holding tank smells

Sorry This Was My First Time, Thanks For The Sarcism!
 
floatinaround3 said:
Sorry This Was My First Time, Thanks For The Sarcism!
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No problem, Thanks for putting the info in your sig.

Now Back on topic:smt021

Post some more info on the problem and I'm sure you will get some good replies.
 
Hey Gary you must be a comedian or do you think your sh** doesn't stink!
 
chuck1 said:
...Post some more info on the problem and I'm sure you will get some good replies.
Click to expand...

When does it smell? All the time or only when you flush?

Where does it smell? Out the air vent hole or in the bielge or in the cabin?

What type of head? Vac-u-flush / port-a-potti? / manual?

This could be as easy as changing or recharging the vent filter. We need the answers to the above.
 
I think this goes in the colon problems thread. cr0ck1 knows a thing or two about these things.
 
If it's really the tank and not the hoses and/or head, then the foolproof method is the cheap old-fashion blue stuff(in the RV section at Wal-mart) with a charcoal filter on the vent line.

You can try the natural approach with enzyme based treatments but they are finicky. You may have to pump out more often, make your vent bigger, and make sure you actually have solidds in the tank. It's all too complicated for me.
 
floatinaround3,

Check your holding tank vent filter. I checked the 1992 parts manual and it indicated that there is a vent filter on your boat. Defender.com is the cheapest place to pick one of these baby’s up: $59 for the replacement cartridge (Part #500527). Also, use Odorlos or Raritan K.O. (live bacteria) chemicals. Odorlos will probably be your best bet if you are not getting enough oxygen in the tank. Replacing the vent filter and cleaning/replacing the vent hose should solve this problem. Also, as Sundancer mentioned, let the Odorlos chemical sit for several days so that it has time to work. There may be a lot of sludge (that’s the nice way to put it) in the lines/tank that just needs to be cleaned.

If the smell is still present after replacing the filter and adding Odorlos, you will need to trace the system backwards towards the head. It could be a saturated hose or, even worse, a partial blockage. It's a $h!+T job that is not for the weak of stomach. For this job bring 1) Trash bags, 3) Throw away towels, 4) soap and water, 5) marine grade sanitation hose, 6) hose clamps, 7) large fan or a face mask, 8) a few cold ones that you will need when you are done and are trying to figure out "why?".

Good Luck!
 
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There is not enough info here to recommend anything! How can his replacing a charcoal filter going to solve a problem when no one knows anything more than his holding tank smells? We don't know when, where, or what smells here.

I see posts all the time about people doing all kinds of stuff with growing different bacteria and such in their holding tanks, but at the end of the day, if you have a vacuflush system, it's pointless. Adding "Oderless" is not going to fix a stinky seal or hose or leak. They are not supposed to smell outside of the holding tank regardless of the stench inside of it. These systems are nothing more than a stink transfer system (STS) that transfers the stink from your butt to a tank. They are not to be confused with a stink removal system (SRS) where chemicals are added to mask the stench. If the stink is escaping an STS, there is something wrong with the system. (how's that for new acronyms?)

There are too many variables here to make any sort of meaningful recommendations and, even though the poster finds it appropriate to report me and send me nasty PMs, you can't just ask people "why does a 20 gallon bucket of raw sewage smell in my bilge" without people going "huh? Because raw sewage stinks?"

No one here knows what kind of system he has yet!
 
Looks like Gary is beginning to see why I don't respond to questions where no information is given about the boat or system involved. It is frustrating and pointless.
 
Well... I know a lot of us have chased down the stink monster over the years... but... I'll just shutup now.
 
the discussion did cause me to question exactly why I use blue stuff, then to do more research into an enzyme promoter.

Good stuff, even though I wasn't the original poster. Thanks for the education.

odorlessaugs
 
This thread reads like 5 pounds of sh!t in a 4 page bag. Time to flush.
 
Four Sons (Gary),

In my prior post, I mentioned that I looked at the 1992 300 Sundancer Manual to identify what type of system floatinaround3 has. Also, note that the secondary suggestion that I gave was to look for a permeated hose. Anyway, I believe that floatinaround3 was just looking for some general tips and suggestions based upon the community knowledge and experience.

To backup some of the suggestions/assertions on this post, the following excepts come from an article written by Peggie Hall, President of Peal Products in Atlanta, Georgia. One of a few companies in the marine industry that specializes exclusively in onboard sewage management.


