AC odor problem

C

Charlie

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Dec 6, 2001
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6922
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I've asked this before and tried the suggestions. Has anybody got anymore?

We have an odor coming from our aft cabin AC. There are 3 AC units on the boat. Only the aft cabin one smells. It's not head or holding tank smell. I've replaced the tank hoses and spent hours sniffing out hoses and tank. The unit is located with its return inside a closet. The output vent is channeled thtough wood/fiberboard boxing above the aft cabin closet. We painted all the wood in the closet, floor and vent with kilz and house paint. My wife took the vent entirely apart to paint. There is nothing left but the heat exchanger. I have sprayed peroxide on the coils and scrubbed the water catch tray. I have blasted the drain with a garden hose. It drains real good. I scrubbed the damn thing with KO.

What now??? It's making us nuts.Help!!!!
 
Charlie : I had a problem with last boat, and sprayed the intake with a product called Pure Ayre , that I purchased from scalise marine in Fla. I don't know if Boatfix carries this, but attacks the micros that cause odor, and it did work. That would be my only suggestion, since it certainly sounds like you have tried all the rest.
 
You might also try an activated carbon filter such as they put on ventilation fans over stoves. The carbon adsorbs organic material such as odor causing bugs.
 
are you certain it is not from water sitting somewhere in the area and being circulated by the AC? e.g. check rudder packings.
 
I think Bruce might be right. Check the bilge area for nasty stinkies!

Jonathan
 
Charlie, have you sealed the closet? As others have mentioned, you may be pulling odors from a bilge area. Painting may seal the wood, but you still need to caulk/silicone where the walls meet each other, where the walls meet the floor, where the walls meet the ceiling and also, anywhere tubing and/or wires are coming into the closet. Seal every possible crack or leak. Granted you may have done these things already, but I'm just suggesting them in case it was overlooked.

By the way, what's it smell like?

MardiGrasTexan
 
Mardigras, Can't seal the closet floor. It gives access to the bilge. The holding tank is below it. I've satisfied myself that it's not holding tank relared. The bilge has it's normal enginey smell and the odor from the AC is different. It's kind of musty sometimes and chemically at others.

Bruce, there is a small amount of water in the parts of the bilge where it doesn't rise enough to enter the limber holes. Short of leaving the fuel tanks cmpletely empty to change the lie of the boat. It comes from the shafts [7 drops a minute] and from rainwater from the lazerette hatches in the cockpit. There are no leaks around the rudder packings. There is a small amount of water under each engine from the same thing. There is no odor from the water.

I haven't found Pure Ayre locally yet but I'm looking.
 
Charlie:
Any water will eventually stink. IMO you need to evaluate those conditions more.
 
I'm willing to Bruce but I'm not sure how to get and keep those channels completely dry.
 
Having similar issues, on 1999 Sea Ray 480 SD. We have 3 ac units, but it is the middle one is the one that is sending a stench into both staterooms (port & starboard, making the kids sick). We have never put water in the tanks, we did replace the sanitation so lines 2 years ago. Any suggestions?
 
First thing to check is that the unit is not pulling return air from the bilge. Often builders take short cut and while there may be a grille for air to be pulled in th space in which the air handler sits is also open to the bilge. This can be a problem especially if th holding tank is in the area. Sometimes with age, th seals around the holding tank sender fail and when you flush air from th tank leak out in the bilge.

First thing I d check,

What kind of smell? Rotten eggs?
 
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