Head hose routing

Our head is below the water line but above the holding tank. Presently head output is routed to vented loop which is installed above the water line, then to the 2 way valve (above water line) and then either to the thru hull or to the holding tank. I am replacing all the hoses. Can I go the 2 way valve first (below water line) and then to either the vented loop (above water line) or to the holding tank? This way if I am going to the holding tank I dont have to pump the stuff up hill, just through the 2 way valve and down to the holding tank. Am I missing something or will this be OK. Thanks....

Rogerh said:

Our head is below the water line but above the holding tank. Presently head output is routed to vented loop which is installed above the water line, then to the 2 way valve (above water line) and then either to the thru hull or to the holding tank. I am replacing all the hoses. Can I go the 2 way valve first (below water line) and then to either the vented loop (above water line) or to the holding tank? This way if I am going to the holding tank I dont have to pump the stuff up hill, just through the 2 way valve and down to the holding tank. Am I missing something or will this be OK. Thanks....

Click to expand...

Guess you could, but you'd loose one of the best features of the vented loop...water in the bowl to keep out the stink. Our experience is that joker valves do not do the job.

Our head has the output hose connection at the top of the head and then back down. Would this allow water to remain in the bowl? I just hate leaving the flushed stuff in the line to the vented loop. It is a pretty long run, maybe 10 feet so it takes alot of flushes and water to clear that line completely.

I just hate leaving the flushed stuff in the line to the vented loop.

WHY?

If its out of the toilet and past the joker , who cares of its in the line?

Salt and minerals , not crap, builds up inside waste lines causing their need for replacement.

Thanks for your inputs. I guess I will leave things as they are and start the crappy job of replacing the hoses.

FF said:

I just hate leaving the flushed stuff in the line to the vented loop.

WHY?

If its out of the toilet and past the joker , who cares of its in the line?

Salt and minerals , not crap, builds up inside waste lines causing their need for replacement.

Click to expand...

As I said earlier, joker valves invariably leak. They're also a built in obstruction that impedes the flow.

Roger, I was thinking in terms of the redesigned system on our boat. I relocated the remote vented loops to the front wall of vanity cabinets immediately adjacent to the heads and the vertical rise to get above the waterline is quite short. So the amount of water to vacate the dirty water is small...about a quart and a half. Might be that there's enough of a rise to the exit at the top of your toilet to leave a small pool of water in the bowl...or you could add a small loop right at that point with enough rise (volume) to keep just a small pool in the bowl. I deleted all the joker valves when I reconfigured the system. Big difference in odor control and pumping efficiency of the heads. Depends how much effort you want to put into moving components. By the way, the exit from the vented loops on our boat are now directly atop the inlet to the "Y" valves (basically a single stacked unit). Took a little head scratching to find a suitable location. Also fresh water flush, but that's a different topic.

Skid, do you by chance have a photo of the stack unit you are talking about?
Thanks

Started to work the hose replacement yesterday. First task was to remove the washer/dryer and install a access plate under the W/D to get to the hoses. Found a gallon of liquid cloths washing soap laying on the floor under the W/D. What a mess to clean up. Apparently the container got a hole in the bottom some time while we were out. Never could see it because it ended up all under the W/D.
Why is it that every job I start always ends up being bigger than I thought.

Rogerh said:

Skid, do you by chance have a photo of the stack unit you are talking about?
Thanks

Click to expand...

No, but it's just a standard vented loop made of Marelon plastic (Perko brand), which is connected with a short (~3") section of hose atop the "Y" valve inlet. Double clamped at each end. So one end of the loop butts directly against the inlet to the Y valve. Routing is: toilet discharge to loop to Y valve.

The amount of fresh water in the bowl after a flush is roughly the volume of the hose between the toilet outlet and the top of the loop....about a 5" diameter puddle in our case...depends on the instant you release the flush button. Guess I could add a flush timer, but the normal users know exactly when to release.

Our boat originally had large radius bronze loops in remote locations...lots of dirty water sitting in the hoses. I purchased the plastic loops because the radius was smaller (shorter/narrower), which made the loop/Y valve "stack" easier to fit in the small space behind the cabinets. In one bathroom, I had to remove a vent blower to make space for this plumbing. By the way, most of the new black water plumbing is now PVC pipe and all of it drains down hill to the holding tanks or through hulls....no low spots for black water to accumulate. That was a bear to accomplish on our boat as it required rerouting in some very tight spots.

May I also suggest you look at the manufacture's installation guide. That may shed some light on your issue.