Hose replacement?

[Lshulan]

IKEA couch? Details

We ended up going to Ikea. They had an L-shaped sofa that fit the available space so snugly and perfectly, it looked like it was custom made. One side lifted for storage and the other side pulled out to make a queen bed. It came in three boxes so the pieces were easy to fit through the door. Also turned out to be way, way less expensive than the marine and RV furniture we looked at. We highly recommend it.

John - several years ago you posted about a replacement couch from IKEA, very interested, do you have by chance the name and even better any pictures? What boat do you have, depending on your model, it may not work on ours (MS 390)?

 

[SteveK]

My new to me boat had 30 year originals I recently replaced. I think I rushed into the job, a few years left in these.

 

[willd]

Doug,

Hi. I wasn’t there when the yard replaced that one hose. I am a boat jack-of-all -trades kind of owner. I used to own a 58' Hatteras with 4 staterooms and 4 heads/showers. In that boat, I replaced all four Galleymaid heads with Vacuflush, and ran all new sewage lines for all of those toilets. That job encompassed running sewage line from four heads to two tanks, and one of those runs was about 50 feet long. I also had the pleasure of rebuilding the guts of the largest holding tank when it was completely full. The copper dip tube had corroded off the fitting on the top of the tank. Oh joy!!!

My point is that I’ve done a LOT of nasty jobs on a boat all by myself because none of my friends wants to come help with that kind of stuff. You can ask, but good luck; been there, got the medal.

When I dug into my Mainship’s stinky hose thing, I set out to do what I had done in the past that worked well. I replaced everything I could with PVC, but that ONE hose about which you inquired is where I drew the line and whipped out my checkbook. Again, I’ve been there and realized the value of cash.

I won’t see the guy who did that job again for a couple of weeks when I go back to that yard to get my boat. It’s a yard that I go to every year for hurricane season haul out, and I get some yard maintenance done while I’m there. What I do remember is how big Alex’s eyes were when he told me, over and over, while pointing down to that part of the floor, “THAT was really, really HARD!!!” And, I know it was. That’s why I delegated that work to the yard. I don’t give the yard the easy stuff because I can do a LOT myself. If I delegate a job to the yard it’s because it’s worth the money.

I can tell you, as I told Alex before he started the job....if you empty the contents in the cabinet under the sink (I have a Mainship 2005 400 Trawler), you will find an access plate to open...and if you stand inside the shower facing toward the hullside, you will see an access plate on your left, all the way towards the hullside. I do not know whether Alex utilized those access areas, but he got the old stinky hose out and a new hose in. Alex is at River Forest Yachting Center in Stuart, FL. He did not cut any NEW access holes to get this done. He used what was there, if that.

Hi Mermaid (and others),

I take it your view is that whereever possible one should replace drain hoses (for grey and black water?) with PVC pipe. You say this is because it will not permeate odors. Is that the main reason for the swap? Does PVC pipe also last longer than the 10y avg life on a hose? Does any PVC pipe work or is it a special kind/coated?

I'm thinking of replacing all the hose I can with PVC (your rec) and where that is impractical use Raritan Saniflex hose (as suggested by the HeadMistress).

Thanks

Will

 

[Comodave]

PVC works great where it will fit. Sometimes it just won’t fit like a hose will. Be careful of 90 degree fittings as they add substantial resistance to the sewage flow. There are some wide sweep 90 that are better or even 2 45s. I don’t think there is a life on PVC, it probably will last forever unless installed improperly.

 

[willd]

PVC works great where it will fit. Sometimes it just won’t fit like a hose will. Be careful of 90 degree fittings as they add substantial resistance to the sewage flow. There are some wide sweep 90 that are better or even 2 45s. I don’t think there is a life on PVC, it probably will last forever unless installed improperly.

Thanks. I think I'll use PVC whereever I can make it fit and sanitation hoses where it won't. For drain pipes (grey and black water), do you recommend using the standard PVC pipes (white here), or the thicker walled PVC pipes (grey here) designed for high-pressure applications? I suspect grey is necessary for the black water, since the marine toilets output under pressure? For shower and sink drains, is it also advised to use grey or is white just as good?

Will

 

[fgarriso]

I would be careful about using PVC as it will turn brittle and crack with age. The point being don't plan on it lasting any longer than sanitary hose.

 

[Comodave]

Our last boat had mostly PVC running from the forward head which was a long run. It was just the regular PVC. There shouldn’t be much pressure since the sewage will just run into thee tank, the end isn’t closed to allow pressure to build up. It had been in the boat since who knows and didn’t have any problems with becoming brittle.

 

[HTurner]

I would be careful about using PVC as it will turn brittle and crack with age. The point being don't plan on it lasting any longer than sanitary hose.

