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Old 11-22-2015, 12:38 PM   #1
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Cleaning stinking drains

Hey guys,

Our galley sink drain is starting to emit a funky odor. It drains just below the waterline so is exposed to seawater. Looking for recommendations on the best thing to use to clean and deodorize.

Thanks
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Old 11-22-2015, 12:49 PM   #2
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I use a lot of hot fresh water followed by liberal pouring of vinegar. Boaters tend to minimize water use and don't flush the pipes enuff. So when your tied up to the dock, run the hot water and don't be afraid to empty the tank. Then several cups of vinegar to follow. Did this on both the boat and the RV and it helps.
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Old 11-22-2015, 01:11 PM   #3
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hydrogen peroxide will also help kill anything living in the joints. I don't know if that's better than Vinegar, but may help.
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Old 11-22-2015, 01:22 PM   #4
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I keep a spray bottle of diluted bleach under each sink.

I give each sink a shot when it smells and it is handy for mildew in corners or small spots. Handy for spraying in remote access areas to the hull interior that also usually has a touch of milder here and there.
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Old 11-22-2015, 01:30 PM   #5
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Close the seacock (assuming that, because it drains below waterline, there is a seacock. If there isn't, there should be!).. Put about 2 oz of Raritan C.P. into the drain and fill with water...let stand at least overnight.. Open the seacock, flush out the drain. If you'll do this once a month, you'll always have clean sweet smelling drains. A couple of ounces down the shower drain on a into a sump that's about 25% full of water on a regular basis when it can stand at least overnight will keep it running free and odor free. It can remain in a sump or a drain for a year without harming anything, but it does need time for the enzymes to do their job.

So WHY Raritan C.P.? Although Raritan only markets it as a toilet bowl cleaner--an excellent one!--it's a bio-enzymatic cleaner that also happens to be best sump and drain cleaner on the planet. Not only does it destroy odors on contact, but the enzymes in it "eat" grease, oil, hair, soap scum...all the the things that make drains and sumps stink and clog up sump pumps.

Btw... C.P. was part of the product line that my own company developed and then sold to Raritan...possibly the BEST product in our line.
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Old 11-22-2015, 01:52 PM   #6
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Close the seacock (assuming that, because it drains below waterline, there is a seacock. If there isn't, there should be!).. Put about 2 oz of Raritan C.P. into the drain and fill with water...let stand at least overnight.. Open the seacock, flush out the drain. If you'll do this once a month, you'll always have clean sweet smelling drains. A couple of ounces down the shower drain on a into a sump that's about 25% full of water on a regular basis when it can stand at least overnight will keep it running free and odor free. It can remain in a sump or a drain for a year without harming anything, but it does need time for the enzymes to do their job.

So WHY Raritan C.P.? Although Raritan only markets it as a toilet bowl cleaner--an excellent one!--it's a bio-enzymatic cleaner that also happens to be best sump and drain cleaner on the planet. Not only does it destroy odors on contact, but the enzymes in it "eat" grease, oil, hair, soap scum...all the the things that make drains and sumps stink and clog up sump pumps.

Btw... C.P. was part of the product line that my own company developed and then sold to Raritan...possibly the BEST product in our line.
Howdy Peggie

C.P. sure sounds great... Your own Co developed it... maybe I missed something all this time. Can you further enlighten regarding your Co?

Cheers! - Art
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Old 11-22-2015, 03:03 PM   #7
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You haven't missed anything Art...I started the company in '87 with one product, added a few that we could stand behind with money back guarantee, became a distributor and mail order retailer for every US mfr of toilets, tanks and related products and accessories, became a vendor to WM, B/US and a couple other national retailers, learned a LOT along the way...sold it to Raritan in '99. My occupation ever since has been "semi-retired consultant/author."
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Old 11-22-2015, 03:21 PM   #8
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Greetings,
Ms. HM. "...My occupation ever since has been "semi-retired consultant/author." Ummmm....you forgot cute!
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Old 11-22-2015, 03:55 PM   #9
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We've always had good success with CP.


About that seacock thing... I suppose, if the discharge is below the waterline...


But we've found P-traps to be quite common as well, and one source of odor is simply stuff (soap, hair, grease, whatever, depending on sink) sitting in the trap. In that case, a good rinse is useful... but we've also augmented with a little toy plunger, to break up the lettuce or whatever... so more flushing can move more of that out over the hump and out the rest of the line.


Plus periodic treatments with CP.


Although vinegar and baking soda can do some good, too.


