Bilge Pump Hoses & Cuffs

[geofish]

Hello All,

I will be returning to Mexico in a couple of weeks to give a good push on the 46c to do list. I believe that all of the bilge and sanitary system hoses are original and I would like to replace them after the engine room has been painted.

Should I go with the gray & white style hose that came with the boat or upgrade to a hose with a thicker wall? It seems like what Hatteras installed held up good but it's 30years old now. I looked on the web and found some hose but not too much cuff information.

I have been at sea for a couple months and all want to do its get my boat ready and fish...
Thanks for any feedback,
George

 

[Angela]

Bilge hoses - when I changed mine out from the old gray hoses which were dried out and breaking (not just a little hole that leaked and gradually got worse, but they split wide open without warning which meant all of the bilge water was being recirculated and never exiting the boat), I replaced them with either the white sanitation looking hoses (though I think it may have been labeled "bilge hose") or the clear and black striped bilge hoses that you can see through. Either is fine - I was using what I had onboard when using the white hose. I do like the hose I can see through,just as a personal preference. I did this with both the bilge hoses and the sink/shower drains since they used that same gray hose that Hatt used originally. I bet you will find those old gray hoses to be extremely dried out and brittle.

Sanitation hoses - I used the standard white sanitation hose because I didn't want to pay the large price for the Sealand hose, and I had four heads and two tanks to plumb, and just one run along was about 50' to the tank. So, guess what...I get to do it all over again and pay the price for the better hose. My boat doesn't smell, but I could smell the new sewage hoses in the bilge when I accessed the bilge within weeks after installing the new hoses. Bite the bullet and buy the Sealand hose. By the way...I believe it's "Sealand" - someone correct me if I've got the wrong brand, but it's that premium hose that is about $7/foot and hard to find these days since nobody hardley stocks it. Hatteras used what appeared to be exhaust hose for sanitation hoses 30 years ago. I would not go back to using that again. Also, I used PVC in places where I could in the hopes that I would never have to replace a hose again. The sewage system in your house is PVC and you never have to worry about replacing all that, right? I connected the PVC to the heads and pumps with PVC hose barb fittings that screwed right into a PVC fitting that was guled on the end of a pipe. Then, I just had short pieces of hose to mess with. PVC didn't work everywhere though due to access. Still had to shove hose around in "curly" places.

If your Hatt is like mine, you won't be able to get all of the hold sanitation hose out since you won't be able to reach all those clamps unless you tear out the floor. Mine were attached to framing members under the floor, and then the floor was laid over top of it - just can't reach them. So, I cut the old hose of where I could last reach, made sure it was as empty as could be (shop vac) and then used that spray foam insulation in the openends to seal them off. Those sections of old hose will be with the boat for the rest of her life. or until the screw holding them on gives up. Sadly, those screws are some of the best ones on the boat! They and their clamps are in perfect condition with no corrosion - go figure....

 

[davidwigler]

Good question. I have been wondering why bilge pump often use a corrugated hose which seems would add resistance. I have one that needs replacing and am thinking about using airconditioner seawater hose.

 

[MikeP]

"So, guess what...I get to do it all over again and pay the price for the better hose."

Yep, I went through that with the actual head hoses and had to replace the white sanitation hose a year later with the same hose that Hatt originally used and which lasted 30 years. 400 bucks for 50 feet of it...

"Hatteras used what appeared to be exhaust hose for sanitation hoses 30 years ago."

The hose they used (at least on our '80 53MY) was Bellowflex http://cutandcouple.thomasnet.com/v...0-bellowsflex-8482-a-coolant-marine-fuel-hose and it was (is) suitable for exhaust, waste, just about anything except potable water, and is far better (and more expensive) hose than that white crap. I categorize the white stuff the same as I categorize Boatlife caulk - useful for a very temporary repair that you will have to redo shortly.

 

[geofish]

Thanks for the info guys,

much appreciated.
George

 

[GJH]

Ang, you are referring to Sealand Odor Safe hose, and Mike, it is as good as it gets; don't lump all white hose together. Didn't you use a Shields product? I have a few peices of the Shields in my systems, and they seem to be fine with fresh water flush and no places where things can "stand". 90% of my boat is the Sealand stuff though. Over 5 years of heavy use and no problems.

