No visible mold but there is a musky smell

[al1026]

Open cabin door a musky odor hits U
28 ft cruiser

Until recently a large home dehumidifier, water dumped into shower sump pump , then dumps over board , took up a lot of room,
No change still had that musky smell when opening cabin door plus the heat from dehumidifier felt like it was 100
I don't leave A/C running ,when I am not on boat , would help but its old , and don't want any issues like freezing , or running no water when I am not there , Marina has power failures and unit comes back on needing priming , more damage

Other day grandson joined me , Plan was too sleep aboard , fish next day
He was up all night , He suffers with asthma , During night His asthma was bothering him ,
7 am he was having breathing issues and we decided too return home
Dr visit later that day , YEP asthma flared up , Possibly caused by hidden mold on boat
Wife also complains about the smell ,
Me I am not that sensitive , does not effect me

Over past months I have stripped cabin , removed all cushions , hand cleaned with light bleach , under cushion covers foam was clean covered with a film of plastic
Hand wiped with water/ bleach mix entire cabin ceilings ,
No visible sign of mold any place on boat
Have put some bleach into bilge ,engine room , in areas were water sits , Power vacuum all areas that water sits ,
Could be under vinyl ceilings , behind cabinets , Cant pull apart entire boat like a sheet rock
Head ?? dumped often , never use solid waste , vinegar & blue bowl additive
I powerful counter fan circulating all the time
2 smaller fans , one in head other in aft cabin

WHATS NEXT
Is there a machine that cleans mold from behind ? Over counter spray bottles do nothing
I mask smell with Pine Sol
wife says bring in a company ??

 

[DarrinT]

Open cabin door a musky odor hits U
28 ft cruiser

Until recently a large home dehumidifier, water dumped into shower sump pump , then dumps over board , took up a lot of room,
No change still had that musky smell when opening cabin door plus the heat from dehumidifier felt like it was 100
I don't leave A/C running ,when I am not on boat , would help but its old , and don't want any issues like freezing , or running no water when I am not there , Marina has power failures and unit comes back on needing priming , more damage

Other day grandson joined me , Plan was too sleep aboard , fish next day
He was up all night , He suffers with asthma , During night His asthma was bothering him ,
7 am he was having breathing issues and we decided too return home
Dr visit later that day , YEP asthma flared up , Possibly caused by hidden mold on boat
Wife also complains about the smell ,
Me I am not that sensitive , does not effect me

Over past months I have stripped cabin , removed all cushions , hand cleaned with light bleach , under cushion covers foam was clean covered with a film of plastic
Hand wiped with water/ bleach mix entire cabin ceilings ,
No visible sign of mold any place on boat
Have put some bleach into bilge ,engine room , in areas were water sits , Power vacuum all areas that water sits ,
Could be under vinyl ceilings , behind cabinets , Cant pull apart entire boat like a sheet rock
Head ?? dumped often , never use solid waste , vinegar & blue bowl additive
I powerful counter fan circulating all the time
2 smaller fans , one in head other in aft cabin

WHATS NEXT
Is there a machine that cleans mold from behind ? Over counter spray bottles do nothing
I mask smell with Pine Sol
wife says bring in a company ??

Ozone generators will kill anything - rent from home depot and such
They are used for smell destruction after fires and deaths in a home
My 35ft cruiser always had smell - 3 separate ugly bilges that needed a good chlorination/clean/flush after purchasing 40 yr old boat 2 yrs ago
Used a broom and a feather duster to get hard to reach places - crud went over board via bilge pumps (3)
Now we drop chlorine pucks meant for toilet tanks in each of them once or twice a season - bam no more smell!

 

[al1026]

Thank You will look into it

 

[Captain Caveman]

I love the smell of musky and northern pike in my boat. It means that I've been having a good day catching fish!

Sorry to hear about the smells though. It sounds like you've been approaching it the right way. I'm not sure that there is a professional company that can do it. Oh, they'll show up and clean things and then run away with your money but you'll likely still have the smell. Ozone generator sounds like a good option.

Hopefully others reply with useful info.

 

[al1026]

FOLLOW UP
Looking into ozone generators ,
Confused on which one ??
Starting from $ 49.00 up too $ 799 ????
Some had filters others did not ??
Which one would boaters recommend ?
Going too start another thread might get better results

 

[al1026]

Posted other day re moldy smell , Few came back with get a ozone generator .
Heard about them , never used one ,
Pricing starting at $ 49.00 up too $ 799.00
Some had filters others did not , ?
Some indicated hours use ? does that mean eventually you dump it , ( no filters )
Cheap ones China , covers 1000 - 1500 feet , came in $ 150 & less
which manufactures and foot coverage would you boaters recommend ? for a 28 ft power cruiser ,
Layout of boat is main cabin , bathroom , aft cabin ,
Once smell is gone , how often should I use too keep boat smelling FRESH like a daisy

 

[gm280]

Two issues to talk about. First, DON'T start another thread on the same topic. Everyone sees ALL the different forums whenever anyone posts a new comment. So starting another thread to gain more attention is useless.

Secondly, I am sure you cleaned everything, many times over. Sounds like the real problem lies under the finished walls, ceiling and floor. Once water gets into the wood structure, all bets are off. Unless you can open up and allow such places to totally dry out, you will probably always have the "musky moldy" smell. And that smell is telling you water rot is doing well... I am sure that isn't what you wanted to hear, but that is what it sounds like to me. JMHO

 

[crazy charlie]

Ozone generator will help,HOWEVER it will burn out in a hot cabin.Been there,done that. IMHO ,I think you are missing something.It sounds like you have done a pretty thorough job with bleach but you are missing somewhere.I suggest flushing full strength REGULAR bleach down the head.Wait about a minute or 2 tops and flush with fresh water.Your head hoses could be permiated and probably are.See if the bleach treatment does anything at all.It probably will make the situation better.You can also take your fingernail and scrape the outside of the sanitation hose and then take a wiff.Also take a look at the inside of your "pump out" hose with a flashlight.Probably growing all kinds of bacteria.If so either change it out or take pesticide sprayer with a long wand and bleach it out as far down as you can go.DONT fresh water flush the hose out.Wait and repeat.also check the inside of your water fill and do the same.I had similar on my present boat and the hoses and holding tank was the source.Also dont be afraid of leaving your boat cabin get hot as heck in the summer.This will assure you that everything in there is dry...bone dry which is key .Good luck and post back any results.Charlie