White head hose

[vic008]

That is so hard to work with. Wont bend or anything. Has anybody thoughtful of using vinyl hose and then painting it with something so no smell permeating? Im thinking of doing it out in copper pipe and using hose at the joins.

 

[rotrax]

Get the grey stuff from ASAP.

Dont piss about with the other crap.

And dont ask me how I know what to do........................................

 

[colind3782]

Apply heat?

 

[KevO]

Is that stuff really 3 x better/easier to use than the white in order to make it worth c3x the cost? I’ve got some hose to replace/reroute.

 

[SlowlyButSurely]

That is so hard to work with. Wont bend or anything. Has anybody thoughtful of using vinyl hose and then painting it with something so no smell permeating? Im thinking of doing it out in copper pipe and using hose at the joins.

Use a hot air gun or a hairdryer to heat the hose, then it's easy.

 

[FlyingGoose]

Heat as said above , or bite the bullet and pay for the flexible hose
I fitted 2 x heads and a holding tank with the hard hose , no real issues just can be frustrating , ripped knuckles and a sore body afterwards but got there ?

 

[RobbieW]

Is that stuff really 3 x better/easier to use than the white in order to make it worth c3x the cost? I’ve got some hose to replace/reroute.

imo Yes.
Mainly for ease of installation, occasional component removal and pipe inspection. It may also depend on your use and the installation. My perspective is the liveaboard view with quite long pipe runs to and from a holding tank.

Heating the white stuff didnt work for me, I ended up cutting it off. It seems to 'work harden' over time and shrink into place.

 

[Cantata]

The butyl hose is so much easier to work with that I think it's worth the extra money too.

 

[Graham376]

I replaced our aft heads pipe last week, 5m of the white stuff. Dipped the ends into cup of very hot water for a few minutes to soften and smeared Fairy Liquid around the tails. Bit of a struggle but got both ends on. Some years ago with a previous boat, I made a mistake and bought some white hose with spiral wire reinforcement, no way could I get that on.

 

[vyv_cox]

I replaced our aft heads pipe last week, 5m of the white stuff. Dipped the ends into cup of very hot water for a few minutes to soften and smeared Fairy Liquid around the tails. Bit of a struggle but got both ends on. Some years ago with a previous boat, I made a mistake and bought some white hose with spiral wire reinforcement, no way could I get that on.

I bought the wire reinforced hose in La Rochelle. It was horrendously expensive, more than £10 per metre in 2004. Other than the fitting difficulty that you describe, its performance was poor. Within a couple of years it smelt and I realised that rusty water was dripping out of the cut end. The inner lining had leaked water, corroded the wire and was making its way between the layers.

 

[Salty John]

Rigid plastic pipe is good if your layout makes it feasible. Use the larger radius bends rather than sharp right angles. Had it on my Vacuflush system and I've seen it done on several boats. Somehow looks neater than those sweeping bends of flexible hose.

 

[PaulR]

swmbo and is often right would encourage (!!) me next time I am changing any pipework to spend the extra and get the flexible stuff unless you have superb access to the hose connection places - last time we used hot air gun, buckets of hot water, milk bottles with hot water in to push into open ends in effort to soften and splay them and the job was a nightmare - without question another time I will pay for the super flexible stuff.

P.S. SWMBO also recommends that you don't do it immediately prior to a Round UK Trip!!!!!

 

[Daydream believer]

P.S. SWMBO also recommends that you don't do it immediately prior to a Round UK Trip!!!!!

As clever as SWMBO is, ask her if, perhaps, she would prefer doing it 7 days INTO the trip & miles from a public loo

 

[Daydream believer]

Dont piss about with the other crap.

.......................................

Apt advice in the circumstances, although I can hardly see how one can avoid it

 

[alan_d]

Is that stuff really 3 x better/easier to use than the white in order to make it worth c3x the cost? I’ve got some hose to replace/reroute.

Yes. I bought the rigid plastic stuff, struggled to bend it then cut it too short. Went back to the shop and bought the other stuff and it went on easily.

 

[KevO]

Yes. I bought the rigid plastic stuff, struggled to bend it then cut it too short. Went back to the shop and bought the other stuff and it went on easily.

OK, I think I'm convinced, especially as I have a 30 + degree bend to make to it onto the tail of the Blake's which is pretty tight to the bulkhead. Is ASAP the only place that sellls it?

Oh and how easy is it to clean?

 

[vic008]

Any thoughts on using copper tube where possible?

 

[Daydream believer]

Any thoughts on using copper tube where possible?

Pointless . Cost for starters. Then one needs a bending tool with the right sized former ( expensive I know because I have one) It would be awkward to get decent long lengths behind panels so lots of joints needed. they would have to be compression due to access & ability to remove. So bulky & awkward to fit. then you have to fit to the plastic at the loo & a rigid to plastic may result in fracture without a length of flexible pipe in between. Same at sea cock. Joints at blackwater tank needed to be correct diameter.

With non reinforced sanitary hose ( I bought mine from the local chandlers) one can remove it easily & bash it about to remove calcium deposits & put it back relatively easily. Straighten it up to rod it. Not expensive at about ( from memory) a fiver a metre. Very flexible & in areas where it is exposed, one can pinch it to get calcium to break up before it has time to build up & cause problems.
In the area between the blackwater tank & seacock I use clear braided hose because for that 600mm I can see if there is anything blocking the pipe. It always seems to happen just before the right angle bend onto the valve. So I just flex that length. If no luck then I nip it just under the tank with a clamp, disconnect from the valve, unblock, refit & undo the clamp . Takes 30 mins & a little bit of swearing.( well a lot actually)

 

[duncan99210]

OK, I think I'm convinced, especially as I have a 30 + degree bend to make to it onto the tail of the Blake's which is pretty tight to the bulkhead. Is ASAP the only place that sellls it?

Oh and how easy is it to clean?

Tek Tanks are a great resource for all things sanitary.
Cleaning pipework is a balancing act. I’ve cleaned hoses by removing them and then banging on the pontoon to loosen the scale and remove it. Makes you the most unpopular person on the pontoon.... These days I tend to simply replace the hose at about 5-6 year intervals.