---------------
There are two ways to deal with holding tank odor: try to reduce it, mask it, and contain it after it’s formed, by using chemicals and filters—which has never proven very successful…or prevent odor from forming in the first place by applying the same principles that are used to balance and maintain sewage treatment ponds. In fact, sewage treatment ponds only stink when they’ve been unbalanced biologically by an overload of chemicals! Here’s how it works:

Sewage contains both aerobic (need oxygen to survive and thrive), and anaerobic bacteria (thrive in an airless environment); neither can function in the other’s environment. Why is that important? Because only the anaerobic bacteria in sewage produce foul-smelling gasses! Aerobic bacteria break sewage down, as does anaerobic bacteria--but aerobic bacteria do not generate odor. So as long as there is a sufficient supply of air to the tank, and an aerobic bacteria treatment is added to aid that which naturally occurs in sewage, the aerobic bacteria thrive and overpower the anaerobic bacteria, and the system remains odor free.

A bio-active (live aerobic bacteria) holding tank treatment such as "K.O." works with the aerobic bacteria in sewage, eliminating odor, emulsifying solids & paper, and preventing sludge from forming. Enzymes do little if anything--a brief respite from odor immediately after adding them, then odor begins to build again. Chemical products only mask odor with another odor, and they kill not only odor-causing anaerobic bacteria, but beneficial aerobic bacteria as well--not good, because the aerobic bacteria are needed in the system to break down and emulsify solids and paper. Chemicals only break them UP and dissolve them into little tiny particles that settle to the bottom of the tank, along with chemical residue, to become sludge that turns to concrete.

The bacteria in sewage produce a variety of sulfur monoxides and dioxides (which are the malodorous gasses), methane--which has no odor but is flammable--and carbon dioxide, which also has no odor but creates the environment in which the aerobic bacteria cannot live, but the anaerobic bacteria thrive. Carbon dioxide does not rise or fall, it is ambient--like the atmosphere. Without a sufficient flow of fresh air through the tank to allow it to dissipate, it simply lies like a blanket on top of any pool of sewage (whether inside hose or a holding tank) and builds, suffocating the aerobic bacteria and creating the perfect environment for the anaerobic bacteria to take over. The system literally "turns septic," and the result: a stinking boat…or at least foul gasses out the vent line every time the head is flushed.

To prevent this, let’s start with the head: the discharge hose, no matter whether it goes overboard, to a Type I or II MSD, or to a holding tank, should be installed, if at all possible, with no sags or low places where sewage can stand. When a marine head is not flushed sufficiently to clear the hose of sewage and rinse the hose behind the sewage, that sewage sits in low spots in the hose or bits of it cling to the walls of the hose—getting no air, allowing the anaerobic bacteria to thrive and produce their stinking gasses. If sewage stands in a low spot which gets no air in hose which is susceptible to a high rate of water absorption, it will permeate the hose. This is what has given rise to the myth that the "wrong" hose causes odor. Therefore, as I’ve already said, flush your head thoroughly enough to clear the entire hose of sewage and rinse behind it. And when you leave your boat to go home, flush the head thoroughly one last time, this time with fresh water. Until holding tanks came along, the hose was the source of most odor, but incomplete flushing was the real cause.

Sanitation hose is indeed often a source—but not the cause—of odor. If sewage stands in any hose, it will eventually permeate the material, so if possible, run your hose without any low spots where sewage can stand, and always be sure flush the head sufficiently to push all the sewage out of the hose and rinse behind it.

In the holding tank, the key to odor control is the vent line; it must allow a free exchange of fresh air for the carbon dioxide generated by the sewage. Think of the holding tank as a stuffy room which needs to be aired. You know that even if there isn’t a hint of a breeze outside, just opening a window will allow the fresh air outside to exchange with stuffy air in the room. Open another window for cross-ventilation, and the air exchanges even faster. However, just opening a skylight accomplishes nothing unless there’s also a mechanical means (an "attic fan") of pulling the air up and out--and that won’t work unless another window is open to create airflow. But the only "window" into a holding tank is at the end of a "hallway"--the vent line. If that "hallway" is too narrow and goes around corners, takes a long and curved path, or rises more than 45 degrees above horizontal, no ambient air can find its way to the tank to dissipate and exchange itself with the gasses in it.

Check the vent line regularly for blockages; little insects love to build nests in them. And remember--the vent line is not an "overflow!" So try never to overfill the tank; bits of sewage can clog the vent line. Enough air can pass through it to allow the tank to be pumped and gasses to escape, but that doesn’t mean the line is completely clear of any blockage. Finally, the system, including the tank, should be at least nominally rinsed, through the head or back down the deck fill—with fresh or salt water—after each pump-out, and occasionally with fresh water.
------
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Copyright 1997 by The Hall Group, Inc. All rights reserved. The material contained herein may be reproduced in whole or in part, provided it is without alteration in newsletters and similar not-for-profit publications.[/FONT]​
First edition 1994 First revision August, 1995 Second Revision June 1997
 
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