My turn

[luckydave215]

To change out the head waste lines due to calcified build up reducing inner diameter.
It only took two me and a helper two days, the pull for the forward head (almost 50 feet) was super fun.

 

[Bob Bradley]

Fun job. I hope you put the good stuff in, Dave. Now just remember to run a gallon of white vinegar down each head once a month to prevent them from re-calcifying.

 

[luckydave215]

You bet I used the good stuff, buying cheap sewage hose is stupid, especially considering the labor to install it.
Two fifty foot spools @$6.05/ft.....ouch!

 

[doc g]

Fresh water flush is the key to no more deposits ......Pat

 

[Capt Paul]

Can anyone document that the vinegar really works? And does it supposedly just reduce calcium from raw water? I have fresh water heads but would love to reduce the sewage buildup.

 

[doc g]

the build up is not calcium it is uric acid /urea .....

 

[luckydave215]

Fresh water flush is the key to no more deposits ......Pat

Fresh water or not, waste hoses still need to be changed once in a while.
Mine were last changed ~20 years ago, I would need to do it deposits or not. I don't see the benefit of using precious on board fresh water to flush heads when Galley Maid heads flush so well using tons of raw water per flush.

 

[brico]

Fresh water or not, waste hoses still need to be changed once in a while.
Mine were last changed ~20 years ago, I would need to do it deposits or not. I don't see the benefit of using precious on board fresh water to flush heads when Galley Maid heads flush so well using tons of raw water per flush.

I tend to agree with you on not wasting fresh water for head flushing. My VacuFlush is currently plumbed such that it uses fresh water. I regularly pump out my holding tank once I am back in the marina or underway if it is getting full. It is scientifically proven that the fresh water reduces deposits and smells a bit less, but crap smells nevertheless. Regular pumpout and treatment of the holding tank is a way to go, while hose renewal is a piece of cake at least on my 37C. So instead of scrambling for fresh water in remote places where we like to go, better change out few feet of hoses more often and preserve the fresh water for showering, cooking, dishes etc. I am exploring the option to switch back to raw water before next season.

 

[branwyn]

We have 3 Tecma Silence Plus heads on board that all raw water flush. Nice saving the fresh water when away from dock. That said, when we moved our moorage from fresh water to salt water, we quickly noticed the holding tank vent smell became nose curdling pungent. So much so, if the breeze is right, you can smell on the sun deck within a moment of the head flush. The Tecma heads flush with some serious force which push a fair bit of air out the vent. The problem with the salt water is all the critters that live in it... they perish in the holding tank and lines which adds to the smell. Testing a product suggested to us at the boat show by a marine sanitation vendor that is supposed to help promote the good bacteria. Failing that, I'm going to install a vent filter and possibly plumb the heads to be selectable between fresh and raw water depending if at the dock or not. Solving the black water tank flush smell is a priority before spring.

The marine sanitation vendor I spoke with at the boat show also suggested hard piping black water lines instead of flexible PVC hose. Apparently air is injected into the PVC hose to make it flexible, the more flexible, the more air. Bacteria penetrate the air in the PVC hose and get trapped which is what causes the hose to smell. Only fix is to replace the hose. Has anyone hard piped their black water lines?

Cheers,
Ryan

 

[jim rosenthal]

My LectraSan is installed with PVC piping, per Raritan's recommendations. So far so good. I do have some flexible line between the head itself and the LectraSan, though.

I think given what goes through the system, any head plumbing will clog sooner or later. Probably some of the buildup is urate crystals. One of the advantages to smaller boats is shorter plumbing runs. The amount of waste plumbing on a 53MY or similar size boat is astonishing.

 

[MikeP]

" but crap smells nevertheless. "

Yep…only in the mind/hype of Peggy "the loon" Hall, does it not.

I concur with using RW for heads. My previous boat used FW for the heads and I frankly can't tell any meaningful difference between the two. One good thing about using RW is that I have found one of the the things that helps a lot is moving a lot of water through the system and with RW there is an unlimited supply to do that. I used to be concerned about filling the holding tanks more quickly buy using "more" water but for the two of us on our 53, it's just not an issue. Our "cruising limit" before docking is dictated by the FW tanks/usage, not the waste tank capacity. So whenever we have to refill the water tanks we can empty the waste at the same time (or pump overboard using the waste treatment systems where legal).

 

[bobk]

Mike, Agree re Peggy. She thinks she is a scientist.... NOT.

Here is my experience. 1981 48MY. A PO changed the original GM to fresh water Vacuflush/fresh water flush > 8 years ago. My procedure when flushing 'brown' is to do a second six ounce flush with a squirt of hand soap to rinse the hoses after the vacuum recovers from the first flush. A month ago I opened one of the white hoses to change the joker valves. There was NO deposit, just a bit of stain in the hose. My water tank is 190 gallons, and the two of us can easily do two weeks aboard on a tank of water including showers and drinking.

For holding tank treatment, I have found Thetford's product that contains methanol and formaldehyde to be the best. Our cruising is almost all ICW or Chesapeake Bay, so the tank doesn't get stirred much, so my practice is to add about half the recommended treatment after a pump out, then the other half when the tank is about half full. This seems to keep tank odor to a minimum. BTW, I always give the pumpout hose a couple of brief rinses before capping it to minimize permeation into the forward area.

Bobk

 

[Bob Bradley]

So, am I the only one here who uses white vinegar?

 

[luckydave215]

When I got my boat the holding tank had a LOT of sludge in it, probably 8" deep. My 200 gallon tank was more like 100 gallons.
After trying various holding tank treatments I found one called nitrator (don't recall brand).
I think it's repackaged ordinary nitrate fertilizer. By providing fertilizer to the mix of nutrients and water, it has encouraged an algae bloom to eat the sludge. I could tell by the increased capacity it was helping, looking in it while replacing hoses confirmed the absence of sludge.

 

[MikeP]

So, am I the only one here who uses white vinegar?

I use it periodically in the regular drains and it helps keep the sea chests clear/flowing well. In the heads I use a bit of Muriatic acid once in a while. We have never had any buildup in the lines…so far, but vinegar should do exactly the same thing, just a lot less "enthusiastically!

 

[fissioneng]

I've got Vacuflush and only use nitrate treatments (ODORLOS), nothing else. Works well.

Vacuflush use very little water.

 

[branwyn]

I've got Vacuflush and only use nitrate treatments (ODORLOS), nothing else. Works well.

Vacuflush use very little water.

We had had a Vacuflush when we bought the boat. My wife's sister tested it against a feminine hygine product... The Vacuflush was no match... Jammed the pump, motor couldn't turn but power to motor stayed on (no vacuum) until it got so hot it melted the motor and Vacuflush reservoir housing. Replaced the Vacuflush with another Tecma silent plus.

 

[fissioneng]

My wife's sister tested it against a feminine hygine product...

Sounds like a training issue!

 

[Bob Bradley]

Sounds like a training issue!

Amen to that. Every time I have a new crew member on an offshore trip, we have an adult "potty training" session. I'd rather avoid a toilet disassembly 90 miles out in 6' seas to remove a cigarette butt.

 

[MikeP]

Well, that IS the beauty of the old, noisy oem GM head pumps. They will digest just about anything that would (whether it SHOULD be or not) normally be tossed in a toilet on land. Ciggie butts, typical feminine products, paper towels, etc are not an issue.