Tranona
Well-Known Member
Whenever I read comments like this and similar comments on loo plumbing on some Moodys it makes me feel smug about choosing a cheapo production line German boat rather than a high quality British craftsman built boat!
acid descaling of toilet pipe
- Thread starter Bosun Higgs
- Start date
Adamastor
Well-Known Member
Easy way to de-scale your pipes? Well I was taught at the feet of The Late Grey And Bearded One, who ran several incarnations of sailing-schools here in SA. He was unshakeable in his opinion: "Buy the best pipe you can afford!"[
After that, the rest is easy!
After each season, take your heads outlet hose off, put on a fishing-smock (one of those nasty PVC things), and take your pipe onto the hard and whale it on the ground. And don't give it love-taps; give it a proper beating. All the calcified stuff rains down like confetti, and because you bought tip-top quality hose, you simply replace your hoses when you're done!
After that, the rest is easy!
After each season, take your heads outlet hose off, put on a fishing-smock (one of those nasty PVC things), and take your pipe onto the hard and whale it on the ground. And don't give it love-taps; give it a proper beating. All the calcified stuff rains down like confetti, and because you bought tip-top quality hose, you simply replace your hoses when you're done!
rogerthebodger
Well-Known Member
Thats if you can get the 38mm i/d hose off the 40mm o/d pipe fitting without cutting it off first.
Regards Neal
Alive grey and Bearded one.
Regards Neal
Alive grey and Bearded one.
jwilson
Well-Known Member
Just removed outlet pipe on 8 year old boat, 2" dia pipe down to about 1" throughput because of hard limescale inside pipe. Pipe so stiff with limescale that I had to cut it into sections to get out - couldn't straighten the antisiphon loop bit. Only took the pipe off as I was changing a seacock - glad i found out before it totally blocked.
KellysEye
Well-Known Member
Dont bother with acid, take the pipe out and bang it hard on a hard surface, that will break up the calcium deposits. I tried acid once out of interest, it would have taken gallons of it if there is a decent build up.
sailaboutvic
Well-Known Member
Stop telling this guy to take his pipe out and bang it , he can't that's the problem , I know I had the same problem with my Dufour , they wire ties the pipe before they put the deck on the hull , I ended up cutting two holes in the shower walls. To get to the ties and then put in the plastics round caps that un screw to hide the hole .
www.bluewatersailor4.webs.com
Bosun Higgs
N/A
ianj99
Well-Known Member
Repeated applications of very hot water to dissolve the salt deposits - (that's why acids do not work)
Where do the 'calcium/lime deposits' come from in a sea water flushed toilet?
Where do the 'calcium/lime deposits' come from in a sea water flushed toilet?
NornaBiron
Well-Known Member
I believe that when sea water is mixed with urine chalk is precipitated, hence the scale that builds up in the pipes and why it is less of a problem when using fresh water to flush.
pvb
Well-Known Member
It's only a problem because most people don't flush their sea toilets adequately. If there's only seawater left in the pipe, there won't be any deposits.
vyv_cox
Well-Known Member
?????
The solubility of sodium chloride in hot water is hardly different from that in cold. At 0 degrees C it is 37 g/100 ml of water, at 100 degrees C it is 40.
Acids work perfectly well. Millions of people throughout Europe dose their toilets with hydrochloric acid to remove deposits.
Seawater contains a lot more than just sodium chloride. The typical insoluble carbonate salts, mostly calcium but with others, occur in all seawater systems to some extent but particularly in toilets where, as already explained, urine throws out calcium carbonate from the seawater.
ianj99
Well-Known Member
Urine contains 100-250mg PER DAY of Calcium anymore than this then you have hypercalciuria which leads to or indicates Kidney problems. There is simply nothing in urine in any quantity which will produce significant deposits in any loo. Deposits are from the flushing water (but these may be stained by urine) Any acid simply does nothing in my sea toilet as expected since its not lime scale, whereas hot water does.
Tranona
Well-Known Member
I dont know if I have an anti syphon. You dont know if you have a keel.
Ah! but I do. Inspected it only a few weeks ago. Still exactly as it was 13 years ago when it left the factory, give or take a bit of rust. Despite several years of banging the odd Greek rock or slicing through Poole Harbour mud.
Rossynant
Well-Known Member
Yup, not so much a lime, but nevertheless reacts with acids. Seawater only contains some 0.4 g/l calcium, but around 1.3 gram magnesium. Quite a bit. Magnesium forms hydroxide, but carbonates too.
Moreover scale forms when alkalinity of water is raised. Hence an acid in use, just a bit added stops deposits from forming.
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Networks
Well-Known Member
We have looked in supermarkets and pharmacy's in Spain but have so far not managed to obtain any acid, where can we get it, is it sold under a brand name? If most of Europe are dosing their toilets with it I would think it would be easy to get?
vyv_cox
Well-Known Member
Available in the vast majority of supermarkets and ferreterias. Might be known as muriatic acid but as far as I remember it was something like acido clorhidrico.
Usually comes in a red, half litre bottle kept on lower shelves, along with bleach and similar chemicals.
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Albert Ross
Well-Known Member
I de-descaled our loo system as follows:
1. open main drain from holding tank
2. knock wooden bung into loo drain skin fitting from outside
3. add half a bottle of phosphoric acid (Hagesen Blue limescale remover) in about 5 L of water to the holding tank through the deck suck out hole
4. wait 3 days
5. knock out wooden bung whilst standing well clear .. worked a treat
I havent ever tried putting the phosphoric acid straight down the loo .. I wasnt sure if it might dissolve the pan ??
Peter
1. open main drain from holding tank
2. knock wooden bung into loo drain skin fitting from outside
3. add half a bottle of phosphoric acid (Hagesen Blue limescale remover) in about 5 L of water to the holding tank through the deck suck out hole
4. wait 3 days
5. knock out wooden bung whilst standing well clear .. worked a treat
I havent ever tried putting the phosphoric acid straight down the loo .. I wasnt sure if it might dissolve the pan ??
Peter
nigelmercier
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It is indeed phosphoric acid: www.pearroc.com/pdf/HBL5.pdf
Available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000IU3VRG/dolcetto-21
chinita
Well-Known Member
I seem to recall that it was called Agua Fuerte.
Muriatic acid is jolly good for cleaning stainless.
Richard10002
Well-Known Member
I had to take the jigsaw and hole cutter to my Moody 44 to get the old pipes out. Had to chop them into manageable pieces before they would come out.
The new ones went back in with a mixture of pushing and pulling - mousing string tied through a couple of holes drilled in the end assisted with the pulling.
If you can't get them out, and they need replacing, a new route would be in order
The new ones went back in with a mixture of pushing and pulling - mousing string tied through a couple of holes drilled in the end assisted with the pulling.
If you can't get them out, and they need replacing, a new route would be in order