How to clean pipes ?

[SSgtPitt]

I can't say that this has been the most exciting read; beautiful beaches, sun drenched days and Mai tai evenings......but I think it's been the most informative all week, ( the battery, alternator, charging blogs are mind numbing ) and since I just bought a beautiful 36' 1982 Cape Dory and want to keep it that way, my hats off to you Peg for the great info. This stuff I can understand and do.

[a64pilot]

Unfortunately re-routing isn't an option, I've been considering running as much of it as I can in SCH 40 PVC, but believe there will have to be a couple of sections of hose, how do you connect sanitation hose to PVC? But if the Raritan hose will last ten years, why bother with the PVC?


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[model 10]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Unfortunately re-routing isn't an option, I've been considering running as much of it as I can in SCH 40 PVC, but believe there will have to be a couple of sections of hose, how do you connect sanitation hose to PVC? But if the Raritan hose will last ten years, why bother with the PVC?


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

Take a piece of 1 1/2" sanitation hose down to Home Depot and see if it fits into a SCH 40 1 1/2" pvc fitting. If it does you can do just about anything.

[peghall]

Originally Posted by Guy

Take a piece of 1 1/2" sanitation hose down to Home Depot and see if it fits into a SCH 40 1 1/2" pvc fitting. If it does you can do just about anything.

Hose and pipe sizes are stated as their ID...so he'd want to look at 1.25" pipe and find one with a wall thickness that a tight fit for 1.5" hose.

[model 10]

Originally Posted by peghall

Hose and pipe sizes are stated as their ID...so he'd want to look at 1.25" pipe and find one with a wall thickness that a tight fit for 1.5" hose.

Not so. I think 11/2 " pvc sch 40 pipe is the same od as 11/2' pvc hose. This why you can glue them together with regular pvc fittings, this is how all hot tubs are plumbed. PVC hose and rigid pvc fittings. Sanitation hose is just good quality PVC hose.

[peghall]

Originally Posted by Guy

Not so. I think 11/2 " pvc sch 40 pipe is the same od as 11/2' pvc hose. This why you can glue them together with regular pvc fittings, this is how all hot tubs are plumbed.

Yes and no...Yes, you CAN do it that way...BUT--nominal sizes for marine hose FITINGS sizes are always stated as their OD and nominal hose sizes are always stated by their ID...that's how you know what size fittings fits which size hose. So a nominal 1.25" ID PVC pipe that has a 1.5" OD has the same OD as a nominal 1.5" marine hose barb...a 1.5" hose will slip onto it same as it will a fitting, eliminating the need for any other coupling fitting.

However, because the wall thicknesses of PVC pipe can vary, affecting their OD, your suggestion to take a piece of hose with you to see what fits is a good one.

Sanitation hose is just good quality PVC hose.

Not all sanitation hose is flex PVC...it's typically the least expensive and the LEAST resistant to permeation. The best (MOST resistant to permeation), and therefore the most expensive sanitation hoses are rubber.

[Ribbit]

Just a thought, PVC is going to deteriorate when the plasticisers leech out (I suppose sewage and cleaning chemicals can be aggressive with this).

Well I used to do a lot of fly fishing (bear with me), and fly lines used to suffer from quite rapid loss of plasticiser.

So I used to buy bottles of plasticiser to treat the fly lines with, to prevent this (some fly lines can be very expensive, and I never had to replace one when using this plasticiser regularly).

There could be a chance that cleaning the outside of the pipes and then wiping over with a coating of plasticiser, might dramatically extend the life of the pipes?

This stuff is very cheap, and it may be a worthwhile (though long term I suppose) experiment?

I'll try and remember to do mine with it when I get the boat, and see how things pan out.

Another thought with combatting permeability. There's a marine version of the silicone polish for cars (Diamond finish one used be described as providing). The Marine version I used (on a couple of old boats) was extremely hard wearing in a marine environment, and, as I used to sell uPVC fascias, etc (for houses), they suffered from having a very soft outer shell (it is disastrous to clean them by rubbing, as they get micro scratches in the surface and soon look a mess). So I used to recommend to customers that they gave their new uPVC a hard shell coating with this liquid silicone polish, as soon as the protective sheeting was peeled off their new installation (uPVC conservatories too). After, to clean just hose them off. My father's place was treated this way when he had new uPVC fitted, over 22 years ago, and his fascias, etc., look like new today.

