Bad smells on the Celebrity Summit?

[mavi36]

Hello,

I have been reading various reviews about this ship and some people have mentioned smelling garbage or burning smells in the hallways outside the staterooms-- has anyone experienced this recently? One person that mentioned this was on deck 6 (penthouse deck)which is the deck that I have booked! I am hoping these were isolated circumstances. Any input on this would be greatly appreciated.

[Hibiscus13]

Hello,

I have been reading various reviews about this ship and some people have mentioned smelling garbage or burning smells in the hallways outside the staterooms-- has anyone experienced this recently? One person that mentioned this was on deck 6 (penthouse deck)which is the deck that I have booked! I am hoping these were isolated circumstances. Any input on this would be greatly appreciated.

 

I have to agree, in fact I mentioned it to hubs a couple of times as we were going down the hall to our stateroom (Sky Suite on deck 6) - that it smelled bad in the hallways. It wasn't limited to deck 6 though...

[mavi36]

Hi Hibiscus13...

Thanks for your response..Did you smell anything in your room or was it just limited to the hallways?

[Hibiscus13]

Defintely just the hallways, they smelled 'campy'? I guess that's the best way to describe it. The staterooms smelled clean, no worries there at all.

[mavi36]

Ok thanks! I feel a little better now:)

[scf1270]

we, too, noticed some smell in the halls, but not in the stateroom.

[rothjer]

We were on Deck 6 for two weeks and never noticed any out of the ordinary odors.

[judyfssw]

I had a surge protector on my CPAP machine that began to burn up. I spelled this bad smell coming from the bedroom but couldn't figure it out. I finally found the thing smoking. I pulled it apart from the electrical cord that was put in the room by Celebrity and called Guest Services. They sent up an officer who called an electrician who said that the surge protector was defective and the CPAP machine would work okay just plugged into the cord.

This whole story was to say that the smell from the burning thing was horrible and could have smelled like really bad garbage. But, it was just for that one night (Saturday) and it was down by the Royal Suites and Penthouse suite. Other than that, I don't remember smelling anything other than food.

[mavi36]

Thanks everyone for all your replies!

[ORV]

Not on the Summit but recently on Millie I noticed random sewer type smells in various parts of the ship. They seemed to come and go.

Edited December 8, 2010 by ORV

[Rblum100]

Sep 9-21, 2018 Strong sewer smell still present most days of cruise, starboard midships, room, hallway and veranda.

[CruisingChick]

We were on deck 8 forward September 9 - 23 and did not smell anything in our hallway or stateroom. We never walked on deck 6 so maybe it's only there? But that seems strange that only one deck would have a bad smell.

[miched]

This thread is almost 8 years old. I am sure if there was a issue or problem it was corrected.

 

Many times there are the odors when in port because they are emptying the tanks and it would be on the lower decks becasue those are the closest to the barges.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[CruisingChick]

This thread is almost 8 years old. I am sure if there was a issue or problem it was corrected.

 

Happy cruising

 

I HATE when that happens. How do they find their way back to life? I can't even find posts from yesterday?

[miched]

I HATE when that happens. How do they find their way back to life? I can't even find posts from yesterday?

 

I think it is because someone does a search for a topic to see if there is already a thread on it instead of just starting a new thread.

 

The problem then is that they don’t look or see that it is very old.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[CruisingChick]

I think it is because someone does a search for a topic to see if there is already a thread on it instead of just starting a new thread.

 

The problem then is that they don’t look or see that it is very old.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

Yes, that is the problem. I didn't look either. I really feel threads after a year should be locked. You can search and read but cannot post. A lot of times most information is obsoleted after a year's time has past anyway.

[cmhdoogalsatsea]

Hello,

I have been reading various reviews about this ship and some people have mentioned smelling garbage or burning smells in the hallways outside the staterooms-- has anyone experienced this recently? One person that mentioned this was on deck 6 (penthouse deck)which is the deck that I have booked! I am hoping these were isolated circumstances. Any input on this would be greatly appreciated.

I've been on the Summit 3 different weeks over the past year, always on deck 6 and haven't smelled anything unpleasant in hallways or decks on any of those sailings (well, not counting a few currently popular fragrances I could do without...). Looking forward to getting back onboard in 3 weeks.

[Rblum100]

This thread is almost 8 years old. I am sure if there was a issue or problem it was corrected.

 

Many times there are the odors when in port because they are emptying the tanks and it would be on the lower decks becasue those are the closest to the barges.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

I wish to assure you that the smell was prevalent while en route between ports. I am not a Marine Engineer, but my guess is that the problem has to do with venting the gassss from the sewage tanks. They were finding their goodawful way to deck 6 midship starboard. I submitted a review to Cruise Critic and mentioned the smell issue but the review has not been approved to be posted yet by CC. If I can start a new post on the issue, I would be glad to do it.

