New 2001 Carver 396 Motor Yacht Owner

[Berrypa1]

Hi there,

Just writing in to introduce myself and ask for guidance. We are new boat owners and a bit overwhelmed by “all things boat”. For starters, the water from our fresh water tank smells like rotten eggs. I read to flush the tanks and treat with 1 cup of bleach? We did empty the tank when we 1st bought it 2 weeks ago and refilled it and had a heck of a time pressurizing the tank. Although we didn’t treat it then, I wanted guidance in the proper way to do both (treat & pressurize). The owners Manual isn’t helpful to me.

Issue #3 Two days after we bought the boat, we could barely breathe from the sewer smell when running the front stateroom a/c. It was suggested that the a/c filter needed cleaning? Pardon my ignorance, but do I have a filter? We went on a hunch and had the sewer tanks pumped & sanitized. We are constantly pumping our bilge too. Although it seems better, the whiff of sewer stench lingers.

Thank you in advance for your insights to my stench problems.

[Midnightsun]

Welcome to the forum.

As for the water tank, empty it and refill a few times to get most of the crap out, use all the faucets to get water flowing through them all. After your last empty, dump in a couple of cups of bleach as you seem to have a real mess in there. Now fill to the brim with fresh tap water. Open one faucet at a time until you smell the bleach or a bout a minute. Fill the tank to the brim again and let sit for a good 6 + hours if not 24. Rinse several times once again with fresh water. You may need to repeat this process a couple of times to get all the nasties out.

AC filter, nope, that is just an air filter which most likely has nothing to do with the smell if your unit has one that is. All that can be done there is to vacuum the dust off of it. I suspect the standing water in the pan may be rancid causing the smell. A good rinsing/cleaning/bleach should take care of most of it.

Sounds like the boat you purchased has been unused for quite some time and it shows through the issues you are having. Nothing major, just needs to be addressed.

[bud37]

Welcome to the forum......shower sumps, check em...they can really stink........always use the hot water side of your fresh water as much as possible even when your how water tank is off , that will keep it fresh....welcome to boating..after all this the screen filter before your freshwater pump will likely get clogged......

[tomschauer]

Also you mention you keep pumping the bilge. What water is getting in there? you should rarely have a bilge pump run. Hopefully your heads aren't dumping into the bilge due to a leaking hose or cracked tank.

[pepmyster]

Welcome!!! As you can see, all the advice you need is here!!!!!!

[waybomb]

Welcome aboard! All the advice given is spot on; now get to work!

[Berrypa1]

Thank you Thank you Thank you everyone!! Wow! I am blown away with the responses. We will get to work immediately and report back.

[RGrew176]

Welcome Aboard. As you have found out there is a wealth of knowledge here. Hope you get all your issues resolved.

[mjk1040]

Welcome! Once ur happy with the fresh water tank cleansing, may I suggest a Camco product to stabilize ur fresh water tank. I find it works a lot better than chlorine. 1oz treats 20 gallons. You must dry the bilge, I'm assuming it's the forward bilge that is holding water. I'll bet hot water tank is the issue, relief valve, drain valve or hoses and fittings.Trace and check all water lines. Shower sumps need to be cleaned and then checked for leaks. Any smell in ur bilge will be distributed by the AC fans. Keep us posted on ur progress!

[RobGunn]

I had the same "dirty gym sock" smell with my a/c in the aft cabin of my 3607 when I fist got it. I found out that its a common issue with all boats. I got a can of a/c coil foam cleaner from my local Lowes. I sprayed it onto the coil, let it soak for a while, rinsed, sprayed more cleaner, let soak, rinsed, sprayed more cleaner, let soak, rinsed. Also used bleach mix on the rest of the unit to clean as much as possible. This seemed to take care of the issue.