Replacing toilet waste hose

[Capttug]

I have to replace the 1 1/2 inch waste hose on the forward toilet aboard a MS430PT. It looks like a bear of a job. Does anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks in advance,

Bill
Amore
MS 430PT
Arlington Va

 

[Bay Pelican]

Common maintenance item. One must flush out the hose with fresh water first. Usually these enter the tank at or near the top so that spillage from the tank is not an issue. Be prepared to immediately plug the tank after you remove the hose to reduce the smell.

If you do not have access to the entire length of hose be prepared to feed the new hose through using the old hose as a guide. Usually a 1-1/2 hose connection and some duct tape will keep the hoses connected.

 

[Rogerh]

Unfortunately yes. Some tricks that have helped me....
When trying to pull the old hose out - after cutting it with sawzaw or like at the connectors try twisting the hose while pulling your guts out. If it twist you will be able to get it to pull through. You can use a wood dowel or piece of PVC to install into the old hose and connect the new to it using small screwes into both hoses into the dowell. I also put tape over the screws so it helps preventing the screws from hanging up on anything. This is after you have determined that by twisting and pulling it moved some. Then when you pull the old through you will pull the new with it. Also have someone else pushing the new with you pulling.

I found that it is easier to cut the hose off of the connectors with the sawzaw and then remove buy cutting the old hose rather than trying to get the old hose in it's entirety to come off the connector.

It is not a fun job and by all means flush hoses many times along with the holding tank. Make sure tank is empty...
Good luck. When you are done you will be glad you did it...

 

[Larry M]

Don't use cheap hose for the replacement. It's nothing you want do regularly. There are a couple of very good hoses to use. One is the Raritan-Sani/Flex. You get what you pay for.

 

[Rogerh]

My comments above are not from experience on a MS34. Just from my Jefferson but the basics still apply. By all means I agree with using the best hose.

 

[clynn]

This is something that I will need to tackle in the not to distant future on a Jefferson. May I ask why you are making the change? My forward head smells horrible and it doesn't flush correctly...I'm afraid it's clogged. There are little white crystal things on the lines under the sink. It's really disgusting, so I'm going to replace everything.

Are there other reasons for changing out the hose?

 

[Rogerh]

What size Jefferson and model?

 

[clynn]

What size Jefferson and model?

It's a 1988 46 Sundeck. Gorgeous boat, just hasn't been used and needs some love.

 

[Rogerh]

Mine is A 52 1990 Marquessa. My hoses were all dated and they were all dated the same 1989 so they desperately needed to be changed. Alot of cracks but no leaks. But when I started to pull them I could tell they really smelled.

 

[SCOTTEDAVIS]

Old rags stuffed in Ziploc bags to make a waterproof plug (lots) to stuff in the hose ends when disassembled, you will not want these back.

Make a "flush plug" using a 3/4" male nipple glued up to a 1.5" fitting to attach to old hose then using a double female connect hose to flush with water then use compressed (shop vac) air to push water out of hose and into holding tank.


Best advice***** (I will be using this one the next time) is to go to a nice place for lunch and then to the movies while the sanitation guy you hired does it and cleans everything up, these guys are not super expensive. Sometimes DIY is not worth the savings.

 

[Irish Rambler]

Hoses become clogged inside with Lime scale and a periodic slow flushing with extra strong vinegar 12% will help to dissolve the lime and keep the toilet hoses clean.
Fill the toilet bowl with vinegar, 1 very short flush, after 2 hrs another very short flush until all the vinegars gone from the bowl. Don't flush with fresh water until the next usage as the longer the vinegar stays in the pipe the more successful will be the cleaning.
When feeding new hose through lightly coat the exterior with washing up liquid, it'll help the installation, wipe of any accessible excess after fitting.

 

[No Mast]

we flush with vinegar on a routine basis. Really does work. Not just for the heads but shower sumps also.

 

[Rogerh]

Carefull about using shop vac to blow through to tank. I did this and unfortunately the hose went to a T connected to the other head. It blew the stuff up through the other head. What a mess! If it is not on a T with another head this will not happen.

 

[HeadMistress]

I have to replace the 1 1/2 inch waste hose on the forward toilet aboard a MS430PT. It looks like a bear of a job. Does anyone have any experience with this?

Yep...lots of experience! I'll let you preview a chapter on how to do this job in my new book (due out late fall):

If you 're gonna replace any hose, replace 'em all, especially hoses that old...'cuz the average working life of any hose is about 10 years, after which they dry out and start to crack. And also because, although you may not have any odor from the ones you don't replace now, when the weather is cooling off, just as sure as the Lord made little green apples, you will next season when the weather gets hot! So get the whole job over with now!

