Why flush with fresh water instead of salt water?

[Dave602]

My surveyor has been in the boat business for over 50 years and turned me on to a trick for heads and it has really worked for me. Get a strainer and put in the intake water line to the head. Take the strainer basket out. Break up a Clorox bleach tablet and put in the strainer. Each time you draw water into the head the bleach will kill anything in it and chlorinate the water and lines. At the end of the day after you dry flush the head out pour in some white distilled vinegar just until it fills the neck, it doesn't take too much. It really knocks down the odors. Also take a small piece of Clorox tab about the size of a dime or less and drop in the bilge, it works there too. If you use too big a piece in the bilge the Clorox smell will get too bad.

 

[Rich Stidger]

Won't the Clorox kill all the god bacteria that breaks down the waste?

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

Yep...but that's the least of why it's a bad idea...

Won't the Clorox kill all the god bacteria that breaks down the waste?

Bleach is also corrosive and highly destructive to the rubber parts in toilets, and also breaks down hose resistance to odor permeation.

Every toilet mfr advises against using bleach, any cleaning product that contains bleach, household chemical toilet bowl cleaners, any other household chemical cleaning products, pine oil cleaners and any petroleum based products.

Mixing bleach and vinegar is an even worse idea...because that combination produces a gas that's even more lethal than mixing bleach and ammonia!

I can't believe that any competent surveyor would recommend doing that!

Tee your head intake into the head sink drain line to eliminate sea water intake odors (you'll find all kinds of discussion about how to do this in the HM forum)...and try cleaning your bilge--actually CLEANING it for a change and flush ALL the dirty water out--instead of just throwing something into it that's destroying your bilge pumps and anything else that's submerged in the "primordial soup" in your bilge.

A cupful (any more is wasted) of distilled WHITE vinegar flushed completely out of the the toilet and all the way through to the tank will prevent sea water mineral buildup in the head discharge line, but soft rubber left to soak in vinegar will swell up and distort...so leaving vinegar sitting in the toilet bowl will destroy your joker valve too.

Learn to maintain your system correctly and you'll not only eliminate odors, but you'll prevent problems AND your equipment will last a LOT longer!

 

[z28jimi]

If you were thinking of tapping your flushing plumbing into a water tank that also serves your faucets and sinks, that is a no-no:naughty: Never bridge the two systems.

That's exactly what I planned to do...

I thought the Elegance had a built-in check valve to prevent this sort of cross connection.

Peggy, am I wrong?

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

Not to worry...

Rich thought he was talking about a sea water toilet, which should NEVER be connected to the fresh water plumbing. However, toilets that are designed to use pressurized flush CAN be safely connected to fresh water plumbing...that's how they're designed to work. And the Elegance is designed to use pressurized flush water.

 

[z28jimi]

not to worry

Thanks.

 

[Buck420]

Rich,
I've used ONLY fresh water in both my heads since the boat was commissioned 10 years ago. I've never had ANY odor problems, and have yet to have to change a hose.
However, my boat has almost always been in a slip, so fresh water use has never been an issue. I can understand your position being on a mooring.
The only other " compelling reason to use fresh water for flushing" is that salt water is corrosive. Over time, it degrades hoses (& everything else) and often leaves mineral deposit buildup in them. While the technique of "last flush with fresh water" significantly reduces the odor and corrosion issues, IMHO, if you can use only fresh water, you and your boat will be better off over time as a result.