Marina Water Hose Etiquette

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Cbjroms

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Putting my boat into a marina for the first time and my outboard has a hose connection for flushing.

Given that the water hoses on the marina hust have a cut end, what is the quickest/easiest way to connect up? I would be quite happy to put (and leave) a female fitting on the end of the hose but wonder whether this is a little presumtuous in terms of the way others want to use the hose. How do others get around this?
 
I agree...use it then take it off. If it were still on i'd have to take it off to get the pipe into my inlet..and it might get lost in the process.
 
Make up a short hose with a female on one end and a barbed joiner on the other..... just shove the barbed joiner into the hose when you need it.... pull it out when finished...... saves faffing with the female connector every time..... you may need a hose clip on your end of the joiner to prevent it being left in the marina hose.
 
In our marina all hoses have been removed and berth holders must now provide ( and remove ) their own. It is down to a EU directive connected to back siphoning up the hose should it fall into the water and thus possibly contaminating the mains supply.
Mind you if you saw the water in Weymouth harbour you would think twice before coming into contact with it!
 
Cbjroms said:
Putting my boat into a marina for the first time and my outboard has a hose connection for flushing.

Given that the water hoses on the marina hust have a cut end, what is the quickest/easiest way to connect up? I would be quite happy to put (and leave) a female fitting on the end of the hose but wonder whether this is a little presumtuous in terms of the way others want to use the hose. How do others get around this?
Click to expand...
This is really the same for anyone who uses a spray head or whatever.. you use and remove your own attachments.
 
By the way, if you mean an outboard flush hose connection like yamaha's, as opposed to earmuffs, you don't need any hosepipe fitting. You can just hold the cut end of the hosepipe onto the Yamaha fitting and it will flush
 
Montemar said:
It is down to a EU directive connected to back siphoning up the hose
Click to expand...

I'm fairly sure it's not an EU directive, it's been a part of UK water regs for donkey's years. Same thinking as kitchen taps having two channels right to the spout to keep hot and cold separate, outside taps having a double check-valve, and showers supposed to have a hose restraint so that the end can't dangle in the water (often not seen in practice, or the hose has been unthreaded and people hang bath paraphenalia off the restraint).

All that happened recently is that the water companies noticed and had a bit of a crackdown of their existing rules.

Our yard still has hoses.

Pete
 
prv said:
I'm fairly sure it's not an EU directive, it's been a part of UK water regs for donkey's years. Same thinking as kitchen taps having two channels right to the spout to keep hot and cold separate, outside taps having a double check-valve, and showers supposed to have a hose restraint so that the end can't dangle in the water (often not seen in practice, or the hose has been unthreaded and people hang bath paraphenalia off the restraint).

All that happened recently is that the water companies noticed and had a bit of a crackdown of their existing rules.

Our yard still has hoses.

Pete
Click to expand...

+1 not an EU directive.

Www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk
 
Water Supply Regulations 1999
Prevention of backsiphonage and contaminated water being sucked into the fresh supply.
A hose shouldn't be left connected to the tap after use in order to comply. I guess the only way the marina can ensure this will happen is if they insist on people providing their own.
It is worthwhile for everyones welfare.
 
bobtooke said:
Water Supply Regulations 1999
Prevention of backsiphonage and contaminated water being sucked into the fresh supply.
A hose shouldn't be left connected to the tap after use in order to comply. I guess the only way the marina can ensure this will happen is if they insist on people providing their own.
It is worthwhile for everyones welfare.
Click to expand...
They can put in specified non return/anti siphon valves as an alternative to leave hoses connected and still meet the regs. Some marinas do but it comes down to cost.
 
l'escargot said:
They can put in specified non return/anti siphon valves as an alternative to leave hoses connected and still meet the regs. Some marinas do but it comes down to cost.
Click to expand...

I think ours just grunted and stuck two fingers up at the regs until someone comes and makes them :p

(The hoses aren't actually provided by the yard, but nearly all the pontoon taps have one supplied by one or other of the nearby resident boats, left permanently attached and shared by all their neighbours. Maybe that makes a difference, but probably not.)

Pete
 
l'escargot said:
They can put in specified non return/anti siphon valves as an alternative to leave hoses connected and still meet the regs. Some marinas do but it comes down to cost.
Click to expand...

Until they have an enforcement officer arrive, then realise its £1000 per offence per day!

I think the fluid category means you can't just use an ordinary double check valve and need to use a RPZ valve. Depending on pipe size it would be at least £750 to fit and about the same to maintain each year.

Taking the hoses off is cheaper than all options ;)
 
I prefer to use my own hose for filling the water tank on the boat.
Occasionally someone will leave a hose reel out and connected . And my neighbours dog seems to think the hose reel is an attractive thing to pee up.
 
bobtooke said:
Until they have an enforcement officer arrive, then realise its £1000 per offence per day!

I think the fluid category means you can't just use an ordinary double check valve and need to use a RPZ valve. Depending on pipe size it would be at least £750 to fit and about the same to maintain each year.

Taking the hoses off is cheaper than all options ;)
Click to expand...
I did say "specified" as per the regs which means that there is no offence and that it comes down to cost.
 
Unfortunately a couple of the marina's we've moored at, at some point in time the ends of hoses end up in the water and there used to be persistent offenders of a certain type of boat (I'll say no more as it is not intended as a generalisation, only to reinforce the point). Personally I think we should supply our own hoses. Many marina's have the hoses jubilee clipped on and the adaptor very tight so it is difficult to remove. A tap on a standpipe with just a quick release fitting is also less likely to get 'contaminated' by pets! Therefore whilst there is a 'law' it also makes common sense. Remove hoses, fit 'standard' quick release connectors and each boat have its own. Its not as if hose pipe is expensive! Then end of discussions, arguments, bad feelings etc and a side effect - compliance with the law.
 
boatingdave said:
each boat have its own. Its not as if hose pipe is expensive!
Click to expand...

It's not expensive, but it's a bit of a pain having to dig it out of the locker, unroll the whole thing, connect it up, fill slowly (our previous on-board hose was a compact one of narrower diameter, though admittedly I've fixed that) then disconnect, roll up squeezing out the water, and put away again. Versus unhooking the provided hose from the stand and putting it in the hole.

Also, it seems to me that a hose which sits unused in a locker for weeks or months at a time is more likely to grow stuff on its inside than one which is regularly used and flushed through.

Pete
 
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