I have just bought a used 2003 Gibson Sport equipted with a Crown head and purasan. There is not a vented loop between the purasan and the discharge seacock. The purasan manual shows one installed. Will not having a vented loop cause any problems? I also have a foul odor in the hold were the purasan is located(I have no leaks). What could cause the odor? Finally, how can you tell when the purasan tablet needs replacing? rtnky38635.8709375

Whether there should be a vented loop between the PuraSan and the
thru-hull depends on whether the thru-hull is above the waterline or
below it. If the PuraSan discharges above the waterline, none is
needed....but if it discharges below waterline (which it should, for
aesthetic reasons), there should be a vented loop. In fact, there
should be one in any line connected to a below-waterline thru-hull,
especially one that must remain open all the time (except when no one
is aboard...ALL through-hulls should be closed when leaving the boat).



There are two possible explanations for your odor: 1. Permeated
sanitation hoses. 2. The chlorine tablet cartridge has been used up (or
was never installed, which does happen more often than you might
think), leaving just raw waste sitting in the unit and hoses....which
prob'ly means you have BOTH problems.



As for how you can tell whether the cartridge needs replacing: the
housing is relatively clear...if you can see all the way through it at
the bottom of it, the cartridge is gone. It only lasts about 800
flushes, which on most boats is about a season. So if the PO never
replaced it, the odds are, it was used up long ago. Replacement
instructions are in the manual...if you don't have one, you can
download and print it from here:
http://www.raritaneng.com/pdf_files/purasan/L405v0804 .pdf Follow
those instructions EXACTLY!!!



Before doing that, though, you need to purge the treatment unit and test the hoses for odor permeation.



Flush your toilet about 10x. Once you've flushed all the waste
sitting in it out, don't use the toilet again till you've replaced the
cartridge.



To test the hoses for odor permeation, wet a clean rag in HOT
water...wring it out...wrap it around the hose. Use a separate clean
rag for each section of hose--the one from the toilet and the hose to
the thru-hull. When the rag has cooled, remove it and smell it.
If you can smell the same odor on the rag, that hose has permeated...if
you can't smell anything on the rag, the hose is fine. The only
cure for permeated sanitation hose is new hose.



Btw...How far from the toilet (total hose length) is the PuraSan
treatment unit? Is it downhill all the way to it...no loops or
"ups and downs?"

 The Hose between the head and the purasan is straight and 4 ft. long . The discharge for the purasan is below the water line.  The purasan  tablet  still  fairly fills the dispenser. I might have the metering clamp too tight for the correct flow of chemical. I have checked and there is some flow. I think that the metering clamp needs to be replaced with a better system for the correct flow of chemical. Thanks for the info.

If the boat sat for a while before you bought it, it would still be a
good idea to purge the PuraSan before doing anything else...'cuz while
the PuraSan kills ALMOST all the bacteria in waste, only one of the l'l
buggers has to survive to quickly multiply into a zillion in the
treatment unit. That's why the manual includes instructions for purging
the system before the boat is to sit.



Before you replace or modify anything in the system, I strongly
recommend that you talk with Raritan about it. 'Cuz till you
purge all the stinky waste out of the unit and rule out or replace
permeated hoses, you can't know whether the rate of flow is sufficient
or not. Fixing something that may not be broke can cause more problems
than it solves!



I strongly recommend you give Vic Willman at Raritan a call:
800-352-5630 x 6. He's headed for Houseboat Expo West in Las Vegas next
week, so you'll want to get to him this week.



Oh, btw...where is the boat? It just occurred to me that if it's on a
"no discharge" (holding tank only) inland lake, you may not be able to
use the PuraSan legally...making this whole discussion moot.


peghall38637.3140393519