Electra San

[Duck401k]

I have an older craft w/ and Electra San. The unit works and I have replaced all the hoses and fittings, but I can not get the smell out of the actual unit. I have completed the maintance with the acid per the users manual. The smell is much improved after replacing all the hoses but I still have a rotten/decaying marine life odor comming from the blue and white E San unit.

Does anyone have a remedy ? I have tried Bio enzematic cleaners and odorizers ? Is it time for this puppy to go ?:

[gc1111]

Two questions.
Did you use top grade sanitation hose? The stuff that is a bear to work with, but keeps odor down.

Do you run the disinfectant unit regularly (like daily)? Do you flush it daily? It the current draw up in the sanitizing level?

I have an old (circa 1970's) unit located in the locker under the head sink. If you stick your head in the locker you can detect the odor, but not outside.

[Duck401k]

I did use top quality sanitation hose and as a result have very little skin left on some of my knuckles...The boat sits all week with the seacock closed..I do flush with a sanitizer, bio-enzym, - the smell is better but still comes out of the E san unit...should I flush it more ? What sanitizer do you use ?

My boat is a Morgan 34 small head and unit under the counter...Thanks for your reply...

[gc1111]

Any head that sits all week with seawater in hoses will develop very stinky water. As soon as you flush it and pull the water in from the inlet hose you will have lots of odor.

The best cure for that is usage. Move aboard for a month, use it several times a day and the smell from this cause will go away. It sounds to me like aged seawater in the sanitizer unit is the cause of your problems. Make sure you run the sanitizer after flushing to try to kill the stuff in the seawater - this will not completely do the job but it will help.

But about the sanitizer unit. Do you have the electrical gauge that indicates the current draw while it is running? Is it up in the good zone? Raritan has a recommended detergent/de-odoriser. My head has a container for this stuff and some gets pulled in on every flush. Again this is not a complete cure, but it helps a lot.

My boat is a 1972 Allied Mistress 39 and I am the third owner. As far as I know the LectraSan was installed by the original owner.

The newer manuals actually recommend disassembling the unit and using a wire brush to clean the electrodes. I havn't had the stomach to do that.

[Pamlicotraveler]

Use Raritan CP. It stands for "Clean Potty." Unless you are using a holding tank too, I don't see where the odor could be coming from other than the inlet hose. We make sure our holding tank hoses are in good shape. There just isn't much stored in the Lectra San unit itself and you are constantly moving that "effluent" out. And yes, the stale seawater smells bad - A very rotten egg smell or worse, but it does go away.

In addition to CP I use vinegar regularly and Muriatic Acid (diluted) once a year and have had no problems. Do check the voltage. The unit needs plenty of that to work.

[Duck401k]

Thanks for your responses..I am not sure how old the unit is, but I am guessing at least 20 years. The voltage needle comes to the very beginning of the green on the indicator, but only briefly, not through the whole cycle, just when the machine comes on for real. I do not have a salt tank so we put salt in, Mortons, with each flush...

I have used Muratic Acid, diluted but have not tried vinegar. Should I junk the unit? I really want to keep if possible.

Thanks for any thought or input...

[bestfriend]

The manual I have says to take the unit apart and clean the filters if all else fails.

[Pamlicotraveler]

I didn't think they even have a filter, but I am not an expert. In fact, if I get to be an expert in macerators and Lectra Sans its time to move on to another hobby.

My understanding is that there is a macerator on one side and then it goes it to the other side where there are elcetrodes and the blade mixes to ensure everything gets treated. The electrode plates creates bactericide assuming there is power to the unit.

Here is what Raritan says about odor problems...

• Odor permeating through hose or connections. Rub damp rag on hose, if odor transfers to rag hose needs to be replaced with high quality sanitation
hose Raritan part # SH
• Treatment unit is leaking. Follow discharge hose from toilet to tank, lift blue
cover and check area around motors too
• Electrode not functioning properly. Follow above for Amber and Red light conditions
• LST/MC not being activated with each flush System must be activated with each flush
• Treatment unit not being stored properly

[LarryandSusanMacDonald]

Had the same problem. The odor seemed to go away after I took a shower. Hmmmm...

[gc1111]

Duck,
The acid treatment (vinegar is just a weak acid) is to keep the hoses clear. One of the most unpleasant experiences of my life was when the hose from the toilet to the treatment unit jammed. It was the good hose and completely impossible to get off given the restricted access to the unit. So I took a hacksaw, stuck my head and body into the locker holding the treatment unit (completely blocking any fresh air) and sawed it off. When I recovered and got the hose completely free, I found it was clogged with what looked like sand. A few whacks and it came out and I rinsed out the hose and put it back on.

I really did not want to do that again, so I asked around about what caused it. (I was living aboard then and in the Bahamas). I was told that there is a chemical reaction between urine and seawater that generates a crystalline precipitate. But this precipitate is a carbonate which is pretty easily dissolved in muriatic acid. I promptly found a jug of it and found the old directions which gave dilution instructions. Now I am religious about once or twice a year doing the full acid thing and in between times using some vinegar. So far that has done the job.