Removing the Smell

REMOVING THE SMELL! - a tale from Mike Lucas
There are very few boat owners who have not suffered unpleasant smells in a boat at some stage during a cruise, as a result of a toilet problem, food spillage or diesel. Winter dampness or leaks can also cause a musty smell. There are well known solutions to most of these problems, such as heaters and dehumidifiers in the winter, hygienic maintenance work on the toilet (cleaning, hose replacement), or simply cleaning out the areas where a spillage has occurred. We have worked with owners on the more difficult problem of the "residual" smell lingering in the boat and this can sometimes prove to be insurmountable. We have recently dealt with a problem where a very strong smell in a Starlight was preventing the sale of the boat. Our assumption was that the unpleasant odour was as a result of smells from the holding tanks. These were completely cleaned out, disinfected and all pipes and hose flushed through, including a complete toilet clean - BUT THE SMELL WAS STILL THERE! The residual smell was certainly there and upsetting the buyers, but it was now slightly different and was tracked down to the main bilge area, where a tin of fruit had spilt during a previous cruise. The contents had slid from the port side locker under the berth, down into the bilge immediately aft of the mast step. This is of course beneath the table with difficult access for cleaning. Removal of the table and a thorough clean of the bilge area, with pressure wash and disinfectant removed the problem, BUT WE STILL HAD A SMELL! The problem appeared to be in the middle of the boat and hovering above the engine area, which led us to the bilge beneath the engine and all surrounding areas such as galley and the many small bilge pockets where contamination can be lodged. A complete clean was then carried out throughout the middle of the boat. It is true that the smell had then been greatly reduced, but we had to admit that a faint odour was still apparent - WE STILL HAD THE SMELL! The buyers of this beautiful Starlight 39, immaculate condition, teak decks, one owner, low mileage, were not prepared to progress unless we had cracked the problem. The next step led us to a remarkable find, which was to have far reaching consequences. We sought medical advice as regards tracking the source of faint odours. Browsing the web, we came up with Ozone generating equipment, capable of neutralising contaminants and killing bacteria. It was said to be capable of totally removing the source of smell from fabric, crevices, or wherever it may lie as a lingering odour, attached to parts of the boat. We obtained equipment which had proved to be successful in taking smells out of "fish and chip" shops, abattoirs, old houses, smoke filled motor cars, damp caravans and now to be tried in boats. The result was dramatically effective. Within 24 hours of treatment, the smell was virtually eliminated and a further dose did the trick. We believe now that this could be of interest to all boat owners and as always, we try to provide a good support service to the Sadler and Starlight fleet through the owner's magazine. We now have available to us, a small unit, particularly suitable for use in boats. It plugs straight into the 12v system and uses only 0.5 amp. Alternatively it can plug into a 13 amp socket on the 240v ring main (when on shore power). The unit is portable and works effectively at odours in the car (residual smell from smoking) or in the home (cooking, animals & paint). It is attractively styled in a moulded case measuring 240mm x 100mm x 100mm. It can be mounted in the heads, or elsewhere in the boat and indeed owners of larger boats may have an additional one in the galley. The ozone unit price is £175 + VAT, which includes 12v & 240v options. There are five different levels of ozone generation that can be selected and an in-built timer enables operation to be from 15 to 60 mins.

REMOVING THE SMELL!
- a tale from Mike Lucas

There are very few boat owners who have not suffered unpleasant smells in a boat at some stage during a cruise, as a result of a toilet problem, food spillage or diesel. Winter dampness or leaks can also cause a musty smell. There are well known solutions to most of these problems, such as heaters and dehumidifiers in the winter, hygienic maintenance work on the toilet (cleaning, hose replacement), or simply cleaning out the areas where a spillage has occurred.

We have worked with owners on the more difficult problem of the "residual" smell lingering in the boat and this can sometimes prove to be insurmountable.

We have recently dealt with a problem where a very strong smell in a Starlight was preventing the sale of the boat. Our assumption was that the unpleasant odour was as a result of smells from the holding tanks. These were completely cleaned out, disinfected and all pipes and hose flushed through, including a complete toilet clean - BUT THE SMELL WAS STILL THERE!

The residual smell was certainly there and upsetting the buyers, but it was now slightly different and was tracked down to the main bilge area, where a tin of fruit had spilt during a previous cruise. The contents had slid from the port side locker under the berth, down into the bilge immediately aft of the mast step. This is of course beneath the table with difficult access for cleaning.

Removal of the table and a thorough clean of the bilge area, with pressure wash and disinfectant removed the problem, BUT WE STILL HAD A SMELL!

The problem appeared to be in the middle of the boat and hovering above the engine area, which led us to the bilge beneath the engine and all surrounding areas such as galley and the many small bilge pockets where contamination can be lodged. A complete clean was then carried out throughout the middle of the boat. It is true that the smell had then been greatly reduced, but we had to admit that a faint odour was still apparent - WE STILL HAD THE SMELL!

The buyers of this beautiful Starlight 39, immaculate condition, teak decks, one owner, low mileage, were not prepared to progress unless we had cracked the problem.

The next step led us to a remarkable find, which was to have far reaching consequences. We sought medical advice as regards tracking the source of faint odours. Browsing the web, we came up with Ozone generating equipment, capable of neutralising contaminants and killing bacteria. It was said to be capable of totally removing the source of smell from fabric, crevices, or wherever it may lie as a lingering odour, attached to parts of the boat. We obtained equipment which had proved to be successful in taking smells out of "fish and chip" shops, abattoirs, old houses, smoke filled motor cars, damp caravans and now to be tried in boats.

The result was dramatically effective. Within 24 hours of treatment, the smell was virtually eliminated and a further dose did the trick.

We believe now that this could be of interest to all boat owners and as always, we try to provide a good support service to the Sadler and Starlight fleet through the owner's magazine.

We now have available to us, a small unit, particularly suitable for use in boats. It plugs straight into the 12v system and uses only 0.5 amp. Alternatively it can plug into a 13 amp socket on the 240v ring main (when on shore power). The unit is portable and works effectively at odours in the car (residual smell from smoking) or in the home (cooking, animals & paint). It is attractively styled in a moulded case measuring 240mm x 100mm x 100mm. It can be mounted in the heads, or elsewhere in the boat and indeed owners of larger boats may have an additional one in the galley.

The ozone unit price is £175 + VAT, which includes 12v & 240v options. There are five different levels of ozone generation that can be selected and an in-built timer enables operation to be from 15 to 60 mins.