Pump out toilet.

[jeanb]

We have Vetus macerator toilet and sanitary system in which we use Odourlos. We experienced no problems all year but in the last hour there is a terrible smell from the vent outside the boat when flushing the toilet. The holding tank is about 30% full and we intend getting a pump out tomorrow. What does the Forum think may have happened? We would be very grateful for any advice thanks. (We intend continuing with the pump out system.)

[chubby]

Does your system include a " no smell filter " on the breather tube ? Vetus market one , which is why i ask . If so , maybe the carbon filter cartridge inside needs replacing .

Ive no idea as i dont have a filter on my pump out system .

Has any chemical harmful to the " good bacteria " been accidentally flushed down the lav - bleach etc as this might cancel out the beneficial effects of odorlos ?

Again , i don t know but its food for thought

cheers

[scrabble]

I read the initial post too fast and thought you said we have a macerator toilet fitted to our boat Odourlos.. funny name for a boat LOL

[Woodstock]

We used odourless but found it didn't work so well this year- anyone know if its changed

 

I now use bio laundry detergent and much better

[Alan de Enfield]

Just thinking at a bit of a tangent and just a suggestion

 

How old is the boat, how old is the piping ?

One of the problems with pump-outs is the ageing of the pipes (and from posts on here, it seems Leesan are the worst) allowing a leeching out of the smell.

 

Where are you noticing the smell ?

Is it only external and from the vent or :

Is it in your clothes / wardrobes / cupboards where the pipe passes thru ?

Is it when you use the toilet / flush ?

 

Maybe nothing to do with the pipes - but - worth an investigation ?

[jeanb]

Many thanks for replies thus far. We're not aware of a no smell filter, and nothing unsuitable goes in the toilet. This boat is just a year old and no problems until yesterday, and we had similar plumbing on our last boat. The 2x bad smell is from the exterior vent when toilet flushed, and our last pump out was 8 days ago. We were also wondering about the effectiveness of Odourlos. Will any type of bio detergent work?

[magnetman]

Did you go to an Indian restaurant recently

 

I have an open vent on our pumpout tank and it will pong a bit when flushed but we have a very small tank (100 litres) as there is a dedicated pumpout machine at the mooring and it is included in the mooring fee. So it is pumped regularly and lots of water so nothing sits around in there. Only had it a year though.

 

Sounds like your tank may need flushing with water and pumping out ? Not sure how you would do this with a remote tank though.

 

 

PS we don't use any products apart from white malt vinegar for cleaning occasionally. It is a manual pumped Lavac sea toilet discharging to a holding tank.

[pig]

We used odourless but found it didn't work so well this year- anyone know if its changed

 

I now use bio laundry detergent and much better

That is our experience as well, been fine since we started using it a few years ago, now not working- smells appearing only a few days after a pumpout.

The Odourloss bottle says "no smells guaranteed" !

What bio laundry detergent do you use? How much?

[Sea Dog]

I'm using Silky RX. It's a living enzyme in granular form, added at the rate of a teaspoon a month, so the relatively small bottle for just under a tenner lasts a long time. As well as tackling odour, which it has done very well for us, it also claims to break down solids. Since using it, my previously traitorous gauge has become reliably accurate, so I'm rather happy with it!

[John V]

I'm not going to claim the vent from my loo never smells but it is a fairly rare occurrence. I use white vinegar for de scaling and bakers yeast as treatment.

 

I add a solution made with bakers yeast after every pump out but give it a second dose if it starts to niff later (it's a very large tank).

 

I know there are specialist products nowadays but I have been using this system for many years and I am quite happy with it.

[KJT]

I'm using Silky RX. It's a living enzyme in granular form, added at the rate of a teaspoon a month, so the relatively small bottle for just under a tenner lasts a long time. As well as tackling odour, which it has done very well for us, it also claims to break down solids. Since using it, my previously traitorous gauge has become reliably accurate, so I'm rather happy with it!

Where can you get it from?

 

Ken

[Cheshire Marine]

Does your system include a " no smell filter " on the breather tube ? Vetus market one , which is why i ask . If so , maybe the carbon filter cartridge inside needs replacing .

 

 

My thoughts exactly. The no smell filter is usually round, about 6" diameter and contains carbon filters, these need replacing once a year.

[MtB]

This smell from the pump out vent intrigues me. We used to moor in a marina and eventually asked to move to a different place in the marina as the pump-out smell continually wafting over us from the boat next door was most unpleasant.