-Chris
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Old 11-22-2015, 04:59 PM   #10
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P-traps do not belong on boats. Their sole purpose on land is to provide a water gap that blocks sewer gasses that would otherwise escape through showers, tubs and sinks. But sink, tub and shower drains on boats aren't connected to sewers, eliminating the need for P-traps to block any gasses from sewers (gray water tanks CAN stink, but don't have to if they're maintained, so they're not a valid defense of P-traps). Because all drains on boats drain via gravity, P-traps are nothing but impedances to good drainage. And, as Chris noted, they become traps for food and other non-liquids that go down drains.
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Old 11-22-2015, 05:33 PM   #11
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Haven't have the problem. Maybe putting a bit of chlorine in the fresh-water tanks helps.
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Old 11-22-2015, 06:48 PM   #12
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You haven't missed anything Art...I started the company in '87 with one product, added a few that we could stand behind with money back guarantee, became a distributor and mail order retailer for every US mfr of toilets, tanks and related products and accessories, became a vendor to WM, B/US and a couple other national retailers, learned a LOT along the way...sold it to Raritan in '99. My occupation ever since has been "semi-retired consultant/author."
Cool!!!
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Old 11-22-2015, 06:52 PM   #13
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Greetings,
Ms. HM. "...My occupation ever since has been "semi-retired consultant/author." Ummmm....you forgot cute!
Agreed!


Cute was well before "semi-retired" too... so was and is smart!!
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Old 11-22-2015, 09:10 PM   #14
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Great idea for the CP with closed seacock. We're going to give that a go.

Thanks Peggy!
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Old 11-22-2015, 09:47 PM   #15
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A 20 year career in advertising overlapped my starting a company that specialized in poop management. Several people have told me it really wasn't much of a career leap.
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Old 11-22-2015, 11:08 PM   #16
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I suspect gunk in the pipe. There is a gizmo sold at the dollar store that has little nubbies on it. Plunge it down the drain and then tug it up. Do that multiple times and you'll be surprised what all appears.

I just did mine and it was disgusting. No smell as my drain is above the water line. And the hair (puppy) managed to catch a lot of other stuff that should have gone down the drain.

It's called a Zip-It drain cleaner. Here's a picture from an upcoming article (unpublished as of yet)

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Old 11-23-2015, 06:01 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HeadMistress View Post
P-traps do not belong on boats. Their sole purpose on land is to provide a water gap that blocks sewer gasses that would otherwise escape through showers, tubs and sinks. But sink, tub and shower drains on boats aren't connected to sewers, eliminating the need for P-traps to block any gasses from sewers (gray water tanks CAN stink, but don't have to if they're maintained, so they're not a valid defense of P-traps). Because all drains on boats drain via gravity, P-traps are nothing but impedances to good drainage. And, as Chris noted, they become traps for food and other non-liquids that go down drains.

Many manufacturers don't seem to know that first part.

I've read it's also about blocking gasses (including CO, as from gensets) from the boat you're rafted to. I guess that sounds slightly plausible...



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I suspect gunk in the pipe.
I suspect Janice's Shucker has a P-trap.

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Old 11-23-2015, 06:53 AM   #18
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Many manufacturers don't seem to know that first part.

I've read it's also about blocking gasses (including CO, as from gensets) from the boat you're rafted to. I guess that sounds slightly plausible...





I suspect Janice's Shucker has a P-trap.

-Chris
Good point on the genset exhaust or CO in general. Guess it would depend if the thru-hull empties under water or not.

Goes to show...many different opinions and reasons to do things a particular way on a boat...and depending on which position is taken...might sway the way one deals with setting a boat up.
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Old 11-23-2015, 09:59 AM   #19
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P-traps in sink drains aren't much protection from CO...Every above waterline thru-hull, hatch and even the smallest cracks that allow air in are openings for CO from gas generators. I've known of more than a few times when canvas cockpit enclosures became death traps. Diesel is low risk unless you're in the engine room with a leaky exhaust...but anyone who runs a gas genset while sleeping is suicidal even the boat has CO detectors.
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Old 11-23-2015, 10:04 AM   #20
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More than a few that own gas boats with gensets will disagree about being suicidal...and there was at least one death the USCG has attributed to CO making its way into a stateroom through the sink drain....

Obviously a freak accident...but then again...where are the openings and likely hood of being in the path of CO?

Just saying there are more than one set of concerns and experiences that drive boat designing, building and ,modifying.
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