Plumbing

I used 1" PEX tubing.

I took Peggy's advice and converted both heads to fresh water....no more smell, no more pisscrete to clog up the hoses.

jclays said:

Filled the holding tank with the macerator running. Very stinky gas being being displaced out the vent by the incoming water.
After doing this for a while I refilled the tank with water and a holding tank chemical. Will let it sit a few days.

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What holding tank "chemical" are you adding?

Sealand marine holding tank cleaner and deodorizer.

Just curious as Ive tried many over the years.
The best success I (and many) have had is with NoFlex or the generic sodium percarbonate that is a lot less $$$.

jclays said:

Sealand marine holding tank cleaner and deodorizer.

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Hasn't proven to be very effective at preventing odor out the vent...which is not surprising when you consider that SeaLand (now Dometic) recommends their vent line filters to block odor out the vent. Tank products that prevent odor from occurring negates the need for 'em.


--Peggie

HeadMistress said:

Hasn't proven to be very effective at preventing odor out the vent...which is not surprising when you consider that SeaLand (now Dometic) recommends their vent line filters to block odor out the vent. Tank products that prevent odor from occurring negates the need for 'em.


--Peggie

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[emoji106] Agree

Will see. It was free. Haven’t been to the boat since.

Smelling better already.

Finally getting to the sanitation hoses.
Peggy you mentioned also cleaning out the areas the permeated hoses have passed thru.
What would you use for areas I cannot access where the hose passes between and behind walls. Its about a 8 ft run behind the shower wall thru a double bulkhead?
Thanks
Jim

A power washer and detergent, followed by a thorough rinse (using the power washer too). If you don't have any access to that recess, I'd create one...doesn't have to be huge. Leave it open with a fan aimed at it for 24 hrs before using PureAyre according to directions.

Fwiw, Lowe's has a handy dandy hose-end power washer with a rechargeable battery on sale for $99 right now. I bought one last year to use on jobs that make getting out my 'real' power washer more trouble than it's worth and I was amazed at how well it works.

--Peggie

Ordered the pureayre.

If you don't already have one, I recommend you get a 1 gallon pump garden spray jug...the RoundUp one is about $15 at Walmart and worth it...I've had mine for more than 15 years. You only need to put a fine mist down on every surface nook and cranny that the hoses pass through...don't rinse, just let it dry for 24 hrs with every hatch and locker open so that plenty of fresh air can circulate...turn a fan on it if possible.


If any odor remains, you missed a spot.


--Peggie

Got the main hose replaced today. Toilet to holding tank 1” . Used the Raitan flex hose. Coupled the old hose to the new hose with a 1” barbed connector. I then ran screws thru the hoses into the barbed fitting so it could not come apart. I then taped it up to keep it all smooth. I few tugs the hose smoothly slid out. I had to cut the old hose in half as I was pulling it out to make room. DISGUSTING!!! Human waste crusted hard inside the hose. Twenty three years of poop in there. Hose was reduced to half its ID. I am positive that is where the boats odor came from.

A weekly cupful--no more than 2--of undiluted distilled white vinegar flushed all the way to the holding tank, followed by about a quart of clean FRESH water after 45 min--no longer than an hour--will prevent sea water mineral and waste buildup in the toilet discharge line. NEVER leave vinegar sitting in the bowl. Soaking in vinegar will cause soft rubber (joker valve) to swell and distort.


--Peggie

Happy to say that most of the odor is gone. I believe the culprit is the vent hose. All the other hoses have been changed. My dilemma is the hose was obviously installed when the boat was assembled (1997). The hose is zip tied every 12 inches and the zip ties are screwed to the side of the boat out of reach. It is visible in its full run but it cannot be reached. I could abandon it and run a new hose to a much more accessible location but I would still be leaving the old vent hose on the boat. The vent hose is visibly saturated. It is a clear hose with black ringlets. The hose is yellowed and in some places much darker yellow. It is also sticky.

I was contemplating disconnecting the hose from the holding tank and plugging the end then from the outside thru hull fill the hose with a holding tank chemical or a strong bleach and water mixture and letting it sit for a week.
Thoughts??
Thanks
Jim

If you can see it then cut the zip ties. Maybe attach a saw blade to a stick and cut them. Remove it and run a new one. If possible increase the size to an inch. If not possible then use the best quality hose you can. I would not try to soak the hose with anything, you will just add to a bad situation. Just get the bad hose out of the boat. Be innovative in cutting it loose. Good luck.

The vent line is definitely the culprit...it's clear nylon water hose which permeates very quickly. Builders--who are the worst sanitation plumbers on the planet-- use it because it's cheap. Do whatever it takes to get it out of boat. And if it's long enough to require "hangers," it's way too long. So you definitely want to run new one using sanitation hose this time to a new vent thru-hull that's a lot closer to the tank. Dave's suggestion to upgrade it to a 1" hose is a good one, but that'll require installing a new 1" vent fitting in the top of the tank, which is actually not hard to do, thanks to a li'l gizmo called the Uniseal UNISEAL . I'll be glad to help you spec out the details.


--Peggie

I purchased transition fittings from https://seacoastservices.com/pvc-fittings/. Also custom bent all my PVC using a heat gun and garage door springs to maintain the round shape of the pipe. Pre- bent everything in the shop using mock up of boat hull angles.