 

I very occasionally notice the same smell from other boats too, but definitely not from all pump-out WC boats. Most don't smell in any way, so what is the difference? Why do a few stink and others not at all?

[Laurie Booth]

This smell from the pump out vent intrigues me. We used to moor in a marina and eventually asked to move to a different place in the marina as the pump-out smell continually wafting over us from the boat next door was most unpleasant.

 

I very occasionally notice the same smell from other boats too, but definitely not from all pump-out WC boats. Most don't smell in any way, so what is the difference? Why do a few stink and others not at all?

Life style of the owners.

[John V]

Mike, it's to do with what bacteria are active in the tank, some smell very badly, so you try to encourage other types of yeasts and bacteria to grow. Often if someone has been using standard household cleaning products these will kill off the good bacteria and you then normally end up with the smelly kind.

I'm not an expert by any means, but there are some on here who are and can explain in more detail.

[Woodstock]

That is our experience as well, been fine since we started using it a few years ago, now not working- smells appearing only a few days after a pumpout.

The Odourloss bottle says "no smells guaranteed" !

What bio laundry detergent do you use? How much?

I just use a cheapish own brand one that's concentrated and make sure its bio for the enzymes to break down the contents. So far I've used a tesco lavender one and a co-op floral one. I add about 200-300ml after a pump out and a capful every so often. When we leave the boat for any time I add a glug and then flush

[Sea Dog]

Where can you get it from?

 

Ken

 

I got mine when passing Midland Chandlers, who also do mail order. Other outlets are available If you're looking for it on a shelf in a chandlery, it's a white plastic screw top container about the size of a cough mixture bottle.

 

I'd never seen it mentioned anywhere so I just took a risk on it from reading the label and 6 months in I'm glad i did.

[magnetman]

Life style of the owners.

Do cc.er vents stink more than marina dwellers or is that not what you meant by lifestyle

 

Typ edit

Edited October 2, 2015 by magnetman

[aread2]

Where can you get it from?

 

Ken

You can get baker's yeast free from any Tesco bakery department where they bake in-store.

[Laurie Booth]

Do cc.er vents stink more than marina dwellers or is that not what you meant by lifestyle

 

Typ edit

Food intake.

[KJT]

I got mine when passing Midland Chandlers, who also do mail order. Other outlets are available If you're looking for it on a shelf in a chandlery, it's a white plastic screw top container about the size of a cough mixture bottle.

 

I'd never seen it mentioned anywhere so I just took a risk on it from reading the label and 6 months in I'm glad i did.

You can get baker's yeast free from any Tesco bakery department where they bake in-store.

Thanks for the info.

 

Ken

[Silebyman]

We use Odorlos as well. I was a bit underwhelmed by it as it worked fine after a pump out and then if the boat was left for a couple of weeks the vent would stink on first flush

 

After much searching I figured out that the Odorlos gets used up and if I keep topping adding a dose to the tank every few days it works well

The claimed self generation of good bacteria doesn't really work ok narrowboat holding tanks as it doesn't get agitated like a sailing boat would.

[jeanb]

Thank you for all the replies. After an early pump out and rinse out and a double dose of Odourlos the terrible smell issue appears to have settled down. We will reinvigorate this topic if the scary problem comes back.

[Silebyman]

We can keep it all under control and fragrant easily when on the boat using the Odorlos. Where we struggle is when leaving the boat for a couple of weeks for work etc as the Odorlos gets used up

[Sea Dog]

We can keep it all under control and fragrant easily when on the boat using the Odorlos. Where we struggle is when leaving the boat for a couple of weeks for work etc as the Odorlos gets used up

 

Aparently this is not the case with the yeast recommended by John V which he adds monthly. Not the case with the Silky RX I use either, which is added at a teaspoon per month. From the Silky blurb.......

 

A unique enzyme based toilet odour and solid reducer technology that makes your boat a more pleasant place to be! • Reduces smells and odours aboard the boat. • Reduces and breaks down solids in the holding tank making pumping out easier and more pleasant. • Lightweight and extremely efficient in usage. • 65g package will last an entire season and not take up the space of a liquid based treatment. • Single teaspoon dose required per month. • No harsh chemicals. • Totally natural enzyme based formula that is classed as treated as sewage.

 

Pays your money: takes your choice.

 

Disclaimer: I have no connection with Silky (I think I may in fact be a budding tortoise salesman), but I have put away quite large quantites of yeast one way or another in my time!