So you could plug up one end of new pipes before fitting, pour some silicone hard shell polish into the pipe, plug the other end, and swoosh it around inside the pipe so all surfaces get a coating? eta: Though make sure you rough up any outside areas you need to glue, so it doesn't prevent adhesion.

I am pretty sure it would be a great barrier to help prevent plasticiser leeching from the inside, and as it is a smooth, hard, shiny surface, should help prevent any icky stuff/crystals getting a grip inside, as well as help prevent smell permeability?

[Ribbit]

Just a thought, an easy way to get the inside of new pipes coated with a hard (and long lasting) silicon polish, would be to make something like a shotgun barrel pull through.

Put some rags on a string with a weight on the end, and soak the rags with the liquid polish, and pull it through a few times to make sure it all gets a good coating.

Have just enough rag on it to keep it easy to pull through (the silicon should help to pull it through while it is wet too).

[sailjumanji]

I used Barnacle Buster to clean out the air conditioning circulation system, and it worked beautifully to alleviate a frequent HPF alarm. Noticable improvement in the water coming thru the system.

I wonder if that could be used on the head and holding tank system, since mine is salt water flush? Says it is safe with plastic and rubber. Am considering it, but right now have no blockage, next time on the boat will be heading out for four month cruise, and not sure I don't want to risk introducing problems I don't have. Sometimes maintenance has a way of turning into equipment replacement!

[transmitterdan]

Barnacle Buster is an expensive package of diluted phosphoric acid (https://trac-online.com/sites/defaul...SDS-1208-M.pdf). Peg already described how to use cheap hydrochloric acid diluted to clean the pipes. You can get the same or better cleaning for 1/10 the price of Barnacle Buster.

[sailjumanji]

Originally Posted by transmitterdan

Barnacle Buster is an expensive package of diluted phosphoric acid (https://trac-online.com/sites/defaul...SDS-1208-M.pdf). Peg already described how to use cheap hydrochloric acid diluted to clean the pipes. You can get the same or better cleaning for 1/10 the price of Barnacle Buster.

Not sure how HCl could be better. The Barnacle Buster cleaned the pipes leaving them looking new. I have used HCl acid in the past. You need to be very careful with it. The Barnacle Buster had much less smell issue. Yeah, so it costs more. You dilute it too. I suspect there is probably enough in a gallon to clean out my A/C system about ten times. Plus I can store the container in my garage.

[transmitterdan]

Originally Posted by sailjumanji

Not sure how HCl could be better.

HCL is more aggressive against the salt deposits that precipitate out inside head plumbing. No one pees inside A/C hoses. Barnacle Buster will take many applications to get the same effect. That's why they recommend circulating it for a while to clean out air conditioning pipes. I agree that Barnacle Buster (phosphoric acid) is good for air conditioners. The metal is less damaged by phosphoric but heads are plumbed with PVC pipe which is not bothered by HCL. It really does work better in this application. You are right that HCL requires safety procedures such as eye and skin protection. Don't get it on any other items.

[Calypso52]

We are pretty regular about flushing a few cups of vinegar down the head with a gallon of fresh water when we leave the boat after a weekend.

I pulled the joker to replace it after 8 years. There was a slight build up of scale. Just guessing because I had not read this thread, I put it in about a gallon and a half of hot water with 4 oz of muriatic acid, about 2% solution. It fizzed very slightly. Left it overnight. Dissolved just about everything.

Tempted to try this as an annual maintenance through the toilet.

[a64pilot]

I changed most of the hose last weekend, still have the other head and pump out hose to change. I used 20 ft of hose to do the front head.
Oddly there was very little material in the hose, I changed from saltwater flush to fresh water flush a year ago.
Will only using fresh water extend the life of the hoses, crystal build up and permeation? What about the aluminum tank?
I'm assuming urine and saltwater is a pretty corrosive mix, more so that fresh water and urine? Or is it the Feces that is the problem?

[peghall]

Salt sea water minerals account for most of the buildup in hoses, with a little help from urine crystals. But it doesn't matter whether you use sea water or fresh in the tank...urine is so corrosive that it'll turn ANY metal waste tank into a colander in an average of about 10 years.

However, contrary to what many believe, whether you flush with sea water or fresh has -0- impact on odor in the tank--there's so much bacteria in sewage that the tank doesn't even notice flush water. Flushing with fresh water only helps to prevent odor originating the head discharge hose from stagnant seawater left to sit in it.