New Sanitation Hose

I've completed the unpleasant task of removing the Wilcox-Crittenden Headmate toilet from my 35-3. I also had to remove the discharge hose to the holding tank, which was a Sealand Odor Safe that has become clogged with calcium and even more inflexible with age. I'm now prepared to install a new Raritan PH II toilet and need to decide on what sanitation hose to use. I HATE the Sealand Odor Safe because it's so hard to get onto fittings and I've just learned that it's no longer the same hose anyway. The company that recently bought Odor Safe has lost the right to use the original hose to an Australian company, so it's a new and unknown product. I'm considering using the new Shields Poly X which is VERY spendy at $18/foot but I only have a two foot run. It claims to be easy to get on the fittings and guarantees impermeability, both good things. Has anybody actually used this hose? Any comments or pointers welcome!

I used Sheilds - still tough to bend around corners and get on fittings (hair dryer for heat and some dishsoap work wonders for that), but I would recommend it.

Laura, the Trident #102 is the best you can buy. Recommended by Peggy Hall who has years of experience eliminating odor from boats. She has a book you can buy at www.sailboatowners.com. It is stiff but will go onto fittings with a little dish soap. No heating required. I had no problems making all the turns on my 35-3. It is setup as follows:

From head to top of tank(slight uphill straight run)
From bottom of tank to Tee behind head.
From Tee to deck pump out
From Tee to ovboard pump behind head
From overboard pump to thru hull under vanity

http://www.tridentmarine.com/stage/sanitation.htm

Defender sells it for $8.49/ft. I used it when I replumbed my head 3 years ago and it still is smell free. I also use Odorlos at every pump out and rinse the head with fresh water when leaving the boat.

We have had good luck with the Shields #148, @ about $3./foot, + or -.

There are much more expensive hoses with superior construction claimed, but this is a smooth-wall product that seems to work fine.

Besides using the special Odorless (sp) stuff, always make sure that, no matter what brand of hose, you pump enough water through it so that no waste remains in the line when you are, um, finished...
:nerd:

Loren

Good point Loren but you also need to pump fresh water through the intake if possible. Salt water is as much a contributor to head odors as the nasty stuff is. Our 35 is plumbed in such a way that the intake shares with the vanity drain which acts as a vented loop and also allows you to flush the intake with fresh water. You can even use it to flush with fresh water all the time if you are worried about calcification.

Laura, one downside of that hose is that the OD is a tad(1/16) larger than the original hose. Mine fit through the hole leading to the tank but was very tight. You may have to enlarge that hole slightly.

Back in Flushing Trim

Thanks, all for your helpful feedback. The toilet install ended up taking most of yesterday. We had decided that since it's a short and nearly straight run we could afford to use the Trident 148 to avoid having to modify the hole in the bulkhead for the Trident 101. As it turned out we had to modify the hole anyway because it did not even come close to lining up with the hose barb on the tank and was too close for a good turn radius. We managed to enlarge the hole without making a mess of it and everything came together nicely. I also added a raw water filter to the intake line, which I hope will help keep the Raritan PH II working smoothly and smelling ok.

What type of filter did you use Laura?

How does sharing the intake with the sink drain act as a vented loop? You would have to close the drain (valve or stopper) to get water to the head; then where's the venting? I have Peggie's book and she states that a vented loop on the intake side should be located between the head pump and the bowl. I'm looking at doing some of this on my boat and am trying to figure this all out...

Mark, the Tee between the sink drain and head intake is right above the seacock. Because it is below the WL the head pump is able to draw in water without closing the sink drain although we do when at anchor to cut down on noise.

Raw Water Filter

Hi, Tim-
I used a West Marine brand "Universal" raw water filter. It's a bit smaller than I would like but anything larger, like the Raritan filters, were much more expensive. I put at a point in the intake line that's accessible enough for frequent cleaning. On my previous boat, I had a raw water filter that was not much larger than this one and it worked well.