Smelly Morco Water Heater

[blythecooper]

I have a smell coming from my Morco heater.. Until now I have assumed that it was actually coming from the bilge below, as the shower tray had been leaking for some time when I bought the boat and there was a lot of old water sitting in the bilge. That's all dried out now and there is no smell coming from the bilge.

 

I'm fairly sure the smell isn't gas (although the more I sniff it, the more paranoid I'm making myself feel about that), but will get hold of a leakage detector and check that asap. From my brief Googling I've read that bacteria can cause a sulphur smell. I wouldn't describe the smell as sulphurous either...

 

I'm currently cruising every day and getting my hot water from the calorifier, and so the heater isn't being used at all- could this lack of use have an effect on potential bad smells?

 

I also don't know when it was last cleaned, so that's on my to-do list as well.

 

Any thoughts/experience of this?

 

@Mike the Boilerman- I know you'll have some very helpful advice! Thought I'd put it out to the hive mind as well rather than just send you a private message

[MtB]

1 hour ago, blythecooper said:

I'm currently cruising every day and getting my hot water from the calorifier, and so the heater isn't being used at all- could this lack of use have an effect on potential bad smells?

 

Nope. They don't care being left unused indefinitely. I very much doubt it is the water heater smelling. An dead rat perhaps? Do you have a cat? Decaying rats smell truly awful, don't ask how I know...

 

 

1 hour ago, blythecooper said:

 

@Mike the Boilerman- I know you'll have some very helpful advice! Thought I'd put it out to the hive mind as well rather than just send you a private message

You have a gas cooker IIRC. Try turning a gas ring ON briefly but don't light it. Have a sniff instead to find out exactly what gas smells like. Its a VERY distinctive smell. Then sniff the water heater again. There is no risk associated with running a gas ring unlit for say ten seconds.

 

Hope that helps!

[canals are us?]

And there was me thinking mrsmelly had gone into production of making water heaters!

 

James

Edited June 25, 2018 by canals are us?

[cereal tiller]

2 hours ago, blythecooper said:

I have a smell coming from my Morco heater.. Until now I have assumed that it was actually coming from the bilge below, as the shower tray had been leaking for some time when I bought the boat and there was a lot of old water sitting in the bilge. That's all dried out now and there is no smell coming from the bilge.

 

I'm fairly sure the smell isn't gas (although the more I sniff it, the more paranoid I'm making myself feel about that), but will get hold of a leakage detector and check that asap. From my brief Googling I've read that bacteria can cause a sulphur smell. I wouldn't describe the smell as sulphurous either...

 

I'm currently cruising every day and getting my hot water from the calorifier, and so the heater isn't being used at all- could this lack of use have an effect on potential bad smells?

 

I also don't know when it was last cleaned, so that's on my to-do list as well.

 

Any thoughts/experience of this?

 

@Mike the Boilerman- I know you'll have some very helpful advice! Thought I'd put it out to the hive mind as well rather than just send you a private message

You said you are not using the Morco ,are you still using the Hob for Boiling a Kettle? .should your Service Gas Cylinder be Nearly Empty it will smell of Mercaptan which is the additive to give the LPG a distinct and Unpleasant Smell.if the Cylinder was low last time you used the Morco it's Burners may whiff of Mercaptan. 

[blythecooper]

6 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Nope. They don't care being left unused indefinitely. I very much doubt it is the water heater smelling. An dead rat perhaps? Do you have a cat? Decaying rats smell truly awful, don't ask how I know...

 

 

You have a gas cooker IIRC. Try turning a gas ring ON briefly but don't light it. Have a sniff instead to find out exactly what gas smells like. Its a VERY distinctive smell. Then sniff the water heater again. There is no risk associated with running a gas ring unlit for say ten seconds.

 

Hope that helps!

Thanks Mike!

 

It's not gas. And, although I do have a cat, it's thankfully not the smell of death. More the smell of old stinky water, which was why I was so sure it was from the shower leak. But it's definitely (ok, 99%) coming from the Morco and not the bilge. Can smell it from the heater itself and from the flue outside the boat...

Just now, blythecooper said:

Thanks Mike!

 

It's not gas. And, although I do have a cat, it's thankfully not the smell of death. More the smell of old stinky water, which was why I was so sure it was from the shower leak. But it's definitely (ok, 99%) coming from the Morco and not the bilge. Can smell it from the heater itself and from the flue outside the boat...

Or, at least, the smell is coming from roughly where the Morco is situated. Can't smell anything below that when I stick my face into the inspection hole I cut in the floor.

5 hours ago, cereal tiller said:

You said you are not using the Morco ,are you still using the Hob for Boiling a Kettle? .should your Service Gas Cylinder be Nearly Empty it will smell of Mercaptan which is the additive to give the LPG a distinct and Unpleasant Smell.if the Cylinder was low last time you used the Morco it's Burners may whiff of Mercaptan. 

