Just finished one of the most unglamorous jobs of boat ownership

davidbrooks

I was struggling with a smell that i just couldn't pinpoint.  It was mostly noticeable in the cabin but i could also smell it when i was taking off the cover at the helm.  So i started cleaning....and cleaning.  I pulled out every possible access.  Cleaned, sprayed and cleaned some more.  Started with the anchor locker and worked my way back.  Then i realized i was going to have to remove the holding tank to finish the job.  I really hope i never have to do that again.  

As others have said you have to disassemble the aft berthing area, remove the cabinets and it is then right there.  The one thing i will tell you is that even if you hit the pumpout station you will not and i repeat will not get it all.  We ran the pump 3 times.  The first two i think it just cut off on a timer.  The last one we stopped it.  When i pulled out the tank I taped off the openings with duct tape and also taped off the hoses.  That smell came through anyway.  I debated throwing away the tank vs cleaning it and if i could of found a direct replacement i probably would have.  The closest one i could find to the size and shape was going to take 6 weeks and i couldn't verify the fittings were correct.  

So i started cleaning.  Degreaser, bleach, it doesn't matter. Still smells.  At that point i decided to just try and seal it in.  So i found every can of enamel spray paint i could get my hands on in my work shop and just started spraying.  It really did end up helping a ton.  The area all around the tank itself was disgusting.  I think the vent hose fitting was loose and as it got a little too full it would leak out.  So that got tightened and lesson learned.  Pump out more often. 

Put it back in and reassembled the whole thing.  Then i dumped a gallon of blue RV holding tank liquid into the toilet and flushed it with some clean water.  My thought was to give it a good base first.  I have to tell you it was disgusting but in the end made a big difference.  There is nothing worse that having that smell that you cant get rid of. 

The other thing i discovered was that if you reach into the mid bilge area and then reach forward as far as your arm can go there is an area that water can get trapped in.  Only about an inch or two but it can sit there and get stagnant.  The only way to get it out is to shop vac it or have a bunch of towels.  If i ever rip up the floor i will redo that so it all drains.  Now i know to check it. 

McGarnicle

Sorry you had to go through this but at least you got it all figured it out. I just saw my tank for the first time this past weekend by crawling underneath the seat in the cockpit and looking through the access panel, and thought to myself this would be an absolute nightmare to have to replace. 

Did you happen to take pictures of the aft all taken apart? Would be interesting to see how it all looked. 

davidbrooks

No i didn't but i do believe that others did.  Al has said over and over that you can dissemble the whole aft birth space with a screwdriver and he is dead on.  Well almost.  I used a drill with screw bit.  Some of those screws are 2+ inches.  The way i did it was to first take off the vinyl covered L shaped bar across the back.  Then door to cabinets.  Then there is a 6 in by 6ft vinyl covered piece of wood between the back rest and ceiling.  That will pry out but you need to remove the curtain track first or you will rip the vinyl. Then unscrewed the cabinets and took them out.  They come out in two pieces.  Then undid the backrest on the Starboard side.  It will pull out with some tugging.  At that point it is all exposed.  Be careful pulling out the backrest as the sewer line from the head is wrapped through the backrest.  If you start pulling and don't look back there first it could be a disaster.  

Willhound

Now that it's all nice and fresh, a tip I saw on here last year was to dump a bottle of liquid fabric softener in the empty tank once or twice a year, throw some water in and go for a rip. Tey and slosh it around a bit and then get a pump out. Helps loosen and clean the deposits in the tank and smells good too.

SoulGravy

I hear about the fabric softener in the tank, the Tide in the tank, et al.  I asked the guy who we paid to check our system and was told the best thing you can do is to simply use Aqua-Kem (spelling?) and pump out regularly.  The RV stuff doesn't work in a boat.  The RV stuff works by creating a film over the gunk in the tank.  In a boat everything sloshes around and it can't keep a film over anything, so it doesn't work.  The Aqua-Kem is supposed to work by mixing in.  I don't know the real answer, but here's another data point to use/ignore making decisions.

davidbrooks

Aqua kem is what i used.  https://www.walmart.com/ip/Aqua-Kem-RV-Holding-Tank-Treatment-Deodorant-Waste-Digester-Detergent-1-gallon-Thetford-28614/155491931  Dumped the whole gallon in there.  RV or boat....it all sloshes around so i am not gonna exactly agree with the "RV stuff doesn't work in a boat" line.  The biggest argument going is whether or not to add cleaner to a tank while it is in use. All of these holding tank chemicals have enzymes in them to help break down the contents of the tank.  Bleach or other chemicals will kill the enzymes.  So personally i recommend using anything in the world to clean it when it is out of the boat but i am not a fan of adding a cleaners.  After what i went though to try and get it clean when i had it out of the boat and accessible.  I realized it was an exercise in futility. Nothing was getting it to come perfectly clean.  So my best advice is to use stuff like Aqua Kem and empty the tank as often as possible.  I waited way too long and that was my mistake.  

The best thing out this whole exercise was i dumped out the contents at the corner of my property and the wind was blowing it over to my neighbor.  He started it.

randy56

most unglamorous jobs of boat ownership, I feel your smell, It's a horrible job.

aero3113

Been there also, luckily I did mine in the winter so the smell was minimal. Also, Home Armor helped tremendously with the smell and mold when cleaning up.

Liberty44140

There is a great video on the forum of Dand2 taking apart his aft cabin to get to the tanks on his 342.