The New Get Rid of Boat Odors

Just got Peggie Hall's book over the weekend and read it cover to cover. Chocked full of practical advice developed in real-world situations, not labs. Also has plenty of parts lists and exploded diagrams for a number of common heads. Well-worth getting.

Tip of the hat to you, Peggie!

John

I sold marine toilets for close to fifty years. I still learn stuff from Peggie. Highly recommend the book.

Funny things about boats and ships when I used to work on the ships the Capt. and Chief E used to say to me long as the engines work and the toilets
We are already to sail.
Peggie's book is a great resource tool and a must have

Took Peggy's advice in 2017 and changed my salt water aft head over to fresh water with a Raritan SeaEra conversion kit. It worked out so well I just did the same with the forward head. No more odors and more importantly, no more piscrete!

I learned a lot from Peggy back in the early 90's via the Mainship Forum, where she was a much appreciated contributor.

Many of the things learned from Peggy was useful during my career selling and installing holding tanks and marine toilets.

Until Peggy came along, holding tanks with single 1/2" vents were the recommended install. She brought the subject of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria to marine sanitation conversation and explained it in a way that was easy to understand.

Ok guys, her name is not Peggy. It is Peggie. Get it right or she will yell at you. Don’t ask how I know.

HopCar said:

Ok guys, her name is not Peggy. It is Peggie. Get it right or she will yell at you. Don’t ask how I know.

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Oops! Peggie, Peggie, Peggie.

Her workshops are also very informative, but thankfully, not “hands on”. Peg knows her $h_t.

It's business genius to pick an area of great need that no one else is addressing as needs to be done and develop all the expertise you can. Peggie has done that. It only brings to mind the phrase "It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it" which is normally used sarcastically but is accurate here. She's studied the area intensely, but she also continuously updates her knowledge.

Thanks for all the very kind words, y'all! I didn't just decide to dump a 20 year career in advertising to become a marine potty guru (although I've been told that switching from advertising to sewage management wasn't that much of a career leap), I got into it accidentally when I had a need to solve odor problems on our own first boat big enough to have a toilet and holding tank. Holding tanks were just "coming online" then...none of the products on the marine stores shelves worked--some just made it worse, adding a chemical odor to the sewage odor--and the only advice the industry had to offer was "boat toilets stink, holding tanks stink worse." So I went looking OUTside the marine industry for information. Fortunately I connected with a sewage treatment engineer who began my education into aerobic/anaerobic and sent me to a lab that made a live bacteria product he thought would help. It did! So well that our dockmates who had the same problem began asking me what it was and how could they get some...I found out I could private label it...created a little side business that I named Peal (PE for Peggie, AL for my husband Allen) Products and named it K.O. (Kills Odor) and a product line was born. It was when my husband said, "you sell the stuff to go IN the tank...everyone on the Lake (Lanier, north of the Atlanta) will have to have a tank now, so why don't you sell tanks?" I quickly discovered that to do that meant I'd also have to sell hoses, deck pumpout fittings, etc...people began asking me if I could get toilet parts too. That's when the real learning curve began....30 years later, I'm still learning! I love being able to share what I've learned through my books and seminars at rendezvous and boat shows. I'm very glad that so many of you find it useful!


--Peggie

I just bought a couple of vacuflush pots that happen to be attached to a boat, so I ordered your book to go with it. Very few other resources (with regards to ANY aspect of boating) come so universally or highly recommended. I'm sure I'll be glad to have it at some point.

Peggie's book was one of the first items we purchased after we got our boat And I was very pleased to find two vent lines on our holding tank - thank you PO.

Not sure if it is still the case, but when we bought the new edition of Peggie's book to replace our very old copy, we bought it through Amazon and were able to pick up a combination of the hard copy of the book as well as the Kindle version. The hard copy stays on the boat, but the Kindle version is really helpful when not on the boat.

Wayfarer said:

I just bought a couple of vacuflush pots that happen to be attached to a boat, so I ordered your book to go with it. Very few other resources (with regards to ANY aspect of boating) come so universally or highly recommended. I'm sure I'll be glad to have it at some point.

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Unfortunately, the troubleshooting guide was the only VF info that Dometic would approve for inclusion in my book. They couldn't prevent from including my take on how it works and how much water it actually needs to keep it working trouble free, but it seemed best not alienate 'em completely. So I didn't. However, I've saved it with the title "VacuFlush 101" and will be glad to send it to you--and anyone else who wants a copy--if you'll send me a PM that includes your email address (no way to attach anything to a PM.


--Peggie

Peggy, a true Guru she solved a problem I had been fighting for 5 years!!!!!!!

Dave, once you are aboard that new aluminum can of yours and the VF cycles in the middle of the night or won't stop cycling at all, call me, not at night but the next morning, for I have read Peggie's VF 101 and fought the good fight with my single VF and won! Believe me when I say I know intimately every single seal in the system. I do like the VF.

rgano said:

Dave, once you are aboard that new aluminum can of yours and the VF cycles in the middle of the night or won't stop cycling at all, call me, not at night but the next morning, for I have read Peggie's VF 101 and fought the good fight with my single VF and won! Believe me when I say I know intimately every single seal in the system. I do like the VF.

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Be careful what you wish for! You and I might end up being very close friends! lol. Ms. Peg sent me the VF 101 manual as well.

Coming to the Gulf Coast, are you? No slips or marinas here locally since The STORM, as we here call it. However, note that I did not volunteer to get dirty but rather to help you get dirty and spend your money.

Which reminds me - how are you gonna be fixed for storm anchoring/mooring tackle. Start looking at eBay for used FX-37 or even -55 anchors (Fortress) and finding LOTS of mooring line/rode at flea markets or even online.

The last two most serious storms (1995 and 2010) to even hit here were on 5 and 10 October respectively. One year I anchored on my hidey hole four times. As soon as you get settled in FL area, go out and find a hole and be sure you get there way before the slower of minds clue into the idea. A friend with a canal lot saved me from cat 5 Michael.