To the poster about "corrugated" hose: haven't looked inside the grey ones, but every other "corrugated" hose I've looked into was smooth on the inside. The corrugation is typically a wire wrap to prevent kinking.

 

[jim rosenthal]

There is a cheap corrugated hose that is sold for bilge pump use. It ought to be prohibited. It is crap. A sturdy smooth-wall hose is what you want, and if it has to bend in any significant way, a wire helix in it, so it doesn't collapse and shut itself off.

 

[Angela]

Frankly, I don't remember which brand of white hose I used, but it was "sanitation" hose, and it stinks! Yes, there IS a difference and it's not a visible difference. Fortunately, it does not stink in the living spaces of the boat, so no one but Ed and I have to put up with it it every now and then. Which one is the insanely expensive sanitation hose, Sealand Odor Safe or Shields?

My original gray corrugated hose is not smooth inside, and that's the stuff that Hatteras used. Maybe corrugated isn't a good description, or maybe it is. It's like old vacuum cleaner hose - has a wire running through/around it. Hatteras used it for drains, bilge hose, and the manual bilge pump system. It lasted a long time, I have to say. The bilge hose I've been using lately is corrugated, and smooth inside. It's black and clear striped and does not have wire in it. It's just drain hose, never under suction pressure, so I didn't see the need for a wire re-inforced hose. And it's quite thick. I need a hacksaw to cut it, not just hose nippers. I like that I can see through it. I call it my "zebra hose" because of the stripes. Edit: I found out what it's really called - Trident's bilge/livewell hose. I like it for my drain and bilge hoses.

 

[MikeP]

"and Mike, it is as good as it gets; don't lump all white hose together. Didn't you use a Shields product? "

George, I can't recall what brand the white sani-hose was but it was one of the major brands; I'll check when I get to the boat this Thursday - I still have some of it laying around.

 

[rsmith]

Frankly, I don't remember which brand of white hose I used, but it was "sanitation" hose, and it stinks! Yes, there IS a difference and it's not a visible difference. Fortunately, it does not stink in the living spaces of the boat, so no one but Ed and I have to put up with it it every now and then. Which one is the insanely expensive sanitation hose, Sealand Odor Safe or Shields?

My original gray corrugated hose is not smooth inside, and that's the stuff that Hatteras used. Maybe corrugated isn't a good description, or maybe it is. It's like old vacuum cleaner hose - has a wire running through/around it. Hatteras used it for drains, bilge hose, and the manual bilge pump system. It lasted a long time, I have to say. The bilge hose I've been using lately is corrugated, and smooth inside. It's black and clear striped and does not have wire in it. It's just drain hose, never under suction pressure, so I didn't see the need for a wire re-inforced hose. And it's quite thick. I need a hacksaw to cut it, not just hose nippers. I like that I can see through it. I call it my "zebra hose" because of the stripes. Edit: I found out what it's really called - Trident's bilge/livewell hose. I like it for my drain and bilge hoses.

I've found the clear hose gets gummy and sticky. My back deck drains used the same corrugated hose you refer too.I had a heck of a time finding hose that would make the bend radius I needed for there. I think the hose your talking about is the gray one on the left side of the pic. It used to connect to the manual pump but I got tired of it being in my way and the pump didnt work anyway. MMM bilge. Cant ya smell that smell!!

 

[krush]

For giggles, tell me what is wrong with using quality garden hose for bilge hose when the size fits?

Also, what is wrong with PVC in a boat?


(maybe there isn't anything wrong, lol)

 

[rsmith]

Everyone on here says no but I've seen PVC dry out and get brittle with age. When I rebuilt my house after the hurricanes of 04 I cut out the 3" PVC drain pipe between floors with a sawzall. When it hit the concrete it shattered like glass.
Here are some more bilge pics for your viewing enjoyment. I have a 20' long tube that runs from the center bilge to the forward bilge. I ran a fishtape thru it and pulled back a wire tube brush. Almost got it stuck halfway thru. about 5 handfulls of putrefied gelatinous mush came out.

 

[geofish]

God, Looking at those pics reminds me of the many unpleasant tasks I have done and the ones waiting for me to do. It really makes me wonder...

WTF is wrong with us?
We must have some screws loose....

Pleasure beating!

Geo