[Denny01]

I wish to assure you that the smell was prevalent while en route between ports. I am not a Marine Engineer, but my guess is that the problem has to do with venting the gassss from the sewage tanks. They were finding their goodawful way to deck 6 midship starboard. I submitted a review to Cruise Critic and mentioned the smell issue but the review has not been approved to be posted yet by CC. If I can start a new post on the issue, I would be glad to do it.

My opinon is you don’t need to. The problem with old threads is posters start to reference/quote a post that is years old as if it was posted recently, and sometimes that poster hasn’t added anything to the forum for an extended time and wont respond.

 

This isn’t your issue, I just wish the Forum would lock up threads that go over some age, maybe a year. You can still read them, just not ‘breathe life’ back into them. If you look at the ‘Search’ tool for the forum, it has an Advanced button which has a ‘Newer Than....’ selection option and that goes only back a max of one year.

 

You are probably right about the smell, it’s usually a gas venting issue. Noticed it on a cruise a number of years ago (forget the ship and when), but it was prevelant in the aft portion of one deck passageway. And it was Noticable!

 

Den

[miched]

I wish to assure you that the smell was prevalent while en route between ports. I am not a Marine Engineer, but my guess is that the problem has to do with venting the gassss from the sewage tanks. They were finding their goodawful way to deck 6 midship starboard. I submitted a review to Cruise Critic and mentioned the smell issue but the review has not been approved to be posted yet by CC. If I can start a new post on the issue, I would be glad to do it.

 

I used the word “many” and not always or only. And yes there can be odors at other times depending on the venting and I am sure the wave action may have some effect on the tanks sloshing around. Another could be that the smell just lingers as the air isn’t being exchanged properly or enough after they empty the tanks.

 

It could also be after they serve Pork and Beans in the MDR and Blu. Yes it was on the menu.

 

Then again the problem may be because there are too many old farts on board. 😱

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[Rblum100]

Miched. Thanks for your opinion on eating pork and beans while onboard the Summit. Funny. It was sewer gas. You and I are in agreement on the high probability that this was a venting issue on the Celebrity Summit. Hopefully they will fix the issue during the refitting scheduled for late this year. If not, people evaluating a cruise on the Summit should evaluate this issue. If it continues, I presume that others will chime in.

[miched]

It is a good thing that X doesn’t allow smokIng or open flames as there may be an explosion.

 

The ironic thing about the sewer gas odor is that it is usually on the lower decks being 3, 4, and 5 and that is where most of the employees are along with Guest Relations so they are aware of it and have to endure it.

 

Happy cruisng 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[chengkp75]

Let me say that almost no cruise ships "empty the tanks" in port. They have waste water treatment plants that treat the waste water to acceptable levels and are allowed to discharge while in port as well as at sea.

 

The most common source of "sewer" smells on ships are dry S-traps. The black water from the toilets are separate from the gray water from sinks and showers, unlike your home. The black water system is a closed, non-vented system, and the only time smells will come from it are the short intervals when the maintenance crew open the system to remove a blockage. Gray water is different. This is a gravity flow system just like the drains in your home, and all the drains have "traps" under them, just like the U-shaped piping under your sink. This trap holds a quantity of water in the pipe to act as a check valve to prevent sewer gasses from coming back up the pipes into the room. Drains that see water introduced to them regularly, like sink and shower drains, do not present a problem, but drains that do not get refilled regularly can have the water in the trap evaporate in the dry AC air of the ship. When this water dries out, the sewer gases can come back up with the attendant smell. An odor in the cabin or bathroom typically comes from the floor drain in the bathroom (not the shower drain, there will be another drain in the non-shower area of the bath, frequently hidden under the toilet), and smells in passageways comes from pantries, linen lockers, tech lockers, etc, all of which have deck drains, but do not routinely see water. A glass of water down these drains will clear up the odor almost immediately. The problem is that most crew do not know where the drains are, and it takes some time to hunt down the offending trap.

[SC_Floaters]

Sep 9-21, 2018 Strong sewer smell still present most days of cruise, starboard midships, room, hallway and veranda.

 

Original Post from 2010 and you say the Strong sewer smell still present ??? Eight years ???

[SC_Floaters]

Everything You Always Wanted to KnowAbout Sewer Gas...But Were Afraid to Ask

Question: What is sewer gas?

Answer: Sewer gas, at least that which causes anodor problem, is a mixture of inorganic gases created by the action of anaerobic(needing no oxygen) bacteria on sewage and sludge. This gas can containhydrogen sulfide, ammonia, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen, and hydrogen.

Question: What makes it smellso bad?

