Bilge Odours

[Jim]

Hi,

 

Has anyone had experience of using bilge freshener?  I'm looking for recommendations on any product that will help get rid of nasty niffs!

 

Our Falcon 22 shower just drains straight into the bilge and there is a bulkhead under our thwartships cabin which holds the water back and acts like a dam.  Eventually, anything spilling over the bulkhead will be dealt with by the bilge pump but more often than not, during the warmer weather, all the shower water evaporates leaving a slight smell behind which of course works its way up into the cabin. 

 

I know ideally it would be better to fit a sump drain plus pump to push out the water through a skin fitting but the floor in our shower is only a fraction above the hull which makes this hard to do.

 

 

Jim

[littlesprite]

Hi Jim,

I'm surprised that no one has answered you on this question!  I can tell you what I do but someone more qualified might be along later with a better solution,

Once I get the bilge empty I give it a quick clean and then just use jeyes fluid in a spray bottle and give it a quick squirt, it seems to work in keeping the nasty niffs away. 

[MBA Marine]

Are you able to fill any areas that trap the water so that it can drain directly to the bilge to avoid the shower water standing? then you issue is just in the main bilge, perhaps you could put something like a toilet block in the bilge. im not sure what would would but with shower water in the bilge I could only really advise that you keep it regularly flushed out.

 

There are many sneaky methods to getting a pipe in to pump out the water so maybe ask somebody to have a look and get their thoughts on what can be done.    

[Oddfellow]

Showers that drain into bilges are a royal pain in the backside as, unless your bilge water floods a dirty engine tray, the water ought to be pretty clean. UNLESS it's full of soap scum and other unpleasant contaminants from the shower!

 

Bilgex is the kiddy for this. It's expensive, but it's very good at what it does.

 

We use Zoflora quite a bit for deodorising, but find it ineffective in bilges. Jeyes might be better, but we'd not want our fleet boats smelling of this!

 

However, you need to stop it happening long term. I suspect there's a route to get a pipe though to the shower output somehow. Probably VERY fiddly and in need of some kind of sealant in the shower too. Ultimately worth while I suspect.

[Jim]

Thanks Martin, Mark and Andy.

 

I'll go for the bilgex option for the short term and see if I can connect some sanihose to the shower drain and lead it beyond the offending bulkhead to the bilge pump.  I spoke to a fellow forumite yesterday who also owns an older Falcon 22 and his boat does not have the extra bulhead we have so we are a bit unique (typical). 

 

For nine years we have been boiling kettles of water or mostly using shore showers until our yard fitted a really good modern calorifier so we use the shower more often...one problem fixed leads to another lol.

 

Once again, thanks for all  your suggestions   

[Boaters]

Hi,jJim, we were told to pour some hot water in and after cleaning soak up inaccessible. Area with a disposable nappie on a stick we have done under the engine with this to soak up the water in there .after we were told to put some dilluted Comfort and leave and it will help the smells,which it did.Roy

[C.Ricko]

Don't put bleach down there, it rots and stinks after a while...

[diesel falcon]

Don't put bleach down there, it rots and stinks after a while...

Or toilet blue,,,,,,,,,,,,,phew!!

[MauriceMynah]

If you are going to use a disposable nappy on a stick, please remember to take the baby out of it first. Too many babies in the bilge WILL block up the bilge pump very quickly.