Bilge Odor - AC

[stevediebold]

I bought a 2003 35 CB in April. The last few weeks, there has been a foul odor in the bilge. This weekend I will do a thorough bilge clean to hopefully get rid of the existing odor. I was also going to relocate the AC drain hose into the shower sump...anything wrong with doing that?

My other question though is the odor seems to be worse when I run the AC which appears to be picking up foul air from the bilge. The air intake is under the dinette but I wonder if bilge air is getting in there. Any ideas? Any suggestions?

Thanks

[rt11002003]

I'm not familar with the CB. However, in my boat, an A27, there are two drains into the bilge in the forward cabin.

When I had a fuel leak last year the AC unit pulled air from the bilge thru one or both of those drains.

Gene

[Legacy]

Before closing up my boat, if I'm gone for a few days or more, I'll put about two cups of outdoor bleach in my bilge to keep any bacteria from growing and giving off their nasty smells. Seems to do the trick, especially when it's warm and humid outside and bacteria are playing birds and bees.

Both my ACs pump directly overboard rather than into a reservoir or into the bilge, but it does suck the air in from the bilge. On a semi-daily basis I will put about a cup of bilge cleaner in the bilge. Keeps it clean.

If you have a persistent, but unexplained smell, try mounting a stick-on air freshener near the air intakes. Just tell the wife you were scrubbing the head with fresh scent cleaner to prepare for her welcome arrival!


Rick