First, thanks for all the help I've received on my last two posts. You guys are great! My next (last? -- probably not) problem is the head is plumbed to draw water from a 5 gallon container set under the V berth. That seems odd to me. Here in CA we usually just draw raw water into the head from a through-hull. Is there any reason I shouldn't just install a new through-hull for raw-water intake? Am I missing something? Thanks!
Raw water intake for head
- Thread starter Casey F
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Smell...
You are probably missing the smell from decomposing material in the intake hose. It comes out as back looking crud after not using the head for a week or so and smells pretty bad. It is worse when pumping in water while in harbors. You also don't the build-up inside the hoses that salt water tends to accumulate. It sounds like the PO got tired of all of this, and installed a way to use fresh water. Good luck, Steve
You are probably missing the smell from decomposing material in the intake hose. It comes out as back looking crud after not using the head for a week or so and smells pretty bad. It is worse when pumping in water while in harbors. You also don't the build-up inside the hoses that salt water tends to accumulate. It sounds like the PO got tired of all of this, and installed a way to use fresh water. Good luck, Steve
Only when you leave the boat
Casey, Both points made Steve are valid in my experience. You can use raw water and flush the hose using your 5 gallon tank exclusively upon leaving the boat for more than a couple if days. This will most likely avoid the terrible odor of decomposing marine life from being an issue the next time you use your boat's head. Mike D
Casey, Both points made Steve are valid in my experience. You can use raw water and flush the hose using your 5 gallon tank exclusively upon leaving the boat for more than a couple if days. This will most likely avoid the terrible odor of decomposing marine life from being an issue the next time you use your boat's head. Mike D
Steve is right...
The PO found a simple way to eliminate sea water odor and mineral buildup in the toilet plumbing. However, I'd have done it a bit differently, one of two ways: 1. Tee the head intake line into the head sink drain line. Before leaving the boat, after the seacocks are closed, fill the sink with fresh water...flush the toilet. Because the seacock is closed, the toilet will pull the clean water out of the sink, rinsing sea water out of the entire system. This allows you to conserve your fresh water by flushing with sea water, but rinses it out before it can sit, stagnate and stink. 2. Stuff a small (5-6 gal) UNvented bladder into any location that's convenient to both the head sink drain and the toilet. Use a small y-valve (for this application even a 3.95 plastic garden hose valve will work), connect a fill line for the bladder into the head sink drain line...connect the head intake line to the bladder. No other plumbing needed. To fill the bladder, open the valve to the bladder fill...run water down the sink. This will allow you to flush with fresh water all the time without risk of polluting your potable water supply. The advantage to it over the 5 gal. jug you have now: running water down the sink has to be a lot easier way to refill the bladder than refilling the jug. Whatever you do, NEVER connect any manual toilet--or any electric toilet designed to use sea water either--to the fresh water supply plumbing. That cannot be done without risk of contaminating the potable water supply, damage to the toilet, or both...and EVERY toilet mfr specifically warns against it in their installation instructions. It's ok to connect to drain lines, because drain lines aren't part of the supply plumbing.
The PO found a simple way to eliminate sea water odor and mineral buildup in the toilet plumbing. However, I'd have done it a bit differently, one of two ways: 1. Tee the head intake line into the head sink drain line. Before leaving the boat, after the seacocks are closed, fill the sink with fresh water...flush the toilet. Because the seacock is closed, the toilet will pull the clean water out of the sink, rinsing sea water out of the entire system. This allows you to conserve your fresh water by flushing with sea water, but rinses it out before it can sit, stagnate and stink. 2. Stuff a small (5-6 gal) UNvented bladder into any location that's convenient to both the head sink drain and the toilet. Use a small y-valve (for this application even a 3.95 plastic garden hose valve will work), connect a fill line for the bladder into the head sink drain line...connect the head intake line to the bladder. No other plumbing needed. To fill the bladder, open the valve to the bladder fill...run water down the sink. This will allow you to flush with fresh water all the time without risk of polluting your potable water supply. The advantage to it over the 5 gal. jug you have now: running water down the sink has to be a lot easier way to refill the bladder than refilling the jug. Whatever you do, NEVER connect any manual toilet--or any electric toilet designed to use sea water either--to the fresh water supply plumbing. That cannot be done without risk of contaminating the potable water supply, damage to the toilet, or both...and EVERY toilet mfr specifically warns against it in their installation instructions. It's ok to connect to drain lines, because drain lines aren't part of the supply plumbing.
Many years ago I read of a simple trick to stop odor.
Black raw water inlet hose. Don't use the clear hose. The stuff in salt water needs sunlight to grow and then die. Just use black hose and it can't get started. I've been using such a hose for the last 15 years. Nope, no odor.
Black raw water inlet hose. Don't use the clear hose. The stuff in salt water needs sunlight to grow and then die. Just use black hose and it can't get started. I've been using such a hose for the last 15 years. Nope, no odor.
Our boat came equipped with all black head...
hoses including raw water intake and waste discharge to the tank. Normally, the raw water never smells even when the heads have not been used for a few weeks. However, after a couple of months there is a slight rotten egg odor in the first flush water, which dissipates after the first flush. Personally it is no big deal, but I guess some will go to great lengths to avoid even the least bit of odor. Terry
hoses including raw water intake and waste discharge to the tank. Normally, the raw water never smells even when the heads have not been used for a few weeks. However, after a couple of months there is a slight rotten egg odor in the first flush water, which dissipates after the first flush. Personally it is no big deal, but I guess some will go to great lengths to avoid even the least bit of odor. Terry
Use shower
Every time i se a series of posts on this subject i offer a method that many on the Ches use. Bay water in an intake hoise foer a wek in MD can be most revolting. I like Peggy's idea of the sink drain It is a "green suggestion ' and should appeal to most If you are plumbing challenged and the shower is over the head as it is in a lot of boat designs, just use the shower herad to flush the head and keep the intake thruhull closed. Veery easy neat no containers to spill and no plumbing to do Still like Pegys drain idea tho neat use of existing water and plumbing t
Every time i se a series of posts on this subject i offer a method that many on the Ches use. Bay water in an intake hoise foer a wek in MD can be most revolting. I like Peggy's idea of the sink drain It is a "green suggestion ' and should appeal to most If you are plumbing challenged and the shower is over the head as it is in a lot of boat designs, just use the shower herad to flush the head and keep the intake thruhull closed. Veery easy neat no containers to spill and no plumbing to do Still like Pegys drain idea tho neat use of existing water and plumbing t
Shower head not a good solution
Because water added to the bowl only goes through the bottom of the pump...the top of the pump--and all the rubber parts in it--remain dry...to dry out and fail much sooner. It's an even worse idea if the toilet is the typical sea water electric macerating toilet that has an integral impeller intake pump...because running dry "fries" the intake impeller almost immediately and eventually destroys the housing.
Because water added to the bowl only goes through the bottom of the pump...the top of the pump--and all the rubber parts in it--remain dry...to dry out and fail much sooner. It's an even worse idea if the toilet is the typical sea water electric macerating toilet that has an integral impeller intake pump...because running dry "fries" the intake impeller almost immediately and eventually destroys the housing.
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