Saturated/disintegrated toilet odour filter

[blackrose]

My toilet started to smell today after I flushed it, so I opened the top of the plastic Microvent charcoal odour filter housing to have a look and perhaps change the filter (I haven't done this for about 18 months). To my surprise the filter element was soaked and had disintegrated and the housing and pipework was full of water! Of course it smelled a bit but it was only mildly unpleasant and the charcoal coloured liquid definately wasn't tank overflow (The tank cannot be over-filled because the toilet cuts out & won't flush when it's full).

 

The odour pipe from the tank goes to the microvent filter and then goes out the hull through a skin fitting which is about 15" above the waterline. The pipe from the filter has a 'n' bend which goes about 8" above the the skin fitting before exiting the boat.

 

My question is where did the water come from:

 

The tank? As I said, I don't think this is possible.

Rainwater entering through the skin-fitting? How would it climb the n bend?

Water vapour from the vented tank? Perhaps.

Or perhaps it came in through the skin-fitting when I encountered those giant waves on the Thames

Edited April 18, 2009 by blackrose