Sanitation hose has long been the subject of a whole lot
of debate. Some experts insist that anything less than double
walled hose is unacceptable, some even recommend the use of
rigid PVC. In fact, the first is an unnecessary expense, the
second could be the worst thing you could do.
There have been problems with hose in the
past, and there is hose on the market today that is totally
unsuitable for sewage, and it's impossible to determine, just
by looking, whether a particular white flexible PVC hose is
suitable for use in sanitation systems or not. Tek-Tanks can
supply a sanitation grade hose. See Catalogue
for details.
If possible, run your hose without any low
spots where sewage can stand, and always be sure to flush
the head sufficiently to push all the sewage out of the hose
and rinse behind it. As part of the routine of closing up
the boat, close the intake seacock, flush the head dry, then
pour about a 2 pints of fresh water into the head and flush
that through the system completely. If limited holding capacity
makes extra flushing each time the head is used impractical,
following this will solve most odour problems.
The standard for sanitation hose is flexible
smooth-walled PVC, 1½" (except for the discharge
from a macerator to an overboard through-hull installed below
the waterline, for which the standard is 1"). Since the
standard fittings on holding tanks are 1½", when
coming off a macerator to a holding tank, it will be necessary
to break the hose, using a 1" to 1½" adapter.
The standard for the hose from a holding tank to the deck
fitting is also 1 ½"I.D.
A
range of pipe adaptors are available to suit sanitation hose
from the Catalogue.
