Marine Hose to PVC for Head - Holding Tank

[Cheechako]

Be very careful if using the white PVC flexible hose about heating. First: it runs small and tight and very hard to get on many fittings. Second: if you heat it, it may spilt and fail. I went wild using the white stuff on one boat. It seemed it would be a great answer to hoses getting rotten etc. Within months of new, some of it would split right where the fitting inside the hose ends..... after using a heat gun minimally to get it on the fitting.

[RLaird]

Thanks for all the experienced feedback.

I have two matching boats to do. I should be able to perfect the process.

Flex sure sounds nice, but as a newly retired sailor I may have to grab for something rigid!

Best wishes for some warmer winds!

[agb512]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

My boats have used ABS (black home plumbing pipe) for 25yrs. Very easy to work with, dirt cheap and 25yrs odor free.

Completely agree. I used pvc and should have gone with abs. PVC can be prone to breakage due to flex over time.

[NYSail]

raritan saniflex is the way to go in my opinion...... and it looks real nice!

[zeehag]

having recently observed as the marina pvc water carrying method here ruptured at all old junctures, i decided that that isnot the way to go . at least not for me.
i think my white and green sani hoses will do just fine. so far they have been odor free since 2001 or whenever installed before last owner bought boat. is one item we have dealt with-- stuffed hose?? smack it on dock a few dozen times for liberating the stinky stuffed interior.
reinstall.
still no odor in boat.
\what the hell am i doing wrong. you all complain about steenk, but mine is fine.
perhaps is because i know how to use a marine head....
read pegs instructions on how to use marine head.
read them again.
and again. until you know how to use the damned thing. flush flush flush flush.
and y'all only flush a tad, and complain.
peg knows her poop .... read better so you also know. aint rocket science, folks.

[peghall]

i think my white and green sani hoses will do just fine. so far they have been odor free since 2001 or whenever installed before last owner bought boat.

You have good hose (Trident 102), Karen...but everything has a lifespan. So the next time you have to remove them to "bang them on the dock" (and btw, there's a MUCH easier way to clear out scale!), you need to replace them. The useful lifespan of any hose is about 10 years because as rubber and flex PVC age, they dry out and become hard, brittle and prone to cracking and splitting--not what you want on any below-waterline thru-hulls! Yours are nearly twice that old.

And btw, buildup occurs in hard pipe just as it does in hoses.

A cupful of distilled white vinegar flushed through the system once a week can prevent the buildup...there's a product called "Sew Clean" Sew Clean that'll dissolve even the worst buildup...or muriatic acid if you don't want to spend the money for Sew Clean.

Peggie
"If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't completely understand it yourself." --Albert Einstein

[skipgundlach]

Hi, Peggie, et. al.,

We've been following your flushing regimen since we started cruising over 10 years ago, and the pic a few posts up demonstrates the effectiveness thereof.


As to marina PVC breaking, I note that most marine exhaust plumbing won't either be exposed to UV nor under pressure such as marina PVC.

Ours (as noted, again, above) survived our wreck; I don't think any more severe treatment is likely in any boat which would survive it...

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by peghall

i think my white and green sani hoses will do just fine. so far they have been odor free since 2001 or whenever installed before last owner bought boat.

You have good hose (Trident 102), Karen...but everything has a lifespan. So the next time you have to remove them to "bang them on the dock" (and btw, there's a MUCH easier way to clear out scale!), you need to replace them. The useful lifespan of any hose is about 10 years because as rubber and flex PVC age, they dry out and become hard, brittle and prone to cracking and splitting--not what you want on any below-waterline thru-hulls! Yours are nearly twice that old.

And btw, buildup occurs in hard pipe just as it does in hoses.

A cupful of distilled white vinegar flushed through the system once a week can prevent the buildup...there's a product called "Sew Clean" Sew Clean that'll dissolve even the worst buildup...or muriatic acid if you don't want to spend the money for Sew Clean.

Peggie
"If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't completely understand it yourself." --Albert Einstein

dear peggy,
part of our scheduled maintenance here in mazatlan is 150 percent replacement of all parts and hoses. i might save the bowl. the rest is being changed out. hoses, pumps, all of it. we will be removing sharp angles and creating a simpler and easier system with all new parts, reducing mileage of active hosing.
between 2001 and 2014, there were no changes or improvements in the system. i added a new Y valve and cleaned out the nice thickly padded hoses and replaced the pumps too many times. the bowl will be raised to above water level so no spontaneous attempts to sink my boat, and still have room for my rescue kitten to hide.
yes i use religiously vinegar and even resorted to muriatic acid when the id became unmanageable. oops too late. original antique jabsco manual pump lasted 14 yrs before i needed to replace it. that was a mistake. the new pumps are grossly lacking/.
hoses are limited here -- different stuff. i found green sani hoses that work well. so far, 4 yrs for the one length i am testing, no issues no odor.
temps donot change significantly inside my bilges, and the antique white hosing i have tested is continuing to show pliability without significant change, and no cracking nor brittleness. is a little dirtier than new on the outside as well as inside, but otherwise keeping its age hidden well.
i know it was pricey , and i recommend it, whatever it is.

[Seymore]

Originally Posted by RLaird

I am contemplating the replacement of my head hoses with PVC to try and eliminate odor issues.

Replace them with copper drain tubing..

I don't know how odors will permeate through PVC, and I know they won't permeate through copper.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by Seymore

Replace them with copper drain tubing..

I don't know how odors will permeate through PVC, and I know they won't permeate through copper.

PVC and ABS in homes since 1950's - 1960's no problem.

[groundtackle]

I replaced the hose in Dulce Sueno with schedule 40 pvc. I had a funky spring thingy that inserted into the pipe prior to heating and bending. It worked quite well and I’m happy. For adapting at the hose connection I just glued a threaded fitting then screwed on a hose barb adapter no issues there either.

[groundtackle]

Called “pipe viper”

[peghall]

Originally Posted by Seymore

Replace them with copper drain tubing..
I don't know how odors will permeate through PVC, and I know they won't permeate through copper.

Copper is fine for fresh water, but not for sanitation 'cuz sea water and urine will eat through it.

[a64pilot]

I found out the hard way that fresh water will eat through copper too.
I had always thought it to be the best permanent solution for plumbing, until I had to have my house replumbed cause the cooper had been eaten through. It took about 20 years to do so though.

[Kalinowski]

This is definitely the sh___st job on board. I just rebuilt the head and replaced all associated plumbing. We used the best Raritan Saniflux hose, which had great reviews. Be sure to check how the existing plumbing is run. It quickly became apparent that our yacht must have been built around the whole waste system, so hard pipe was not an option.