Mildew

[wind_magic]

I know this topic has come up before and I have done some searches on it here but didn't really get a clear answer from it, so I am starting a new mildew thread.

I went to see my boat yesterday, the first time in a long time because of business commitments, it was a great day! The boat is older and lets a little water in over time, so the bilge had maybe 2 inches of water and needed to be pumped out, not bad for as long as it has been sitting alone. The trouble is, adequate ventilation is not going to cure this problem, and it isn't enough bilge water to effectively use a pump to periodically get rid of it (as far as I know). So unless I want to rebuild the boat to stop it, I am pretty much stuck with a small amount of bilge water - even when I do pump it out I am not able to get all of it, just most of it.

So the question is, what do I do about the mildew that grows in the boat when I really can't do much about the water ? Do I have to live with it ?

[knothead]

Originally Posted by wind_magic

I know this topic has come up before and I have done some searches on it here but didn't really get a clear answer from it, so I am starting a new mildew thread.

I went to see my boat yesterday, the first time in a long time because of business commitments, it was a great day! The boat is older and lets a little water in over time, so the bilge had maybe 2 inches of water and needed to be pumped out, not bad for as long as it has been sitting alone. The trouble is, adequate ventilation is not going to cure this problem, and it isn't enough bilge water to effectively use a pump to periodically get rid of it (as far as I know). So unless I want to rebuild the boat to stop it, I am pretty much stuck with a small amount of bilge water - even when I do pump it out I am not able to get all of it, just most of it.

So the question is, what do I do about the mildew that grows in the boat when I really can't do much about the water ? Do I have to live with it ?

How about hooking up a de-humidifier?

[Idiens]

Do you have shore power?

[wind_magic]

I do have shore power, a de-humidifier is an option. Will that do the trick ? The boat is sealed, essentially, so if the de-humidifier needs some kind of an outlet to the outside world I will have to create one. Same for any kind of ventilation, if there has to be outside air involved I'll have to create some way to get to it.

[Freesail99]

Adding more ventilation has to help stop the mildew. Have you thought about adding a couple of solar vents ?

[wind_magic]

Freesail 99, No I haven't checked, but I can check.

I thought ventilation wouldn't do anything if the boat has standing water in it, because it would always be moist ? Are you all saying that even with standing water the ventilation is going to stop the mildew, or better control it ?

[knothead]

Originally Posted by wind_magic

I do have shore power, a de-humidifier is an option. Will that do the trick ? The boat is sealed, essentially, so if the de-humidifier needs some kind of an outlet to the outside world I will have to create one. Same for any kind of ventilation, if there has to be outside air involved I'll have to create some way to get to it.

Maybe you could set it up to drain into the galley sink.

[Leland]

I had this problem in my boat. I couldn't stand the smell of it because of the mildew. I poured bleach into the bilge and let it sit for like a week then I pumped out the water. it smells like bleach for a little while but the mildew is gone. When I went down to help out in mississippi after hurricane Katrina we would do this to the houses. Gut it and then spray all framing down. Thats where I learned that from.

[Freesail99]

Originally Posted by wind_magic

Freesail 99, No I haven't checked, but I can check.

I thought ventilation wouldn't do anything if the boat has standing water in it, because it would always be moist ? Are you all saying that even with standing water the ventilation is going to stop the mildew, or better control it ?

What I am saying is with two solar vents one on in take and the other on out take you will keep the air moving, which should slow or stop mildew from forming.
I use it on my boat and it has cut that smell you get when you first open up the boat to just about nothing.

[sailingdog]

Pouring chlorine bleach into your bilge for a week is a really bad idea if you have any metal in the bilge. Chlorine bleach will aggressively attach aluminum and stainless steel. It can also attack a lot of the plastics and rubber used in a boat..

Originally Posted by Leland

I had this problem in my boat. I couldn't stand the smell of it because of the mildew. I poured bleach into the bilge and let it sit for like a week then I pumped out the water. it smells like bleach for a little while but the mildew is gone. When I went down to help out in mississippi after hurricane Katrina we would do this to the houses. Gut it and then spray all framing down. Thats where I learned that from.