Attack on Head Stink

[Bob_A]

Upon arriving at our new boat a week after getting it to home port, I opened the enclosure and nearly fell off the dock. Seriously I thought a seal had gotten into the cockpit the smell was so bad. Coming to the realization this was from our boat I went down the path of complete sanitation hose replacement as the original Shields XHD had permeated and then some. This being a project many out there have done I wont go into too much detail but perhaps a few things I did might be of interest. I replaced everything except some of the anti siphon loops as these did not smell at all. I did not replace the Holding Tank discharge as the effluent doesn't sit in the hose and the warm cloth wrap test produced no smell. One other hose worth mentioning to save your back and knuckles is the shower sump to sea cock. This had zero smell as well and is a very difficult hose to get out and replace. I wanted (and would have) used the Raritan Sani Flex but availability was zero here and ordering from the US during Covid has been very expensive. (PS - I found the best supply and pricing at Catalina Direct) I chose instead Greenline G380 Sanitation Hose due to availability and not too terrible cost. Also its principle material is Butyl Rubber not unlike the Raritan. I realize there is more to anti permeation then that but it was a good sign. Also the Greenline and the Raritan look almost identical less the product name. (a coincidence?) Very tight bend radius and overall flexibility is paramount to our size boats. I use nothing but ABA - AWAB hose clamps and wouldn't use any other. I personally don't subscribe to the 2 clamps below waterline method as this is not required anywhere but Fuel intake and exhaust. Instead I let the hose barb length dictate whether it will be 2 clamps (long barb) or 1 clamp (short barb). The rest is petty straight forward (except nothing is straight and it killed my body)
I did incorporate the alternate fresh water flush "T" within the head sink drain before the sea cock. We open when out for a longer trip and flush with sea water then close at home and flush the whole system free of sea water with fresh water from the sink. Very easy and very effective.
From the pics you'll see I elected to install the "T" below the vanity floor board. Not sure I'd bother with that trouble if I did this again. It looks nice but its tricky. Thank-you to the fellow Owner who posted the hinged floor board idea. As I am at this sea cock often this has proven an awesome improvement. Best tools for this job - An electric hair dryer (not a heat gun!) to warm all old hose to get it off and warm the new to help it on plus some water based personal lube. Theres a joke here I'm sure. One last little tip. I found this work impossible (for me) without removing all the millwork behind the toilet. Fiddley for sure but on my boat the large front face comes out by lifting straight up then out (it was ever so slightly tapered)
The result of all this is a very nice smelling boat.

[Olivia Mae]

Nice!

A quick story that I'm sure you'll appreciate now that you've done that job. A couple of years ago, I replaced the head and hoses on ours. I was doing the work at the marina in the fall. The weather was blustery, rainy, and cold with some snow flurries. There was no one there but me. I dropped a 1/4" extension and socket behind the head in no man's land near where the thru hull is. I thought, "Maybe I can get my hand down in the hole and retrieve it." I did manage to get my arm down in the hole past the elbow. I could not reach my missing tools with my finger tips, however. Then I realized I couldn't retrieve my arm either. I could not get my elbow to clear the orifice I jammed it into. The more I tried to free it, the more it swelled. My cell phone was just out of reach, as well. Great, I thought, someone will find me stuck in the head in the spring. Finally I managed to calm down and twist / wrench my arm free of its hell-hold. Got the job done and headed home. Sheesh!

Almost the end of the story... A few days later, my elbow turned red and started to swell. "Not good", I thought. Then it really blossomed. I went to the Dr, and was diagnosed with cellulitis in my arm. It took 2 rounds of antibiotics (I'm allergic to many of them) to get things to calm down and heal.

So, yeah, true story. Not sure I learned anything. I still do stupid stuff.

[Bob_A]

Great story!
Thanks ... glad it all healed up well.