Answer: Almost always, hydrogen sulfide is theodor culprit, although ammonia may be formed in rare cases. The rest ofthe gases listed above are odorless. The odor threshold, the lowestconcentration that can be detected with the nose, for hydrogen sulfide issomewhere between .001 and .01 parts per million (ppm), an extremely lowconcentration. As an illustration, 1 ppm on a linear scale is one inch in15.8 miles.

Question: Can these gases harmthe people who come into contact with them?

Answer: Only under extremely unusualcircumstances. Although hydrogen sulfide is a toxic gas, it will not harmpeople at the concentrations that exist with sewer gas odor problems. Studies have shown that hydrogen sulfide has a depressant effect on the centralnervous system in concentrations above 150 ppm. This is 15,000 to 150,000times the amount detectable by most people. Not enough gas is generated inthe sewers for concentrations to approach the dangerous levek.

However, if a person were to enter a tunnel or deep hole thatcontained sewage undergoing anaerobic breakdown, there is a chance he couldbecome poisoned.

Question: How does it get intothe house?

Answer: The only way sewer gas can get loose isif there is something wrong with your plumbing. The most common fault inthe plumbing system is unstrapped drains, especially floor drains

Other ways sewer gas can get loose include:

1. 
   
2. A dry trap. If there is a trap in a drain line that is not often used, the water in the trap may evaporate, breaking the trap seal.
   
3. A damaged trap. Obviously, if the trap is cracked and allows the water to run out, the trap seal is again lost.
   
4. A damaged drain line. If the drain line is cracked or broken between the main sewer and the trap, there is nothing to impede the flow of gases through the crack or break in the line. Also, a damaged drain line may allow sewage to drain into a low area you may get a sewer odor from that accumulation.
   
5. A damaged or plugged vent. The vent system in your plumbing is designed to equalize the atmospheric pressure differences caused by wastewater flowing through the plumbing, and also to allow sewer gases to escape the plumbing system by venting them into the atmosphere. If this system has an unstrapped opening, gases may escape through that opening.
   

If the vent is plugged or absent, those unequal pressures it wasdesigned to eliminate may siphon the water out of the trap to such an extent asto ruin the trap seal.

Question: How is it producedin the sewer?

Answer: Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is produced whenthe sulfate radical (SO4) is reduced to H2S and H2O (water). Thisreaction can take place only when there is no oxygen or other oxidants in themicrobial environment. Studies have shown that H2S is not produced infresh wastewater for two or three days, by which time it is normally to orthrough the wastewater treatment plant.

There are, however, some environments where hydrogen sulfide isproduced in the sewers:

1. 
   
2. The slime layer that coats the sewer pipe below the water line. Although this layer can be only .040 of an inch thick, the three-quarters of the layer closest to the sewer pipe is so oxygen-poor that H2S is commonly formed.
   
3. If any sludge has been deposited at the bottom of the pipe, H2S will also be formed in that sludge.
   
4. If there is a problem in the sewer with flow (if it is plugged or partially plugged) so that the sewage cannot keep moving, the oxygen content gets to low that H2S can be produced in the sewage itself.
   

An important point to remember is that all sewage systems, at onetime or another, produce sewer gas.

Question: What can be done tokeep it from being formed in the sewers?

Answer: If the hydrogen sulfide is becoming aproblem in a very localized area (for example at the treatment plant or at alift station), oxidizers can be added to the sewage to increase theoxidation-reduction potential. These oxidizers can be oxygen, hydrogenperoxide, chlorine, permanganates, and others.

If the problem is in part of the sewage collection system, aboutall that can be practically done is to flush the sewers in order to increasethe flow rate and remove any sediments or obstructions. However, this canonly be done to alleviate acute problems, and is not practical on a continuousbasis.

Question: What can be done tokeep odors away?

Answers: The best answer is to find the problemwith the plumbing system and have it repaired. If the floor drains are unstrapped,have traps installed. It is probably not wise to simply plug the drain,because any water that enters will have no place to go and possibly flood theroom. In any case, an experienced plumber will be able to find the shortcomingsof the system and offer suggestions on how to correct them on an individualbasis.

Question: What, exactly, is atrap?

Answer: A trap is a device made from a U-shapedsection of pipe, tubing or tile which traps wastewater. This wastewaterthen acts as a seal to prevent sewer gases from coming out through the drainopening.

Question: How can I tell if myfloor drains are trapped?

Answer: Pour water into the opening (at least 2gallons) and visually inspect by looking down the opening. If there isconsiderable water standing (so that it fills the pipe), then the drain istrapped. Check it again a couple of hours later to be sure the waterhasn’t drained out.

If there is no standing water, then either thereis no trap or it is located somewhere else in the line. If there areodors present, pour some water into the opening and check for odors about anhour later. If the odors are still present, there is probably no trap.