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Smell in closet and Head - 1972 43' DC

  • Thread starter Thread starter JPBuffalo
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JPBuffalo

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Mar 29, 2017
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  1. OWNER - I own a Hatteras Yacht
Hatteras Model
43' DOUBLE CABIN (1970 - 1984)
I am getting a stale - pungent smell in the forward head (off the galley) and the forward birth closet (back side of the forward head). Comes and goes .. I am using an ozonator and an air filter to help combat the smell .. but would like to find the origin.

I have bleached and cleaned the holding tanks (4x's cycle) - appears to have resolved the sulfur water smell. I have also used porta-pak Walex Deodorizer in the heads - much success in the aft head .. not as much in the forward.

Boat is new to us this year and I don't know the last time the waste tank was pumped out.

Any suggestions?
 
Get the tank pumped out pronto; the warning light could be out - mine is. Try to assure you use a facility that has a pumpout with oomph...we've found many marinas have weak systems that struggle with tall boats. Any evidence of trouble in the forward bilge? I use a product called Noflex Digestor after it was recommended here - you'll find a couple of threads discussing it in the archives. Fortunately for me, the PO replaced all the waste hose with Trident a couple of years before I bought the boat.
 
I agree with both posts above. If smell continues consider changing out your hoses as well. If you start using digester make sure that you flush the tanks out thoroughly. If there is any bleach left in the system it will kill the little munchers.
 
Thanks - I am planning on getting her pumped out this week .. I will put it at the top of the list.
 
Are you flushing with fresh water or raw water. Raw water can lead to odors, especially after sitting all week. If this is the case, rinse the head and hoses with soapy water each time you leave the boat.

Bobk
 
Stored spare racor filters can cause similar smells. Our boat had a dozen stored in a compartment in the salon when we first bought the boat.
 
I thought that all old Hatts smelled that way.
 
He's got enough to worry about. Let him enjoy it for just a bit longer.
 
Bob Bradley said:
I thought that all old Hatts smelled that way.
Click to expand...

No way Bob. I found a couple of sources of 'that Hatteras smell' and each was related to the plywood used for decks and shelves that were wet and rotting. This is fixable by stopping the leaks and coating the bad wood with a thin epoxy. But you knew this, right.... just forgot the imogee ;)

Bobk
 
Last edited:
This was my Hatteras smell.
Aft bilge and shower sump leaking into keel closed cell foam. Well not so closed cell.
Ended up with about hundred gallons of nasty stinky stuff.
Stink 1.webpStink 2.webp
 
OMG how nasty is that. How did you get it all out?
 
Current condition much better now.
Clean.webp
This was part of a bigger project replacing lazarette fresh water tank and moving shower sump.

I removed aft bilge sub floor between stringers and keel freshwater tank. Cant understand why painted plywood was deemed adequate for that location.
Used 3000psi pressure wash to cut and destroy foam, Netted floating material, and pumped water through "pantyhose" filter into holding tank. Removed may cubic feet of foam, but after the high pressure water got through with it, it only filled a few industrial trash bags.
Pressure wash lance was taped to 12' PVC tube to reach under tank. Took two weekends that were not much fun. But I live on the boat, so plenty of adult beverages improved matters no end.

What I found was interesting.
Many voids, some uncured and non gassed two part foam, though it had solidified.
Keel fresh water tank was further forward than shown on drawing IE a small person can get under it for several feet. Mind you would have to be pulled out by your feet with a rope. I speculate that my tank was placed in the same position as in the non cockpit version of my boat. I believe the 56 MY. My 61 CMY keel is longer
Also I cannot say it is not present but aft engine room bulkhead between freshwater tank and aft diesel tank does not extend to bottom of keel, though it is possibly rotted away. Though no pieces of rotted plywood were found.
The good news was no diesel found in water, so looks like no fuel tank issues. And no seawater leaks into keel space.
Took three months of flooding my new bilge area with bleach solution and drying every two weeks to kill odor.
Next is to relocate bilge pump.
 
racclarkson@gmail.com said:
He said the boat was new to him. When should we break the news to him about those pickup tubes?

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hatteras+holding+tank
Click to expand...


