[C320-list] Head smell discoveries

[sholdr at aol.com]

An in-line charcoal filter will stop the smell either into the boat or vented outside -- "easy" to access annually  behind the medicine cabinet to change -- just don't  allow the tank to overfill and vent waste out the vent or it will foul the filter prematurely -- I made mine with some spare fittings, a length of clear pvc tube a few clamps and some spun floss and activated carbon from the aquarum store -- for about $6 can change and recharge for several years use.





-----Original Message-----
From: Jeff Hare <catalina at thehares.com>
To: c320-list at catalina320.com
Sent: Wed, Jun 29, 2011 8:46 pm
Subject: [C320-list] Head smell discoveries


Hi,
We have hull #809. Flush with fresh water and only this season after 
ommissioning had bad smells whenever the head was flushed. Even after just one 
ump.
Pulled the medicine cab, opened the compartment with the holding tank and 
tarted experimenting. 
Poured a gallon of fresh water in and pumped one time. The first area to stink 
as behind the medicine cab. Nothing smelled near the tank itself and the hoses 
hemselves didn't smell. 
>From behind the med cabinet you can very easily reach the vent fitting. It 
asn't very loose and the hose didn't seem to be loose either but showed minor 
igns of leaks. I should add that our vent is the small black capped version, 
ot the chrome fuel vent style. 
The inner nut holding the vent in is quite unusual and looks more like a 2" 
lastic jar lid with a threaded hole in the center. But it can't form any real 
eal with the rough fiberglass wall. The outside has a plastic washer but barely 
overed the entire hole. So, long story short, because of the covered cap, the 
ent was venting gasses back towards the boat, but since there wasn't much of a 
eal it was blowing back inside the boat a little. 
To make matters worse, the hose is about 1" OD/ 3/4 ID but the vent fitting is 
nly 1/2", so they stuck a smaller diameter hose inside the large hose and 
lamped them. I bet that was part of the problem.
Anyway, with the new vent hose left long and fed out the head hatch for testing, 
umping the head left no smells inside the boat anymore. (I heard the neighbors 
unning away outside however :)
So the question, can I just use a small open thru-hull fitting here that has a 
/4" opening (kinda like the propane or cockpit transom drain) so that I dont 
ave to mickey mouse the hose fittings? I can't find anyone that makes a thru 
ull fuel vent larger than 5/8".
The only downside I can think of offhand is bugs making nests in there. There 
ay be screened versions.
Thanks for any insight here. The boss said fix it. My suggestion of a new boat 
asn't the correct answer apparently so now i'm asking you guys. Get me out of 
ail. 
--jeff