Happy Holidays everyone! We have been houseboating for a year now and are loving it. 1985 Gibson 44. Been fixing it up and have everything in order except there is an odor in the bilge that we cant seem to get rid of. I found one of the lines going to the holding tanks leaking and fixed it, but that smell just wont go away. We've tried bleach, which works good for a short time and ventilation which helps. Any ideas or advice will be greatly appreciated!

-------------------------
1985 Gibson 44
Twin 270 Crusaders
Defeated Creek Marina
Cumberland River TN

Welcome Aboard!

Stay away from bleach, it will cause problems. Your holding tank may have expired and needs to be replaced if it is leaking.

If you want to clean your bildge, buy the product for that task at the boat store.

-------------------------
Banana Tom

First, rinse out all the bleach and anything else you've dumped in the bilge, and then mop up all remaining water. Then buy some PureAyre http://www.pureayre.com  Put it in a garden pump up spray bottle (a lot easier to use than a trigger sprayer) and liberally coat every surface, nook and cranny in the area where the spill occurred. Do NOT rinse...let it dry, if possible with hatches open and even a fan on, for 24 hours. That'll  get rid of the odor completely and permanently...if it doesn't, you missed a spot.

PureAyre is a bit pricy, but the stuff works...not only on organic odors like sewage spills,
mold, mildew etc, but it's the only thing I've found that'll also eliminate smoke and even diesel odors...ANY odor. I tripped over it at a boat show in Seattle a couple of years ago...brought some home to test...and have been sold it ever since.

-------------------------
Peggie Hall, Moderator
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987, Author: "Get Rid of Boat Odors--A Guide to Marine Sanitation Systems and Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor."
[L=http://shop.sailboatowners.com/books/detail-books.htm?sku=66438&cat=1304[/L]

Thanks for the advice Peggy and thanks for the welcome Tom. I looked up pureayre and will order some today. I think part of the odor is mold and or mildew also, hence the bleach. We also looked at ozone generators and it seems that there are a lot of negatives with them. Anyway will give the pureayre a try and let you know how it worked out. Thanks again. Glen

-------------------------
1985 Gibson 44
Twin 270 Crusaders
Defeated Creek Marina
Cumberland River TN

If the discharge hoses are original, replace them while you are at it too. They absorb and emit a lot more odor than you would think.

Well I received the Pure Ayre and used one half of it. At seventy dollars a gallon, I didnt want to waste it, but I cant tell any difference. Possibly changing the discharge hoses will be the answer... Might have to tear out the floor and scrub down and paint.

-------------------------
1985 Gibson 44
Twin 270 Crusaders
Defeated Creek Marina
Cumberland River TN

Hidro,
What kind of negatives have you heard about an ozone generator? In May 2007, one of this forum members wrote to say he had tremendous success getting rid of odors with a rented ozone generator. Based on what I have read, and on his testimonial, I am considering renting one to get rid of exhaust/fuel odors that have permeated the curtains and carpet. There is no fuel leak that I know of but the odor gives me a headache. I haven't heard of any negatives with the ozone generator so will appreciate your feeback.

BamaBoater on the Tennessee River

Ozone in any concentration strong enough to do any good is not only a health hazard, it's also HIGHLY corrosive and destructive rubber, neoprene and flexible PVC—in other words, every seal, valve and  hose on a boat.  

According to the EPA, “Available scientific evidence shows that, at concentrations that do not exceed public health standards, ozone is generally ineffective in controlling indoor air pollution. The concentration of ozone would have to greatly exceed health standards to be effective in removing most indoor air contaminants. In the process of reacting with chemicals indoors, ozone can produce other chemicals that can be irritating and corrosive.”You can read a lot more about what the EPA has to say about 'em here:
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/ozonegen.html

And fwiw, Consumer Reports (Dec '07) reported that CA had just recently banned the sale of ozone generators for most uses...which I assume includes those for "marine" use.

As for how well any of the "marine" ozone generators work when it comes to getting rid of odors… yes, people who’ve bought them do rave about how well they work. And, yes, the manufacturers do assure you that the ozone concentration is well below that which can present any health hazard. But if that's true, they can't deliver enough ozone to destroy the SOURCES of any odors. If they did deliver enough ozone to destroy the sources of odors, it should only be necessary to run one occasionally. But among all the people you know who’ve bought ozone generators, have you ever met anyone who has one who's ever been able to turn if off without having odors return? That should be enough to tell you that ozone generators are only very expensive air fresheners, because they don't deliver enough ozone to be anything else. Save your money and get rid of the SOURCES of your odors. Eliminating the source is the only thing that really works.

However, the above applies the portable or "marine units" intended to be installed in boats and vehicles. It does not apply to COMMERCIAL ozone generators--the type used by fire and flood restoration companies...and prob'ly what your friend rented--which surprises me because some states require that only licensed certified operators to use them...I thought all states do. This type of ozone generator delivers huge amounts of ozone in a single "treatment"--enough to actually kill molds, fungi and bacteria etc that produce odor. Used just once, it's not likely to do any damage at all and may solve your problem. But again, you'd have to eliminate the source for even that much ozone to be effective for very long.

