Odor in the cabin from the head from our 2006 rinker 342

thewildcalls

Don't know how to get rid of this smell. We have pumped out the head. Its still coming back. Does anyone know what to do.

Stodge

I have a "Big Orange" filter on the waste tank vent.  There was no factory filter for the waste tank on the 342.  Regular addition of head chemicals can help too.

raybo3

Try putting headzyme in the bowl. I use a blue liquid (might be a different brand) and it works great. The "Big Orange" works great also but that is for when you flush you dont get a smell in the cockpit. BTW welcome to the RBOC....

MDboater

Have you confirmed that the odor is coming from the toilet/holding tank and not from water in some other location such as mid cabin bilge, AC drain pan, shower sump, or anchor locker?  

I wouldn't expect to get much odor from the holding tank vent down in the cabin.  

Liberty44140

On my 2006 342 I had some odor/backup issues when I first got it. First as mentioned above check your holding tank vent line and filter. It is in the engine room near the generator just behind the wall. My vent filter was clogged from previous owner letting the tank overflow (found seeds in the vent filter, gross) AND the vent hose was kinked badly so it was not easily letting air in and out of the tank. Once I changed the filter (rebuilt myself) and added a 90 degree elbow where the 90 degree kink used to be it helped tremendously. I still had a small amount of backup water occasionally in to the bowl which had a smell and that was resolved with changing the toilets joker valve as it stops liquid, and smell, from coming back in to the bowl. The vent and joker solved 99.5% of my issues. Now after I pump out and add treatment to the tank I have no odors for at least 14 days but most tank treatments only last 1-2 weeks so if its been more than 2 weeks since a pump out I will get a little bit of an odor just when I flush. As Stodge said that is easily rectified with a couple of ounces of treatment in to the bowl and flushed from the bowl to the tank. I've kinda made it a habit of every other weekend (sometimes every weekend) putting 1-2 ounces of treatment in to the bowl and flushing to freshen things. All good from there. We do use the toilet Friday - Sunday every weekend (#1 only) so it gets used. If none of this solves your issue then you would want to look in to replacing the hose from the tank to the toilet but I bet if you review your vent filter and joker situation and add treatment every couple of weeks you will see a major difference.  I used to put a little bleach in to the bowl on my previous boat each week to freshen it but I stopped doing that as I had to rebuild it every few years and I think the bleach ate at the seals. 

MarkB

As others indicate start with the waste tank to ensure it is venting properly, and put a big orange filter on it to remove odors from vent.

Next check your joker valve to ensure it is not burping back gases.

craigswardmtb

Pray that fixes it.  Old hoses can start to permeate odor.  And its not a fun or funny job replacing those hoses.  I'm in the market and as i look at older boats that is one thing i'm asking about.  The one we have our eye on actually had all of the hoses redone a couple years ago.  The way they were previously routed let waste sit in them rather than drain back into the tank.  Eventually they began to smell.  So he replaced everything and rerouted so all hoses had a nice angle on them going back into the tank.  I'm not saying this is your problem but its something to look out for.

thewildcalls

Thank you to all who responded. We will check it out!  Thanks 

Michael T

BTW if replacing hoses I advise to get the best  rated purpose built waste hoses. For a few extra $ a huge difference in longevity

duane.mosley

Ventilation is key but I would recommend putting a gallon of bleach in your tank and fill it up. Let the water sit there for a day or so and you'll be amazed at how clean that tank will get. I just did this to my 06' and it amazed me how clean the tank was when I got done. I had the tank out of the boat during repower and not that I would do this on most occasions, but I smelled the inside of the tank when done and it was fresh. The hoses on the other hand were still nasty but the tank was fresh and clean. 


Dont waste your your money on a big orange filter. For about 40 bucks you can make your own. Google it before you spend 100 bucks on the big orange. I built my own and it worked great. 

wm61356

A fellow boater at my marina informed me of a product he uses in his holding tank called "Noflex Digestor". I tried it and am very impressed with the performance. It effectively eliminates tank odors and sludge. After using this product the waste water in my tank is almost clear when I pump out. The product is a dry granular material. It can be purchased online. For more information go to

http://www.jetvac.ca/noflex-digestor/category.html

Please note that I am not affiliated with this product in any way. I am merely a satisfied customer.

Michael T

....just remember that the Big Orange filter also has a built-in  safety vent to help prevent tank collapse and is often on sale with promo codes. Changing the charcoal on it is very easy and cheap. You just slide out a tray dump it and refill. The charcoal lasts two seasons and maybe three. Two minutes to change the charcoal media. No unscrewing. The Big Orange also has foam gaskets to seal connections. I could have built a home made filter with one hand in my sleep but I think the Big Orange is a way better application. I believe Rinker now installs Big Orange filters "standard" at the factory. At least they did with the 2014 EC 360s.

duane.mosley

Michael T said:

....just remember that the Big Orange filter also has a built-in  safety vent to help prevent tank collapse and is often on sale with promo codes. Changing the charcoal on it is very easy and cheap. You just slide out a tray dump it and refill. The charcoal lasts two seasons and maybe three. Two minutes to change the charcoal media. No unscrewing. The Big Orange also has foam gaskets to seal connections. I could have built a home made filter with one hand in my sleep but I think the Big Orange is a way better application. I believe Rinker now installs Big Orange filters "standard" at the factory. At least they did with the 2014 EC 360s.

to each is their own, i only used 2 fingers taped together to build mine! lol

Michael T

.....geez, two fingers! I can't beat that. You ARE the man!

duane.mosley

Michael T said:

.....geez, two fingers! I can't beat that. You ARE the man!

Taped together! Lmao

Dream_Inn

You guys are way too funny!  I'm with Duane, I built my own many years ago, as well as probably 10 more for other boaters in my marina.  For under $15, you get 2 full charcoal changes out of it as well, that is cheap.