Head Odors
One of the chief causes of head odor is poor maintenance or design of the onboard sanitation system.The hose and hose connections are often, but not always, the culpable components.
Good hose is useless if the unions are not well clamped. Barbed hose end fittings should be snug and securely sealed and, of course, free of leaks.
All hoses fail. You can prolong the life of your hose and prevent odors by ensuring there are no loops that can trap sewage.The easiest way to identify a failed hose, is to rub a clean cloth along it and sniff it every foot.
Rigid PVC tubing will also contain odors as well, but it is only suitable for long, straight hose runs between the head and the holding tank.If there are many bends and unions, they will only introduce more potential for leaks.
Some head odors come from rotting organic matter, such as seaweed and krill in the intake line or holding tank.Boats that have ready access to a dock or adequate freshwater capacity (either in tankage or watermaker) may want to consider upgrading to a freshwater-flush system.
Saltwater heads will benefit from a freshwater flush as well.Some head odor problems can be resolved simply by a routine flush-closing the intake seacock and flushing freshwater through the head.
For advice on choosing installing the best sanitation system for your boat, purchase and download Marine Sanitation Systems, Volume 1 – Marine Toilets today!