10-12 years ago, a major Hatteras yard informed me that I had a leaking forward black water holding tank and for $20,000 they would replace it. Well, let's just say my confidence in them was not no high, so , pulled pump out pipe and fittings, and thoroughly washed out that holding tanks with bleach, soap and water. It turned out quite clean. I topped it off with fresh shore side water (not raw) and let it sit for a week. A week later, it had not leaked a drop. However, I did learn that my other holding tank had nothing more that a corroded pump out pipe. I sourced a replacement from Sam's, cut it to fit (very carefully) and voila, complete pump outs from then on.

So I am surprised that the holding tank required complete replace or repair, as that would be a first; but obviously it does happen.

Finally, those brass screws on top of the brass plate, into which all the fittings are screw, do not come out! They are there from when build and their only purpose was to hold those brass plates in place, until the tank resin cured.
 
First of all .. you guys are awesome .. It is new to me and the videos were great (if not scary).

So, an update - I pumped out the waste tanks yesterday. I was a bit angry to realize they were very full and they must have sat that way since last season - we have not used the heads much at all as last week is when we finally had the starboard engine running properly and took her out. That said - the pump out station complained that I almost filled his tank!

So, I managed to find the Y valves - One in the entrance to the front birth - and turned the valve clockwise 1/4 turn which allowed the draining of the front tank. The second Y valve was in the engine room near the rear/middle of the starboard engine. Same thing - I turned it 1/4 clockwise and the tank drained. It drained and drained. A lot of Stuff!

I then turned the valves back to where they were. My real question is -- was the original position correct? I am still getting a lot of gurgling when flushing the forward head .. like the water does not want to go down.

Can someone enlighten me as to valve positioning? i neglected to take pictures but I will try to this week and post.

Thanks in advance!
 
On my 1979 43DC the only "Y" valves I have are at the overboard thru hull fittings for selecting either waste to the holding tank or over board discharge. Hope your thru-hull over board discharge valves were CLOSED otherwise you might be opening the discharge to the sea. Not sure if the 1972 model was plumbed this way.
 
eze2bme said:
On my 1979 43DC the only "Y" valves I have are at the overboard thru hull fittings for selecting either waste to the holding tank or over board discharge. Hope your thru-hull over board discharge valves were CLOSED otherwise you might be opening the discharge to the sea. Not sure if the 1972 model was plumbed this way.
Click to expand...
Ditto on my boat. The pump out is a direct shot from holding tank to the deck fittings. No valves come into play. How do I know you might ask?

IMG_6231.webp

The flow is as follows for GM heads: After zipping up and flushing (don't forget to wash your hands), the flow exits bowl to the head pump. From there it travels to the Y in the road where, depending on your selection, it goes, a) to the holding tank or b) to the thru hull valve and to sea (if that valve is open).

Sounds like your valves were set up to pump to the tanks. If that's the case, the next thing you need to do is remove the handles from the Y valves. This is so it is obvious to anyone who might board you that you are not discharging overboard.

The gurgling or failure to evacuate the bowl could be the aforementioned Y valve being closed (or partially so) diverting waste from it's intended path to overboard. If you flush with the Y valve closed to the holding tank and the thru hull valve is also closed, the bowl will not evacuate and will fill as long as you are flushing; the motor will lug and eventually trip the breaker if it's good and tight. Partial valve positioning of the Y valve may result in partial evacuation and overfilling of the bowl.

See if this doesn't get things moving (sorry). If not, post and pictures are always a plus.

From the sound of it, your pump out off-loaded a lot of organic matter. That's a good indicator that your pick ups are in tact. Hopefully it also means that they were replaced and this little chore is not on your horizon.

Finally, it was recommended that you use No-Flex Digester to help breakdown waste and control odors. I wasn't happy with the results, so I tried another recommendation, NutralizeRX. This product works for me. NFD is made in Seattle or someplace out there and seems to be better suited to the tofu and seaweed salad vegan crowd out there. The NRX is made in Ft. Lauderdale and appears to work well for the more mainstream Hatt owners. Either way, these are cost effective ways to help out with the smell which is about to get a lot worse (I promise you) with your tanks now full of air and less of you know what.
 
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