Bilge freshener?
- Thread starter Donna
- Start date
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If your bilge smells like sewage, your head hoses would be suspect.
Sanitation hoses aren't the only source of sewage odors...a wet dirty bilge is a primordial soup that can make a whole boat smell like a swamp or even a sewer. And boat owners will try anything that promises to relieve them of the need to clean their bilges.
Peggie
http://www.amazon.com/New-Get-Rid-Boat-Odors/dp/1892399784/
"If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't completely understand it yourself." --Albert Einstein
Sanitation hoses aren't the only source of sewage odors...a wet dirty bilge is a primordial soup that can make a whole boat smell like a swamp or even a sewer. And boat owners will try anything that promises to relieve them of the need to clean their bilges.
Peggie
http://www.amazon.com/New-Get-Rid-Boat-Odors/dp/1892399784/
"If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't completely understand it yourself." --Albert Einstein
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Chris K
Veteran Member
One thing I haven't noticed (unless I missed it) in this topic is saltwater in the bilge.
As stated a dry bilge doesn't smell. But add some salt water seeping in with all its associated sea life, each dying in the bilge and you WILL get the smell of sewage.
Any of us with a salt water wash down or a saltwater going into the head can verify what that smell is. [emoji37][emoji37]. With a small amount of leakage via the shaft log or steering log the smell will rear its ugly head. I personally hit the bilge with some Dawn dishwashing soap and run fresh water into the bilge once a month letting the bilge pump take care of the water. This works for me.
As stated a dry bilge doesn't smell. But add some salt water seeping in with all its associated sea life, each dying in the bilge and you WILL get the smell of sewage.
Any of us with a salt water wash down or a saltwater going into the head can verify what that smell is. [emoji37][emoji37]. With a small amount of leakage via the shaft log or steering log the smell will rear its ugly head. I personally hit the bilge with some Dawn dishwashing soap and run fresh water into the bilge once a month letting the bilge pump take care of the water. This works for me.
Dawn works well but is even better if you can wash down with hot water. I connect my hot water faucet to a flex hose and hose the bilge down with Dawn and/or other heavy duty cleaners. The drip tray under the engines prevents engine oil in the bilge.
I personally hit the bilge with some Dawn dishwashing soap and run fresh water into the bilge once a month letting the bilge pump take care of the water. This works for me.
[FONT="]Like most people, your approach to bilge cleaning consists only of throwing some bilge cleaner/and or bleach into the primordial soup and calling it done. Would you just put some detergent and water in a dirty bathtub, then just pull the plug and expect the bathtub to be clean? Or just pour some more Dawn into a dirty greasy kitchen sink and add some water , then pull the plug and expect to have a clean sink? 'Cuz that's essentially what you doing if all you're doing is adding Dawn and water to your bilge and letting the bilge pump "pull the plug." If you'd put a little effort into it--scrub a bit or use a power washer--and then rinse all the dirty water out of the bilges, you'd only have to do it a couple of times a year.
[FONT="]Peggie
http://www.amazon.com/New-Get-Rid-Boat-Odors/dp/1892399784/
"If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't completely understand it yourself." --Albert Einstein
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[FONT="]Like most people, your approach to bilge cleaning consists only of throwing some bilge cleaner/and or bleach into the primordial soup and calling it done. Would you just put some detergent and water in a dirty bathtub, then just pull the plug and expect the bathtub to be clean? Or just pour some more Dawn into a dirty greasy kitchen sink and add some water , then pull the plug and expect to have a clean sink? 'Cuz that's essentially what you doing if all you're doing is adding Dawn and water to your bilge and letting the bilge pump "pull the plug." If you'd put a little effort into it--scrub a bit or use a power washer--and then rinse all the dirty water out of the bilges, you'd only have to do it a couple of times a year.
[FONT="]Peggie
http://www.amazon.com/New-Get-Rid-Boat-Odors/dp/1892399784/
"If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't completely understand it yourself." --Albert Einstein
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Capt.Bill11
Guru
A bromide tablet works wonders at keeping your bilge water from becoming primordial soup. 
