BLOCKED HEADS PIPE!

[VicS]

[ QUOTE ]
Am I wrong

[/ QUOTE ] Yep 'fraid so Harpic contains hydrochloric acid not bleach. Must not be mixed with chlorine bleaches!

 

[Sans Bateau]

Same happened on Galadriel on the return trip from the Cherbourg 'do' in Sept, it happened 10 mins out of Cherbourg.......on the return trip! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif sorry crew!

 

[phatcat1]

A friend of mine sent me the following e-mail - I might try this stuff to see if it works - anyone tried it??

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Hi all

There is another solution to this - it called "Leescale" from a company called Lee Sanitation.

Check them out on http://www.leesan.co.uk

Product link is here:

http://www.leesan.co.uk/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=142

We experienced a similar problem both on our L326 (Kindred Spirit) and also Scallywag (L36).

Its a liquid that dissolves the limescale buildup you get in your heads pipework, and is also Bio-Friendly.

There are couple of ways you can tackle this, but its a two-man job; Get someone to pour the liquid into the heads (be generous) and pump out whilst the other person shuts off the sea outlet before you lose too much of it into the sea.

The aim is to have the stuff lying in the pipework so it can start to work.

Leave for a couple of hours (or overnight if you wish). Your heads will start to blow bubbles as the limescale dissolves away.

When you are ready, just re-open the seaocock and flush through as normal.

If your pipes are heavily scaled up (as mine were) you may find that large lumps of limescale will have broken off the inside walls of the pipework and then get pushed down to the Y-Valve when you do the flush-through, which may give you the feeling that your pipes are blocked up again !

I ended up having to disconnect the pipe from the Y-valve and poking a wire coat-hanger up the pipe. This resulted in a LOT of gritty limescale falling out (have a small bowl ready to catch it!).

If you are lucky, you may not have to do this. In any event, it probably worth a second application and flush-through afterwards, and then repeat it every 6 months or so.

The second method is to detach the pipe from the heads which carries waste away, and pour the stuff down the pipe, and get someone to shut off the sea-cock as before once you feel you have enough in the pipe. As before, you will notice some fizzing and frothing from the pipe as it gets to work, so you might need to be ready to catch any overspill.

Warning !! Ridlyme is very good at removing colour from clothing (much like Bleach), and stings if you get it into little cuts on your hand, but is NOT poisonous !

They will doubtless be at the boatshow (LIBS) so why not pay them a visit ? Its not expensive and has to be worth trying before going through the torturous effort of replacing the pipe !

Note: Lee Sanitation told me that this product and their previous version (called "Ridlyme") was originally formulated to dissolve build-up in engine heat-exchangers. I have used it on Scallywag's engine and noticed a much improved water flow out of the exhaust afterwards.

They also do some stuff which deodorises your holding tank - check it out.

cheers

Mike
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[sailorman]

Taken from the link i posted above

A 12% solution of hydrochloric acid in water should dissolve it. So will several applications of undiluted white vinegar. Worth trying before replacing the hoses, anyway. Or you might do what some owners do: remove the hose, beat it on the dock to knock all the scale out, the put the same hose back.

And a cupful of white vinegar flushed through the hose once a week will prevent it in the future.

If you do have to replace the hose, warming it a bit with a blow dryer will make it much easier to get off the fittings. When you replace, don't use any sealant...each connection should be double-clamped, with screws on opposite sides of the hose, or at least 90 degres apart.

A vented loop (anti-siphon device) needs to be at least 6-8" above waterline at any angle of heel...which puts it at least 3' above the toilet on most sailboats. That will require more hose than a straight line to the thru-hull, so you'll need to measure. The closer the toilet it is, the better.



Peggy ( Headmistress ) quoted the above.
i belive she is / was/ might have been associated with Lee Sanitation