Map out your entire plan and determine solutions to all problems and obstacles before you remove a single hose. Photos can be very useful in helping you map it out, and in finding out what you'll be up against in hard to see areas. In some cases, real time video can even be your eyes while doing the work. Measure the amount of new hose you’ll need and buy it (add at least one extra foot as a safety margin). Use sanitation hose throughout the entire system, including the toilet intake and tank vent.

Preparation is 90% of the key to the success of any job....and prepping to do any work on any part of the sanitation system starts with thoroughly rinsing out the whole system with plenty of clean water before taking anything apart. Pump out the holding tank VERY thoroughly with lots of clean fresh water. Rinse out the toilet, all hoses and any macerators or manual pumps, VERY thoroughly with lots and lots of clean water. If the hoses REALLY stink, it may help to smear a healthy glob of Vicks Salve under your nose before you start. If possible, schedule your project for a time when you can do it on a cool day. And be sure to create plenty of ventilation, especially in any closed areas in the bilge.

Put plastic garbage bags or disposable aluminum pans under hose connections to catch any spills. (Warming hoses with a blow dryer makes them easier to remove and replace). Have a couple of rolls paper shop towels (super heavy duty paper towels) handy...you'll need them.

Now you're ready to start the real work

Remove the highest hose connection first to minimize drips,and stick plugs (available from any hardware store) in the ends of the hose. Work on only one hose at a time...and take each section of hose all the way off the boat as soon as you get it loose (your dock mates may insist you take it all the way off the dock!). When taking a hose off a fitting, have a pan or a plastic trash bag under the connection to catch any drainage. Have lots of shop towels handy to mop up what misses the pan.

Removing hoses becomes much easier if you’ll heat them with a heat gun (I’ve always preferred using a blow dryer) to soften them up before trying to work them off. Unless you want to also replace all the fittings, do not pry them off with a screwdriver or saw them off...the screwdriver blade will dimple the fitting, the saw will cut into it, and the new hose won’t seal.

It’s often much easier to pull new hose through inaccessible places if you connect it to the old hose and pull the new through as you pull the old out. Use a male-to male connector. Use PVC cement to secure the ends of both hoses onto it. Do not use duct tape…it won’t hold if you have to pull hard. Do not hose clamps or anything that can get hung up as you pull the hose through, and be sure to butt the ends of the hose tightly together to create the smoothest uninterrupted surface possible. After you’ve pulled it through, cut the new hose cleanly behind the connector and dispose of the old hose and connector.

To put the new hose onto fittings, heat the hose with a blow dryer (use a heat gun only if you really know what you’re doing with one) to soften it. Be careful, and be patientl! You only want to warm the hose enough to slide it onto a fitting; overheating hose can damage it, causing collapse or tearing. Smear a little dish soap (or even better, K-Y surgical jelly; it’s much slipperier than soap and water soluble, so it dries out) on the inside of the hose and the outside of the fitting to lubricate the connection. Don’t use Vaseline or any grease...and don’t use ANY cement or sealant...only Teflon tape on the threaded end of tank fittings. Double clamp all the hose connections with screws on opposite sides of the hose, or at least 90 degrees apart if 180 degrees isn’t possible.

Important note: Plastic tank fittings are NPT (National Pipe Thread) standard, which are slightly (so slightly that it’s not noticeable to the naked eye in such a short piece) tapered. They’re also self-sealing. So when threading fittings into the tank, tighten only one turn past “hand tight,” plus enough to aim an elbow in the direction needed, no more. If the fitting leaks around the threads, wrap them with a couple of layers of Teflon tape. Over-tightening can result in a cracked female tank fitting, if not immediately, within a short time. That little “ping” sound is the last thing you want to hear coming from the tank.

 

[SCOTTEDAVIS]

Carefull about using shop vac to blow through to tank. I did this and unfortunately the hose went to a T connected to the other head. It blew the stuff up through the other head. What a mess! If it is not on a T with another head this will not happen.

Good point!!! Not a good visual

 

[O C Diver]

Agree with lots of flushing first. Mixed several 5 gallon buckets of water with a dose of bleach and ran it through the system a day in advance. Smell was all but non existant. Heat gun makes loosening the white hose much easier. Replace with the best hose you can find, did you really want to do this job again? I went withTrident 101 sanitation hose when I redid all the hoses. Service the rest of the system, pumps and one way valves while your at it. This is one job where preventive maintenance exponentially exceeds fixing a system that won't flush.

Ted

 

[High Wire]

Do not use the flush garden hose you use, to ever fill your water tanks again.

 

[Capttug]

As usual, the great members of this site come to the rescue. Thanks to all for your help.