PVC becomes brittle from sun exposure -- ultraviolet exposure. PVC does crack under stress when buried due to freezing, thawing, and ground shifts. There are plumbing installations going back to the 1960's when PVC was introduced, that still exist and function just like they day they were installed.

 

[catalinajack]

I would be careful about using PVC as it will turn brittle and crack with age. The point being don't plan on it lasting any longer than sanitary hose.

PVC pipe is used extensively for waste piping in homes. I rather think it will last a tad longer than 10 years.

 

[Dougcole]

I would be careful about using PVC as it will turn brittle and crack with age. The point being don't plan on it lasting any longer than sanitary hose.

I’d also be concerned about using PVC with a vacu flush head system. Every time you need to make a turn you have to put an elbow in it, and every elbow introduces at least two joints into the system. The tiniest air leak will cause a vacuflush to not hold pressure and it would be difficult to trace the leak. I’m not saying it’s impossible, just would take very careful joint work.

I had the joint fail (after 14 years) on the pvc elbow at the bottom of the funnel on my vacuflush toilet, which cause the entire system to stop working. It was a bear to trace.

I understand the appeals of PVC, it’s cheap and impermeable, I would just hesitate to use it specifically with a vacuflush, given that systems inherent complications. The head hose on my boat is 17 years old and is just now barely starting to smell. Im betting Mainship didn’t use top quality hose either., so it’s not like this is a yearly job. Im going to replace it with the best sanitation hose I can buy, but that is just me. Others may do it differently.

 

[Dougcole]

PVC pipe is used extensively for waste piping in homes. I rather think it will last a tad longer than 10 years.

True, but houses don’t bounce around very much.

 

[SteveK]

PVC pipe is used extensively for waste piping in homes. I rather think it will last a tad longer than 10 years.

Up here it is ABS, thicker wall than PVC for homes.

 

[Mac2]

True, but houses don’t bounce around very much.

I made this mistake. I have three heads and replaced all the flex hose with PVC pipe, for the sole purpose of eliminating permeating smells. I was confident it was solid for a moving boat. What I didn't consider was the added items I piled into the bilge. I have one stretch of PVC that runs for about 15 feet. It is totally vulnerable to breakage due to items being thrown around in a seaway. The thought of this happening, in the conditions it would happen, is horrifying. I will replace this stretch with sani flex hose. The other two heads/pvc are protected, so I can leave them alone.

 

[Comodave]

I’d also be concerned about using PVC with a vacu flush head system. Every time you need to make a turn you have to put an elbow in it, and every elbow introduces at least two joints into the system. The tiniest air leak will cause a vacuflush to not hold pressure and it would be difficult to trace the leak. I’m not saying it’s impossible, just would take very careful joint work.

I had the joint fail (after 14 years) on the pvc elbow at the bottom of the funnel on my vacuflush toilet, which cause the entire system to stop working. It was a bear to trace.

I understand the appeals of PVC, it’s cheap and impermeable, I would just hesitate to use it specifically with a vacuflush, given that systems inherent complications. The head hose on my boat is 17 years old and is just now barely starting to smell. Im betting Mainship didn’t use top quality hose either., so it’s not like this is a yearly job. Im going to replace it with the best sanitation hose I can buy, but that is just me. Others may do it differently.

SaniFlex hose is the way to go. About 5 minutes ago UPS brought 40’ of it for our new Marine Elegance head. We scoped the old hose today and it looks very clean inside so hopefully we can slide the new 1” hose inside 2 runs of the old 1.5” hose.

 

[Mac2]

SaniFlex hose is the way to go. About 5 minutes ago UPS brought 40’ of it for our new Marine Elegance head. We scoped the old hose today and it looks very clean inside so hopefully we can slide the new 1” hose inside 2 runs of the old 1.5” hose.

Good luck with that. Would love to hear how it works and what techniques you used to accomplish this. I'm guessing some sort of lube. The coil memory is always such a pain in the ass! No pun intended You'll love the toilet. I've got three years of livaboard with ours and no issues at all!

 

[Comodave]

I am going to uncoil it for a while before I try to get it through the old hose. I did a test with a short section of the old hose and it worked well with some wire pulling lubricant. I have 2 sections to run, one about 8’ and another about 12’.

 

[Mac2]

I am going to uncoil it for a while before I try to get it through the old hose. I did a test with a short section of the old hose and it worked well with some wire pulling lubricant. I have 2 sections to run, one about 8’ and another about 12’.

Wire pulling lubricant- That's a new one to me! Good luck.

 

[Comodave]

It should not hurt the hose if it is ok for wire insulation. I checked with Raritan and they also thought it would be ok. I asked if anyone ever tried doing this and they said there had been several people that had done it so hope it works for me.

 

[SteveK]

Wire pulling lubricant- That's a new one to me! Good luck.

It should not hurt the hose if it is ok for wire insulation. ...............

:lol: