Houseboat Holding Tank Hoses - a septic sanitation hose has permeated?

by Dottie
(Florence, SC)

Trying to change a septic sanitation hose that has permeated on our houseboat, and we need some help in troubleshooting the project.

We recently bought a 1973, 50 x 12.5 Lazy Days Sportsman I/O houseboat. The problem is it has a slight smell coming from underneath the vanity in the bathroom where the hose that leads from the commode to the black water tank is.

It also has the same smell in the closet in the bedroom where the filter for the black water tank is, and from the filter, it leads upwards to the exhaust.

I just bought a new filter, but I haven't put it on yet. However after talking with Sealand where I bought the filter, I believe the problem may be the hose has been permeated that leads from the commode to the tank.

I also believe the black water tank is located under the lower bunkbed that is across the hallway from the bathroom.

I don't see any way to go from the commode to the holding tank to change the waste hose. Does anyone have a manual I can use to determine how to correct this, or does anyone know how to do it?

Thanks, Dottie in SC

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Reply - Answer

Well Dottie, congratulations on your houseboat purchase, and sorry to hear about the odors from the holding tank hoses.

When it comes to troubleshooting odors from the head to the holding tank, a systematic approach is generally used.

* You'll want to verify that the holding tank is solid and doesn't leak, if not, a replacement is necessary.

* Verify that all the hoses and connections are tight and not leaking.

* Like you mentioned, only hoses that are "sanitation approved"
will not permeate the septic smell. Ordinary hoses will eventually transmit the odor and smell.

* Holding tanks need a large size venting hose to allow the aerobic bacteria to work properly and breakdown the waste. Many people have great success with holding tank vent filters.

* You can install a Odor Neutralizing System for Holding Tanks
to help eliminate any foul odors.

* One of the simplest solutions is to install a highly effective roof vent to draw out the holding tank odors.


These are some of the basics, and unfortunately, the tanks, hoses, connections and clamps always seem to be badly positioned to easily fix or repair. As to where the hoses and tanks are situated on your boat, I don't remember exactly, yet possibly a Lazy Days houseboat owner will be able to help.

The only tip I can give is to prepare all the tools necessary, and find someone small enough to crawl around and find the problem, or to hire someone to repair it for you :(


On a side note, when the time comes to be emptying or pumping-out the holding tank on your houseboat, the thought of it makes people cringe. There has to be a better way to handle the whole process, and there is, it’s a new pump-out adapter designed for houseboats.


Lastly, hopefully some of our readers will share and post comments about their houseboat holding tank and hose experiences. Feel free to use the "Click here to post comments." link found near the bottom of this page.


Thanks again for sharing, IAN from all-about-houseboats

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