Does Mercaptan smell like dirty old water?? I could well have a low gae bottle.. I've been on the boat for two months and haven't had to change it yet, which has surprised me 

[cereal tiller]

6 minutes ago, blythecooper said:

Thanks Mike!

 

It's not gas. And, although I do have a cat, it's thankfully not the smell of death. More the smell of old stinky water, which was why I was so sure it was from the shower leak. But it's definitely (ok, 99%) coming from the Morco and not the bilge. Can smell it from the heater itself and from the flue outside the boat...

Or, at least, the smell is coming from roughly where the Morco is situated. Can't smell anything below that when I stick my face into the inspection hole I cut in the floor.

Does Mercaptan smell like dirty old water?? I could well have a low gae bottle.. I've been on the boat for two months and haven't had to change it yet, which has surprised me 

Change Cylinder ,use Gas appliances for a Few Minutes to burn off Mercaptan residue ,see if Whiff reduces or disappears .. 

[MtB]

5 hours ago, cereal tiller said:

Mercaptan which is the additive to give the LPG a distinct and Unpleasant Smell.

 

Are you SURE about that? Mercaptan is the 'stenching agent' used to give natural gas (methane) its smell and that smells totally different from Calor Gas.

 

A further question yoiu may know the answer to... does Calor Propane smell the same as Calor butane? I've never compared them.   

[Richard10002]

8 minutes ago, cereal tiller said:

Change Cylinder ,use Gas appliances for a Few Minutes to burn off Mercaptan residue ,see if Whiff reduces or disappears .. 

Lift gas cylinder. If it’s fsirly light, it’s nearly empty. I’m just beginning to get “the smell”, so am expecting to have to change my bottle soon... I have no doubt that it will be after 10pm, and I will have to change it if I want hot water for my morning coffee

 

[cereal tiller]

7 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Are you SURE about that? Mercaptan is the 'stenching agent' used to give natural gas (methane) its smell and that smells totally different from Calor Gas.

 

A further question yoiu may know the answer to... does Calor Propane smell the same as Calor butane? I've never compared them.   

I think...that methane ,Propane and Butane all have Mercaptan added for Aroma.

[MtB]

Just now, cereal tiller said:

I think...that methane ,Propane and Butane all have Mercaptan added for Aroma.

 

So why does methane smell so completley and totally different from propane?

[ditchcrawler]

Ethyl Mercaptan. from this site https://www.scienceabc.com/eyeopeners/lpg-chemical-ethyl-mercaptan-gas-leakage-detect-smell-agent.html

[MtB]

3 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Ethyl Mercaptan. from this site https://www.scienceabc.com/eyeopeners/lpg-chemical-ethyl-mercaptan-gas-leakage-detect-smell-agent.html

 

I'll raise you THIS:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odorizer

 

Which says Mercaptan is the agent in natural gas, which smells completely different. 

 

Does the team think there are different types of mercaptan with different smells?

[cereal tiller]

23 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

So why does methane smell so completley and totally different from propane?

Maybe Methane is from Herbivore Dinosaur Poo and Propane is Omnivore poo? 

Makes sense when you think about it ..but not much!?

Edited June 25, 2018 by cereal tiller

[MtB]

1 minute ago, cereal tiller said:

Maybe Methane is from Herbivore Dinosaur Poo and Propane is Omnivore poo? 

Makes sense when you think about it ..but not much!?

 

You've been on the cooking sherry again, I can tell!

[Richard10002]

Unfortunately, in some circumstances you cannot smell the odour even when there is a leak. Natural gas and propane are both naturally odourless. ... There are a number of different types of odourants used for both gases, but methyl mercaptan is usually used for natural gas and ethyl mercaptan for propane.

Propane and Natural Gas - Sintra Engineering | Western Canada's ...

www.resolvematters.ca › pages

 

[cereal tiller]

2 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

You've been on the cooking sherry again, I can tell!

I stir a bit of Murkcaptain into it, cheaper than Sulphites!

[ditchcrawler]

13 minutes ago, Richard10002 said:

Unfortunately, in some circumstances you cannot smell the odour even when there is a leak. Natural gas and propane are both naturally odourless. ... There are a number of different types of odourants used for both gases, but methyl mercaptan is usually used for natural gas and ethyl mercaptan for propane.

Propane and Natural Gas - Sintra Engineering | Western Canada's ...

www.resolvematters.ca › pages

 

They use to add it at Bacton, you knew if they spilt any

[rusty69]

8 hours ago, cereal tiller said:

I stir a bit of Murkcaptain into it, cheaper than Sulphites!

Is he related to Captain Tolley? 

[cereal tiller]

3 hours ago, rusty69 said:

Is he related to Captain Tolley? 

Is that the Chepp that has a Creeping Crack?

[rusty69]

1 hour ago, cereal tiller said:

Is that the Chepp that has a Creeping Crack?

Nope. He cured it.