Sanitation hose CLAMPING issues ?

[MrBee]

Good evening all.
I have done some searches and I did find loads of info on what hose to use... but here is my problem.
Early Last season, our first with this boat, we replaced ALL the Sanitation system. I used the high dollar white hose, I think Trident but am not sure and not at the boat now. The hose is doing fine but we have MAJOR stink problems that I have narrowed down to the Connections. When I installed the hose I do recall it was very difficult to bend and also VERY difficult to clamp tight. It is the hose with the plastic rib that runs through it and I believe this is what makes it hard to clamp properly. Under the head sink I have 5 connections ( 3 at Y-valve and 2 at the gusher pump. ) and this is were the odor seems to come from. I seem to have no choice but to replace all the hose ( really only a total of about 15 feet. ) with a type that will pull tight with the hose clamps.

Did I miss something when I installed the hose? Like a particular method of connection / clamping ? A sealant to help ??
I'm at a loss here other than trying a different hose.

Thanks Brian

 

[31seahorse]

Heating the white hose with a hairdryer or a heat gun is a way to ease the connection difficulty. Care must be take to heat only enough to allow the tubing to stretch over the fittings. Too much heat will soften the tubing so that you can not push it onto the barbs. Double clamping as quickly as possible might help the tubing grasp the barbs well.

I have used caulking compound on a connection that was particularly stubborn. I don't know whether that is recommended.

Is it possible that your tank is the source of the smell? (Well, of course it is) I mean is the tank permeated by the "effluent"? Also, you will no doubt remember the vent hose. Replace it with new hose and perhaps add a filter.

Just thinking......

 

[thinwater]

If you have very tight turns, use a PVC 90 to avoid them. Most hoses, if stressed for a long time, will kink. If it was difficult to clamp, it is wrong.

You may also have wrong-sized barbs; the rubber and plastic hoses are not exactly the same size.

 

[MrBee]

Thanks for your responses.
The Tank is new, hose is new Barbs are new. Hose is on the barbs fine and I did use some sealant . It just seems to me the hose resist being drawn tight against the barb due to its own stiffness.

 

[Tejas]

Rather than heating the ends of the tubing with a heat-gun, I've placed the end of the tubing in water heated to boiling.

 

[JK_Boston_Catalina310]

Are you seeing leaks at the connections?

Are you doing proper head maintenance? Fresh water for last flush before leaving, a cup or two of vinegar once a week, lubricating the pump properly, pumping enough after use, etc.

Are you double clamped with the screw drives on opposite sides? Did you tighten them correctly a little on each alternating back and forth?

 

[AXEL]

It seems odd that the hose connections are releasing odor but not leaking? How can that be?
If in fact this is possible, you might just try putting some tape (electrical at a minimum) over the hose ends.

 

[Maine Sail]

Unless there is a physical leak, wet, you can see it and pick it up on rags, is is not likely the stench is coming from the clamps..... I will rant a bit below......

Rant On....


Guys,

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do yourselves a favor and STOP USING THE WHITE PVC SANITATION HOSE. Unless you want to throw your hard earned money straight out the window this stuff is PURE GARBAGE. It can odor permeate in as little as 12 months but almost always in less than 2 years.

DO NOT USE:
Trident #148
Trident #140
Shields #144
Shields #148
Clear PVC Anything

IMHO and IME the above hoses are pure unadulterated JUNK, a true wallet draining rip off. Please stop supporting the companies that make this crap by purchasing it. It is NOT a sanitation hose no matter what they tell you.. If you want your vessel to smell like a cesspool go for it, otherwise use Trident #101 or Trident #102.

Do Use: (these hoses have a PROVEN history)
Trident #101 (black)
Trident #102 (white)

Then if you can't get #101 or #102:
Shields Poly X
Raritan Sani/Flex Hose (this may be the new "best" sanitation hose but we need more years of data to prove it)
Shields #101 (this is NOT the same quality hose as Trident #101/102 but far better than any of the white PVC junk)

Just spent a day a few weeks ago in a boat with "new hose" which was 1.5 season old, Shields #148. It is totally odor permeated. It was so bad I opened every port and hatch and still felt nauseous. The boat yard charged him 3k for a brand new holding tank and 100% new hoses, 16 months ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

With our brand new 2005 Catalina 310 the crappy factory white PVC hose was permeating by the early summer of 2006 (less than 12 months) and we used Odorlos religiously.

We are on our 8th season with Trident #101 and ZERO, ZERO, ZERO boat odor....... If you want your boat to smell its best Trident #101 (black) or #102 (the white version) are the ONLY time-proven hoses that can do so.

Rant off.....

P.S. For the 5/8" vent hose Trident series 100 (wet-exhaust hose) in either wire reinforced or non-wire is a very similar construction to Trident #101 and will easily last 7-12 + years.. Any Trident wet exhaust hose will outperform ANY of the crappy white PVC "sanitation" hoses by about 3 - 5 times. Trident #101/102 however is even better.

P.S. NO SEALANT on hose to barb connections. Many of the sealants can damage the PVC plasticizers in the hose and degrade it faster than it already does. This can all be avoided by using a REAL sanitation hose like Trident #101...

 

[thinwater]

a. The wasn't a rant, not really. I've been doing side-by-side testing with matching holding tanks for a number of years and reached the same conclusions.

b. If a sealant is needed, something is mechanically wrong, the probablitiy of failure is great, and the sealant will make fixing it properly more difficult. I don't know what a proper sealant would be, as there exists no recomendation.

c. IF for some reason you must work with white PVC hose (can't imagine what it could be--the only reason I do is for testing) hot water is much better than a heat gun. More uniform, less chance of damaging the hose. That is what the makers recomend, as they have seen many overheated hoses that failed.

 

[MrBee]

Thanks all for your insight. Thanks Mainsail for the reposting of your info, thats what I was looking for. It does look as though the hose is getting saturated at the joints. We will be down tomorrow to remove all the hose and replace with the 101. I will try to take before pictures and see what exact hose it was i installed. I know it was 2 summers ago. this is the 3rd summer we have had the boat and sometime mid summer the first year we completely tore out the old and replaced with new. From Holding tank to the head unit. The only item not replaced wasd the toilet and i had that home earlier this spring and did a complete rebuild.

Thanks
\ I will try to remember to post what a find.
Brian