Air Conditioner odor

[tomschauer]

I cleaned the bilge thoroughly before spring launch. We had no smells from the aft a/c until September. After the wife complained several times, I dug into it a bit. The rear shower sump had a build up of soap, hair and who knows what else. This sump is not air tight and it smelled. I flushed it well, then removed the cover and cleaned our the gunk. Smell gone.

[tomschauer]

I meant to add, sometimes it is easier and cheaper to treat and cure the cause rather than symptoms.

[Viper]

Qr Bbpost I meant to add, sometimes it is easier and cheaper to treat and cure the cause rather than symptoms.

I don't think most people realize just how bad a poorly maintained bilge and the hardware therein affects other systems hardware, the environment, our health and our ability to have a pleasant stay on the vessel.

While some sources of odour may be impractical to remedy, others are totally doable. Keeping the bilge clean at all times and the culprits that contribute to odours like sump boxes goes a long way in eliminating most of the smells. I go through the bilge at the beginning of every season. When I first got her, I spent a weekend scrubbing the bilge stem to stern so now it's a simple upkeep.

Cleaning and air movement helps keep moulds down to a minimum which are more prevalent in bilges than folks realize. That is extremely bad for your health, and just because it's not in your living space doesn't get you off the hook or make it any less dangerous to our health. Some vessels are so bad I refuse to do any work until the bilge is cleaned first. I suspect most people wouldn't dare let ANY areas of their home get that bad but for some reason, they're willing to spend a weekend with it on their boat. One boat I was on had such a bad bilge odour that it overcame a fuel leak. The owner couldn't tell he had a leak because he couldn't smell the fuel, the stagnant bilge water masked it! I only discovered it by accident while tending to something else. This could have been disastrous.

The easy way out always seems to be store bought deodorizers in one form or another. This however only masks the problem and your still breathing things you shouldn't be. Also consider that while it may smell pretty, it's typically a chemical that you're inhaling and just because it smells nice doesn't mean it's okay for your health.

Whether it's moulds, hydrocarbons, or chemicals, your nose is trying to tell you there is something wrong and the problem should be corrected at the source, not skirted around or masked.....IMO of course.

[Lyndon670]

Well said Viper.

I was just hauled out on Monday of this week and prior to haul out I got into my engine room with 4 gallons of Castrol Superclean, a garden hose and a deck scrub brush. I scrub and wash my engine room and bilge just prior to haul out every year and then pump it out with a small Harbor Frigh self priming pump, my bilge pumps and the hull drain plug. I'm a firm believer in keeping it odour free by keeping the bilge as new.....

[feeez]

Thanks for this thread guys.... I am sold. I am going remove everything I can from my engine compartment next spring and really clean that area up. It is not really bad but could be much better.
I haven't hear of the Castrol product but thanks for the lead Lyndon.

Fraser

[Viper]

For areas that have years of caked-on grime that proves to be difficult to remove with a chemical spray-on product, try something like VIM or a mechanic's hand cleaner. These products have an abrasive in them that really helps scrub away tough build-up. A short brush, and one with a long handle for hard to reach areas, and a scouring pad really help. You'll be amazed how clean the gel will get again. After the first good scrub, it'll be easy to maintain if you take a little time to rinse one season's worth of dirt or stains. Don't forget to clean the sumps at the same time.

Before you spend a lot of time down there, look for mould first. If you see any, take the proper precautions and put on some protective gear.

If there is oil in the bilge, ensure you collect the waste cleaning water/oil mix and dispose of it properly. Most marinas will have proper containment for contaminated liquids, oils, rags, containers, etc.

Next season, I'm going to tackle cleaning fabric wall coverings. I helped do a friend's boat with a small Bissell portable handheld unit and while the surfaces looked fine before we started, you wouldn't believe the colour of the water in the machine when we were done. We knew we were on to something with the very first test section we did when it came up a shade lighter. What he thought was the true colour of the fabric and wall carpet was in fact just years of dirt and dust. I mean let's face it, how often do people clean fabric wall coverings. I suspect most boats out there have never been done since rolling off the assembly line so this is a build-up of 30-40 years in our older vintages. All this contributes to your boat's unique smell. And to think we're up close and personal with this stuff every time we're on board!

[Lyndon670]

Fraser,

I have used Castrol Super Clean for years - IMHO the best degreaser on the market. Get yourself a hard bristle deck brush at the boat show and make it soley for your ER. You will be surprised the amount of oil that is in the bilge of a clean engine room.

The other thing I do (probably mentioned this before, apologies) is to get those big turkey oven trays at the dollar store along with some dollar store "fresh scent" laundry soap. Fill the trays up to level with the top with your soap. Then leave a tray in each compartment/stateroom etc. Over the winter the laundry soap will trade off moisture for fresh smell. In the spring the boat will smell fresh and the soap in the trays will have risen like a loaf of bread in the oven.

[tonyiiiafl]

Qr Bbpost hi i had my issue with the under the berth forward ac unit of my 405. i actually added my aft cabin ac myself as my 405 didnt have one from the factory as a option. i thought this was strange because it sure is needed. they were trying to heat and cool the aft cabin with the salon unit. also i didnt install it where i think it originally went which was under the bed. i could not see how to get the duct work to high areas in the aft cabin very easily. i chose a storage area in the room and it worked out just fine and i didnt have to worry about the bilge issue . not sure on the 444 if the oem location is under the bed but guessing it might be.. what i did on my forward ac was to remove it and basically build a enclosure for the ac unit to sit in and run a large flex ductfrom the enclosure directly to the return grille and then flex lines out to the ac supply ducts thus eliminating the ac from pulling bilge air and forcing it to draw only room air in. this wasnt really easy but instantly stopped the issue with the smell.if you can find a way to seal off the unit wherever it is it will be way more efficient since you are not heating or cooling the bilge too. i have replaced my sanitation lines which needed to be done too but i still have a 19 yr old funk( probably the holding tanks ) that still lives in the bilge no matter how dry and clean i keep it. i was surprised to find the ac installed like it was just thrown in, to me it would be like having your house ac draw air from the crawl space.

I was at my boat Saturday. I saw the rear AC and factored that if I moved a few feet to the left, I have all the room to make this project happen. My question, how big is your enclosure? Is it only a few inches bigger than the A/C unit? I would assume it is, and holes are cut for the discharge air hoses and cords. One side is probably cut to let the make up air from the cabin in for to be drawn into the condenser. Were there any issue with cooling at circulating to keep the motor cool? The key with me, is my enclosure will be approx. 14 x 21 by 14" high. How big is yours?

[g36]

Since I dealt with the front ac I didn't make a actual square box or rectangle it was a weird shape enclosure don't remember the size. however I would make it as large as you can I would orient the unit so the coil is the farthest away from the return so the return air flows over and around the motor and other components this air across everything will take care of the heat generated. I had to use some large flex duct for my return but make as large of a return to the grille and box so not to diminish or restrict the air to the unit. I sealed all the cutouts in the box for supply ducts and water hose a electric and for the top piece i used foam tape and screws to allow easy access to it when needed.

[Wayne162]

G36, try Healthy Boater in your septic tanks. I have a friend in my marina that is a distributor for this stuff and swears by it. I tried some last summer and continue to use it with positive results. My heads were mistreated by he last owner and I have been using healthy boater to rectify the solid waste left in the tanks. Every pump-out gets better and better. This stuff breaks up and liquefies the solids. Time saving tip - If anybody attempts to work on septic lines in the colder climates. Invest in a cheap heat gun for the curves in the line and clamping points.