replacing sanitation hoses
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Not your boat, but post #1 describes how he replaced his hose: Replacing Sanitation Hose on 2004 Hunter 36 | Sailboat Owners Forums
I did my Catalina28 in a similar way but step two was "call the guy" which made step three even more enjoyable!
There have got to be a bazillion posts on replacing your sanitation hose. Peggy Hall a/k/a “the Headmistress” has an entire book that covers all things head related. Check out the forum. My wife and I replaced ours on our H36. It takes some patience, some hose lube, and a messenger line, but it CAN be done.
Drinks afterward are a good idea.
Drinks afterward are a good idea.
If you only want to do this job once every 10 years, sanitation hose is NOT a place to "go cheap...but you have to buy the most expensive either. Raritan Sani-Flex is the hose I recommend RaritanSaniFlex hose It's proven to be 100% odor permeation resistant (Raritan even increased their warranty against it to 10 years), plus it has the added advantage of being so flexible it can be bent almost as tight as a hairpin without kinking. Defender has it for <$10/ft and they sell it by the foot.
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.
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.
If you discover that you have questions that need answers, or problems you aren’t sure how to solve. Ask those questions before you start any work, because it’s always cheaper and easier to do it right the first time than it is to do it over!
--Peggie
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.
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.
If you discover that you have questions that need answers, or problems you aren’t sure how to solve. Ask those questions before you start any work, because it’s always cheaper and easier to do it right the first time than it is to do it over!
--Peggie
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Almost all things. I discovered recently that the chapter "Replacing Sanitation Hoses" isn't in it. It's in my manuscript, but missing from the book. That and few other things will be corrected this winter.
--Peggie
When I replaced mine last year, a plastic hose nipple of the right diameter (local hardware store, a couple of dollars) allowed me to use the old hose as a messenger to draw the new one through. Some lubricant took care of the turns and tight spots along the way.
It doesn't hurt to have a pack of disposable diapers on hand not to mention a bucket of water with some bleach in it for disinfection. You'll use it. I would have a box of latex gloves too. Work out disposal of hose and work materials before beginning.
I did this last year. Super gross but the boat smells so much better now. I went with the Saniflex hose. At $16.50 a foot you will want to plan it out carefully.
I meant to add these instructions to my previous post:
If this is your first time replacing hoses, a couple of tips that should prevent it from being a nasty stinky job:
Before you begin, flush a LOT of clean fresh water through the entire system including the tank.
Start with the highest connections, duct tape the ends as you remove each one.
Warming the old hoses a bit (I always used a blow dryer) will make them easier to get off the fittings.
Put a plastic waste basket liner under each connection to catch any spills.
Warming the hose also makes it easier to get the new hose onto the fittings. Lubricate the inside of the hose and the outside of the fitting with a little K-Y...it's a water soluble surgical jelly that dries out and is also much slipperier than dishwashing liquid.
And I'm sure you already know that all hose connections should be double clamped, with screws 180 degrees apart...or at least 90 degrees if access makes 180 impossible.
--Peggie
Whyizzit that it never seems to occur to most boat owners that flushing gallons of clean fresh water through the hoses before taking anything apart prevents replacing hoses from being a nasty smelly job....use a bucket if your toilet uses sea water. Add some bleach to the water if you want to. Wear disposable gloves if you want to. The paint department in most big box stores has boxes of 100 dirt cheap. If you follow my instructions in post #11, you'll have little if any mess to mop up.
--Peggie
In addition to all the great advice Peggie gave, when I did my C-30 I found puppy piddle pads super handy to put under a hose I was removing.
Same idea as a diaper or a bucket, but thinner. Bucket not useful to me as no room at the tank or where the macerator was mounted. Useful all over the boat - masking for spray paint, catching water when changing impellers/cleaning the intake screen, etc..
Wash your hands before opening the post-project beer.
Same idea as a diaper or a bucket, but thinner. Bucket not useful to me as no room at the tank or where the macerator was mounted. Useful all over the boat - masking for spray paint, catching water when changing impellers/cleaning the intake screen, etc..
Wash your hands before opening the post-project beer.
I agree with the idea of using hose barbs to attach hoses end to end so that you can use the old hose to pull through the new one.
A few things though
Literally lather the hose with grease. I find white Teflon grease to be the best by far
The problem with using hose nipples to attach hoses end to end is fastening them.
Typically, you’d use hose clamps, but hose clamps will get snagged up in tight corners as you try to fish the hose through.
What I did was drill small holes through the hose and coupling, and used stainless seizing wire to firmly join it together,
Then, wrap electrical tape over the wire so that it’s dead smooth.
This takes a few minutes, but is by far the most reliable way to use a hose to fish another hose.
Easiest way: buy a male-male "hose mender" fitting. Cut the ends of both the old and new hose as cleanly as possible. Use PVC cement or any "glue" you like to secure both old and new hoses on the fitting (I'm not sure why you'd use any grease). Slide old and new hose onto the fitting, butting them tightly together...you want to have a smooth unbroken surface. When you've pulled the new hose all the way through, cut it off behind the fitting.
--Peggie
--Peggie