Carver Owners Forum

Hi,

We recently purchased a 2018 c37 and within the first few weeks have had an intermittent odor that we can’t figure out?? The boat will have no odor then if we empty the waste tank or after being out on the water all day, a sewer type smell will fill the inside of the boat?

We have tried flushing a lot of water down the head, using odor control liquid and tabs, and airing the cabin out with all windows open. It will go away eventually but then come back?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

You should check to see if you have a carbon filter on the vent to the waste tank. It could be plugged, or need replacement. If you don't have one at all, you might consider adding one.

Thank you - that’s what I was thinking as well but can’t find in the owners Manuel where the filter(s) are on this model? I wasn’t sure if there were filters or a place to install them.

I did a google search on the model and couldn’t find any filter locations either.

Any fellow carver owners have experience/knowledge on the c37 filter location?

Find your waste holding tank and follow the vent line.......it could be a larger line on your boat, bigger than the old 5/8".

Actually I was thinking to check the shower sump, they can be a real source of these odors......also check for some fittings leaking on your holding tank , toilet, and sink drains.....especially after being put in service after the winter.....good luck with your search.

It could be that the larger lines going from toilet to tank and tank to pump-out are just getting old and giving off smell. My 1990 Carver 3607, the past couple years we would get a smell of sewer every so often. The start of this year I replaced all my sewer lines and now the smell we had is gone. It was a pain on the back side to replace the lines but it did take care of the issue.

I owned a Cruisers boat that would do that same thing. That was a manual pump style. If I did not have any water in the drain, that odor would come up through the toilet. Because of the number of people using the head, not everybody understood the need for water in the bowl to stop air flow. A 2018 is pretty new for any real hose problems. A person with a Larson also had the same problem. I suggested he get a Kanberra Gel deodorizer, and place in the cabin near the head. Problem solved. It may be just a combination of user error, temperature, boat rock, loose fitting, minor things. My electric head in the Carver does not have this issue. If it is a minor odor, just annoying, try the Kanberra Gel. If it is a major odor, then start double clamping all fittings that are not double clamped already. Any below waterline hose should already be double clamped. er

I do not think the lines would be permeated on a 2018 boat. The smell you are referring to is it only after you flush or does it appear even without flushing? My guess is the tank is just in need of a good rinse as the crap in there is well past its due date. If it gets really bad then it will take some additional work. I would recommend going for a pump out to empty it all, then fill partially with water and pump out again. Add about a half tank of fresh water to her and fill with a few cups of liquid tide just before going out on a cruise which will agitate and clean and then back to the pump out station to empty once more. This should get her as clean as it gets and eliminate future problems if maintained. I would recommend No Flex Digester use on a regular basis which has worked very well for the vast majority.

A filter is not used on many boats and is not required if the tank is properly maintained. It is there in case it gets stinky to hide the odour when flushing until you get to the pump out station.

Monitoring the tank level is very important as if it gets full and you flush it will exit the vent line and destroy the filter if you have one and will even mess up a non filtered line by leaving residue in the line and restricting it.

Thank you all for the advice! I tracked every single hose and nothing was loose or leaking. I also did not find any carbon filters, so not sure my boat has any. I do think part of it is the shower sump and I flushed a lot of water as well as OdorEliminator through the shower drain. The sump pump is working well and no issues with leaking or draining water. The bilge areas throughout are also completely dry, so no standing water.

I had the holding tank emptied and flushed with water. I like the idea of adding water and some Tide, and will do that this weekend!

Lastly, I ran all the water out of the water tank and just bought the big jug of West Marine Water Tank Flush Cleaner:

https://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-mar ... ecordNum=3

Will add this and flush 1-2 full tanks of water through the system this weekend.

Hopefully all of this will get rid of it!

GRbay37 wrote:Source of the post I do think part of it is the shower sump and I flushed a lot of water as well as OdorEliminator through the shower drain.

Nothing beats a good hand cleaning, I have never found any quick remedies that actually beat taking the cover off and cleaning.....

bud37 wrote:

GRbay37 wrote:Source of the post I do think part of it is the shower sump and I flushed a lot of water as well as OdorEliminator through the shower drain.

Nothing beats a good hand cleaning, I have never found any quick remedies that actually beat taking the cover off and cleaning.....

What is your recommended best way to clean it? Just unscrew the clear plastic top cover and wipe it out with a gentle cleaner? Anything else to take apart?