry. There is simple and there is simple. Kneeling down in the head compartment to scrub and clean the thing isn't simple in my book. This set up will get fresh water and deodorant anywhere the water goes. As for the tank, sure, you can just dump the stuff in the bowl but that doesn't get it where it is needed. -- Roger Long wrote in message ups.com... Roger: I would advise sticking to the KISS principle. I presume you are equipped with a holding tank. As long as your VENT IS CLEAR, your hoses are reasonably new and your connections are caulked and tight, you won't have odour. And far simpler way to add deodorizer is to flush it through the head. Gary MacDonald Kingston, ON http://home.ca.inter.net/~gkmd/sail/CarpeDiem.htm Roger Long wrote: One of the things I'm not looking forward to about sailing is head odor, especially in a boat where we'll be sleeping on top of the holding tank. I'm thinking of setting up an arrangement like this: I'll put a tee with a valve into the head intake line just upstream from the seacock. This will run to a plastic tank of two to five gallons with a large diameter screw top and a hose with valve nearby running to the fresh water system. Throw the deodorizer of your choice into the tank and fill it with fresh water. Last flush of the day, switch the head over to the tank so that fresh water and deodorizer runs through everything. I wouldn't hard pipe the tank to the FW system because there needs to be an airgap between it and any possible connection to sewage. Obviously not a solution for long distance cruising where fresh water supply is an issue but, if you're doing that, you've probably gotten used to odor. -- Roger Long |
#5
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"sailct41" wrote in message
news:ceudnatfA9FBWqXfRVn- never allowed # 2 in the tank.. Now, how in the world did you do that? -- Roger Long |
#6
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Perhaps... but you know, your hoses will become permeated with sewage
over time and get pretty ripe smelling, fresh water or salt. A smell that's hard to isolate. And no matter what kind of bugs you have, if that vent ever gets plugged - just ask me about it. Oh, I kneel down & scrub my fresh water head, too. Anyway, good luck! Hope it works. Gary MacDonald Kingston, ON http://home.ca.inter.net/~gkmd=AD/sail/CarpeDiem.htm Roger Long wrote: Ah, I see you are in fresh water. In salt water, it is the head itself that stinks. Different kinds of bugs and chemistry. There is simple and there is simple. Kneeling down in the head compartment to scrub and clean the thing isn't simple in my book. This set up will get fresh water and deodorant anywhere the water goes. As for the tank, sure, you can just dump the stuff in the bowl but that doesn't get it where it is needed. -- Roger Long wrote in message ups.com... Roger: I would advise sticking to the KISS principle. I presume you are equipped with a holding tank. As long as your VENT IS CLEAR, your hoses are reasonably new and your connections are caulked and tight, you won't have odour. And far simpler way to add deodorizer is to flush it through the head. Gary MacDonald Kingston, ON http://home.ca.inter.net/~gkmd/sail/CarpeDiem.htm Roger Long wrote: One of the things I'm not looking forward to about sailing is head odor, especially in a boat where we'll be sleeping on top of the holding tank. I'm thinking of setting up an arrangement like this: I'll put a tee with a valve into the head intake line just upstream from the seacock. This will run to a plastic tank of two to five gallons with a large diameter screw top and a hose with valve nearby running to the fresh water system. Throw the deodorizer of your choice into the tank and fill it with fresh water. Last flush of the day, switch the head over to the tank so that fresh water and deodorizer runs through everything. I wouldn't hard pipe the tank to the FW system because there needs to be an airgap between it and any possible connection to sewage. Obviously not a solution for long distance cruising where fresh water supply is an issue but, if you're doing that, you've probably gotten used to odor. --=20 Roger Long |
#7
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I'll tell you what got me going on this. I design boats like these
http://home.maine.rr.com/rlma/Challenger_Class.HTM and work with a very experienced shipyard that takes care of the systems design. The boats are fast so weight is an issue. I started by assuming the heads would be salt water flush. They said, "No, no, it's got to be fresh water because of the smell. It's worth the weight penalty of carrying more fresh water." The boats do smell better than the salt water flush boats. Fresh water flush obviously isn't practical on a 32 foot sailboat but this might be the next best thing. -- Roger Long |
#8
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If you flush well and exhaust all the nasties out of the lines then there
will be no odors as long as the holding tank is well ventilated. When leaving the boat for a long period, run fresh water through before leaving. Also, using a treatment like Raritan KO in the bowl will help. Doug s/v CAllista "Roger Long" wrote in message .. . I'll tell you what got me going on this. I design boats like these http://home.maine.rr.com/rlma/Challenger_Class.HTM and work with a very experienced shipyard that takes care of the systems design. The boats are fast so weight is an issue. I started by assuming the heads would be salt water flush. They said, "No, no, it's got to be fresh water because of the smell. It's worth the weight penalty of carrying more fresh water." The boats do smell better than the salt water flush boats. Fresh water flush obviously isn't practical on a 32 foot sailboat but this might be the next best thing. -- Roger Long |
#9
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Roger Long wrote:
One of the things I'm not looking forward to about sailing is head odor, especially in a boat where we'll be sleeping on top of the holding tank. If you're concerned about odor in the toilet, whether you sleep on top of the holding tank has nothing to do with it...that odor is in the head, not the tank...and odor from inside the tank--unless the tank is leaking--only has one place to go: out the tank vent. I'm thinking of setting up an arrangement like this: I'll put a tee with a valve into the head intake line just upstream from the seacock. There's a much easier way. Tee the head sink drain into the head intake line. To flush the sea water out of the head intake line--the whole syststm, in fact--close the head intake seacock...fill the sink with clean fresh water...flush the toilet. Because the seacock is closed, the toilet will pull the water out of the sink. In fact, if you have the fresh water to spare, you could just keep the intake seacock closed and use this method to flush the toilet all the time. -- Peggie ---------- Peggie Hall Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987 Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor" http://www.seaworthy.com/store/custo...0&cat=6&page=1 |
#10
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sailct41 wrote:
Use the thickest wall tank you can find, this can delay the odor seeping out. I had no oder for the first year or so and then it was pretty bad. I flushed with fresh water and never allowed # 2 in the tank and it still got me. That's because the source of your odor inside the boat had nothing to do with the tank...most likely your hoses permeated with odor. Or, you needed to clean your bilge--really CLEAN it, not just dump in more bilge cleaner and/or bleach, followed by flushing out all the dirty water. Dirty sumps are another source of odor that can make a boat smell like a swamp, or even a sewer, because they generate the same gasses as a sewer. -- Peggie ---------- Peggie Hall Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987 Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor" http://www.seaworthy.com/store/custo...0&cat=6&page=1 |
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