Sick Yacht Syndrome

Yachts are notorious for stale air. You can notice it as soon as you step on board. There is a trademark odor. Some try to mask odors with another odor or scent. Companies actually specialize in "scent engineering", tying certain scents with feelings or moods. The problem with this concept of olfactory persuasion is that we all process odours differently. Roses may smell good to you and make you smile, but may remind the next person of a funeral home! The best scent engineering is a non-scent or the absence of all odors. Routinely, hotels change drapes and bedspreads not due to wear, but rather the absorption of odors. This problem is amplified on a yacht due to the wide variety of odors. Yachts are tightly built. Space and weight are design problems. Therefore heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment is kept to a minimum. Make-up air or fresh outside air is limited or non-existent. Make-up air should represent 25% of a yacht's airflow.
Designers prefer to recycle air as it is usually warmer or cooler than outside air, so less energy is required to heat or cool the air. The problem is the same air is constantly being turned over. This is especially true in the lower staterooms. Assuming no one opens a port hole and each stateroom has its own air handler (heating/cooling unit) and two people are in a stateroom with the door closed, there is no fresh air circulating, just recycled air. This is true for the entire lower stateroom area. The only way to get fresh air down the stairway via Brownian motion or a very slow molecular air transfer. Trying to get fresh air down a stairway into closed staterooms is like trying to blow air into a bottle. The old air has no place to go so the area ends up with a static air situation. With all the airborne bacteria, moulds, yeasts and VOC's, this build up can cause very serious problems. Most bacteria are harmless, but when there is a build up of billions, it drastically increase your chances of exposure to a bad one.

Healthy Yacht Hints

• Good housekeeping. Keep it clean and clutter-free to promote air circulation.
• A filtered advanced oxidation fresh air makeup system. This will help prevent stale air and provide a positive pressure atmosphere in the yacht.
• A continuous duty advanced oxidation HVAC air purification system. This will kill airborne and surface bacteria, viruses, mold, yeast and odors.
• A positive ventilation, oxidation and circulation system. This will kill microbial as above, plus provide full vessel air circulation to prevent stale air pockets.
• An advanced oxidation holding tank ventilation system. Advanced oxidation gases are circulated through the holding tank to oxidize sewer gases, viruses, bacteria and odors.
• An advanced oxidation fuel filtration system. This will kill microbial in diesel fuel without the use of chemicals.
Engines will run cleaner and fuel microbial will be limited.
• A continuous duty advanced oxidation ice machine and drain and head system. This kills lysteria bacteria.