Head Questions -- Need Advice!

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1st Mate

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Jun 6, 2007
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26660
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We bought our first boat recently, a beautiful 1979 Cruisers Yachts 288 Villa Vee. It is in incredible condition, has lived in a 3 sided boathouse most of its life, and appears to have been serviced regularly.

Our problems right now relate to the head, which is electric and has a 40 gallon holding tank. First,it doesn't smell too good. From reading 9 pages of head posts in this forum, I am thinking we may have permeated hoses...we'll check for that this weekend. Is changing out the sanitation hoses a DIY job? DH is quite handy, but he woudn't want to spend a whole day with his head in the head!

The second problem seems more serious. We had the holding tank pumped out the last time we were out, but forgot to put the deodorizer in (we won't do THAT again!). I put it in, and noticed behind the toilet was not too clean, so proceeded to wipe it down with Clorox Wipes. I cleaned off hoses, too. I did NOT bump or move either of the valves. When I flushed after cleaning the bowl (with a proper cleanser) my husband was outside and saw that it flushed directly into the lake instead of the holding tank! He tried the valves in every conceivable configuration, and it didn't make a difference, it all flushed to the lake, yikes. Could this be caused by a clogged valve? I have seen reference to duckbills(?) and Y valves while reading this forum. What exactly are the functions of these, and how do you clean them? Again, is this a DIY project?

If you have any thoughts on what else could be causing these problems or what we should do about them, we welcome your input. Thanks so much for your help on these smelly (and illegal!) problems.

Jan
 
Changing the hoses can be a DIY but it normally takes some effort and can get ugly unless you have everything empty and flushed with clean water a few times. Sanitation hoses normally need to be convinced to go onto fittings, like heating them up slightly to make them more flexible.

As for flushing directly overboard, you may have a valve in the wrong position or you could have a valve that is not operating correctly even though you move the handle. The "Y" valve is used to direct the flow from one source to one of the 2 outlets depending on the handle position.

Best of luck and welcome to the pleasures of boat ownership.
 
Thanks, Silverton. It sounds like our boat needs a little trip to the marina professionals. And so it begins...
 
It is also possible that the H/T is completely full and the discharge you see is the overflow exiting the vent. If this is the case you need to:

Pump out the tank.
Replace the vent filter ( if any ).
Rinse and confirm that the vent is completely free and open.

--

I agree that new hoses can be done by most people, it is an "ugly" job. If you DO want to change the hoses yourself, pump out the tank, fill w/ fresh water then pump again ( repeat if you wish ). Then flush a full gallon of white vinegar down the head, leaving the vinegar in the hoses. Let sit for a while ( Drink a a beer. The beer beforehand my also help! ), then begin the replacement process.

If you find that you MUST use some form of lubricant on the hoses, even after softening them a bit with a hair dryer, then use a "water soluble lubricant" that you got from the drugstore. Do not use grease or oil. Do not use a sealer such as silicone sealant.

If you find the odor truly incompatible with the human lifeform, then try a small amount of Vic's Vaporub applied to the upper lip ( some people have skin which is sensitive to Vick's. Test first. )
 
Dabbing Vicks on the lower outside of a dust mask can help too. Make sure the nose vent is folded down so the vapors don't get in your eyes...
signed,
an ex-AEMT that went to too many adult difficulty breathing calls two days too late.
 
Thanks guys. Great information. Although we just had the H/T pumped two weeks ago, we will do it again tomorrow. Maybe the guy who did it didn't do a good enough job. Sure hope it isn't full of something solid! And I think I'll make an appointment at the marina to get the valve and hoses checked. Also love the Vicks hint. That stuff is good for so many things!
 
changing hoses is no big deal.. it's time consuming and tough depending on location and access. but frainly paying almost $100 an hour labor is far more painful... :-)

some boats can let water in the holding tank from the underwater discharge of the macerator if equipped... check your system, close the seacock if you have that.

you need to trace the line from the head to the tank to see if you have a Y valve to select overboard or holding tank. If you do, it must be LOCKED when not at least 3 miles offshore. that's a USCG fine if they catch you.

as to using chemical treatment/deodorizer, that's not a big deal... you shoudlnt smell the difference inside the boat, only outside by the vent when someone flushes...
 
A dab of Vicks Vaporub on the upper lip has been standard equipment for military and other rescue-type personnel who have to retrieve dead bodies, for many years - to offset the terrible smell. It wouldn't hurt to use a little of it when opening up sanitation hose connections.

But the most common source for onboard sewage odor is that the hoses have permeated - it's been known to happen in as little as 3 months. So don't simply think that if the hoses were changed 3 years ago, that they couldn't possibly be the source of the odor. It's either that, or a leak somewhere at a hose joint or connection.

If the odor is coming out the tank's vent, that's where your holding tank additives, and the inside of the tank come into play.
 
oh come on... it's not that bad ! duckbills, hoses, etc... are far easier on the nose than diapers... :-)
 
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