-------------------------
Peggie Hall, Moderator
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987, Author: "Get Rid of Boat Odors--A Guide to Marine Sanitation Systems and Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor."
[L=http://shop.sailboatowners.com/books/detail-books.htm?sku=66438&cat=1304[/L]

Edited: 01/23/2008 at 01:35:01 PM by peghall

Hey Bama Like Peg said, apparently ozone works on all your rubber, such as insulation and such. Also, it has a tendency to nutralize your sense of smell, so when you board your vessel, it has a better smell, because ozone is more pleasant than the odor that you are trying to get rid of, but actually the odor is still present, you just cant smell it. Now this is not from personal experience, just stuff from the net. I dont know if all that made any sense, but I had so hoped that the Pure Ayre would solve my problems, but just more money down the hole...maybe if I had one of those Harry Potter wands??

-------------------------
1985 Gibson 44
Twin 270 Crusaders
Defeated Creek Marina
Cumberland River TN

If PureAyre didn't get rid of the odor, it means the source of the odor is still there continuing to produce odor. Nothing will get rid of any odor until the source(s) of the odor(s) has been removed.

You've aleady indicated that you think the culprit is your sanitation hoses. There's a simple test to find out for certain: clean off about foot long section each hose (to remove any odor from another source that may have attached itself to the outside of the hose). Wet separate CLEAN rags for each section of hose in hot water...wring 'em out and wrap 'em around the hoses. When the rags have cooled, remove 'em and smell 'em. If you can smell the same odor on the rags, the hoses have permeated...replacement is the only cure. If you can't smell anything on the rags, the hoses aren't the source...you'll have to keep looking till you do find it and get rid of it.

Once you've found and eliminated the source of the odor, THEN treat again with the rest  of the PureAyre to eliminate any remaining residual odor permanently.

-------------------------
Peggie Hall, Moderator
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987, Author: "Get Rid of Boat Odors--A Guide to Marine Sanitation Systems and Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor."
[L=http://shop.sailboatowners.com/books/detail-books.htm?sku=66438&cat=1304[/L]

I've just reread your posts and saw that mold/mildew is more of an issue than any sewage odor...in which permeated hoses are not likely to be source. So unless they do test "positive" for sewage odor, replacing 'em won't solve your problem either.

When, if ever, was the last time you (or the PO if you've just bought the boat) really CLEANED your bilges and/or any sumps? I don't mean just dumped in some kind of cleaner and some bleach and let it slosh around, but really CLEANED 'em, followed by flushing ALL the dirty water out? And then removed any remaining water and left hatches open for a day to let 'em dry out completely? 'Cuz a wet dirty bilge or sump is a "primordial soup" that can make a boat smell like a swamp or even a sewer. You can dump everything you can think of into 'em without getting rid of the odor...but cleaning 'em--REALLY cleaning 'em and drying 'em out--once a year WILL get rid of it.

Increasing ventilation to the boat will help to prevent mold and mildew. Install some Nicro ventilation fans...leave all doors and lockers open and pull drawers out a couple of inches so that air can get behind 'em and into 'em when the boat's closed up. To get rid of existing mold and mildew, wipe down all hard surfaces with Tilex...use PureAyre to eliminate it in cushions and carpet. Just be sure to use enough to penetrate all the way through the carpet to the backing...enough from both sides of cushions to get all the way to the middle.

Finding and eliminating the sources of odors is a lot of work. The maintenance required  to prevent odors from returning is a lot easier, but still necessary unless you want to start from scratch every couple of years to find an eliminate it.

-------------------------
Peggie Hall, Moderator
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987, Author: "Get Rid of Boat Odors--A Guide to Marine Sanitation Systems and Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor."
[L=http://shop.sailboatowners.com/books/detail-books.htm?sku=66438&cat=1304[/L]

Thank you Peggie and Hidro for your help and information. I've now done more ozone generator research but also have done more cleaning on the boat. Our odor stems from odors that accumulated inside while it was closed up for a couple of years by the PO. The ozone generator treatment would be a shock treatment only, not as a continuous air cleaner. But we are rethinking using this method at all now.
We did get our PuraSan system going with a new cartridge this weekend. And cleaned out and sanitized our water holding tanks.
Thanks again for all info.

BamaBoater on the Tennessee River

Bama I think our problems are very similar as our boat has been closed up for a long time too, contributing to the odor. One of our problems with a thorough cleaning, is the areas that need it most are inaccessible without removing flooring, which is why we were looking at the ozone generator. Now I am looking at installing a small ventilation fan that can be left on while we are not using it, that will exhaust from the bilge to the outside of the vessle. Just a fan at the bilge circulates the fumes throughout the whole boat and isnt helping. I still have some of the pureayre left and will hit it again with that when the weather warms. Thanks Peg for the help with this! Glen

-------------------------
1985 Gibson 44
Twin 270 Crusaders
Defeated Creek Marina
Cumberland River TN

I hope the circulating fan works for you, Hidro. I noticed the odor in our boat from the very beginning and was told that it would go away with a good cleaning and ventilation. I'm hoping this will be the case because that would have possibly been a deal breaker had I known the odor would NEVER go away or at least dissipate to my scent comfort. So far, the strong exhast odor is diminishing, but I want it gone for good. It is amazing how the "boat smells" get into your clothing in such a short time. Good luck, too, with yours. Let us know how the PureAyre works the next time you use it.

BamaBoater on the Tennessee River

Hey ours is so bad, I got a pair of sunglasses out and I could smell it on them!! However when we are using the boat on a regular basis, cooking and such, we dont notice the odor. Its just when it is closed up for a period of time. Good luck!

-------------------------
1985 Gibson 44
Twin 270 Crusaders
Defeated Creek Marina
Cumberland River TN