Does anyone know what the material is that builds up in the sewage lines
(with salt water flushing) on a boat? It is a whitish-grey crust or scale
which seems to build up surprisingly fast.

Is there any easy way to remove, or prevent it?

Bill
Wollongong
Australia

On Mar 27, 9:29 pm, "Bill Watson" wrote:
Is there any easy way to remove, or prevent it?

Vinegar works pretty well. Let it soak a bit, scrub and rinse well.

-- Tom.

Bill Watson wrote:
Does anyone know what the material is that builds up in the sewage lines
(with salt water flushing) on a boat? It is a whitish-grey crust or scale
which seems to build up surprisingly fast.

It's sea water calcium carbonates, maybe with some waste particles that
have been trapped by it as it builds up.

Is there any easy way to remove, or prevent it?

A cupful of undiluted distilled white vinegar flushed through the system
once a week when it can stand for at least several hours, especially
last thing before the boat will sit, will prevent it...and will also
dissolve it, albeit slowly. No need to rinse OR scrub.

If it's a severe buildup that's reduced the diameter of the discharge
line enough to impede flushing, you can dissolve it a lot faster with a
12% solution of muriatic acid (aka "brick cleaner"), available from any
hardware store. Or you can flush a cupful of vinegar daily till it's
done the job. Then you can prevent it in the future with a weekly cupful
of vinegar.

Use ONLY distilled white vinegar...not cider nor wine vinegars. Reason:
white vinegar is distilled from alcohol...cider and wine vinegars are
distilled from fruit juices. They are less acidic--and therefore less
effective at dissolving minerals--and also can leave a sticky residue
that helps to trap salts and mineral particles.

Do NOT leave vinegar sitting in the bowl...for one thing, that doesn't
accomplish anything because the buildup is in the hoses...and for
another, although soft rubber--i.e. the joker valve in the toilet--isn't
harmed by vinegar just passing through it, when soft rubber is left to
sit and soak in vinegar, it swells up and distorts. So pour in a cupful
of it, then flush it ALL the way through the line(s).


--
Peggie
----------
Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://shop.sailboatowners.com/boat_odors/

But won't the vinegar also kill the useful treatment bacteria?

Bill Kearney wrote:
But won't the vinegar also kill the useful treatment bacteria?

Nope. A cupful, even once a day, isn't enough for the bacteria in the
tank to notice it.


--
Peggie
----------
Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://shop.sailboatowners.com/boat_odors/

"Bill Watson" wrote in message
...
Does anyone know what the material is that builds up in the sewage lines
(with salt water flushing) on a boat? It is a whitish-grey crust or scale
which seems to build up surprisingly fast.

Is there any easy way to remove, or prevent it?


I've never had any such problem. Never even seen what you're talking about.
Over the years I've used several different buckets made out of rubber,
plastic, wood and even metal and none of them every got a white crusty
build-up. Skid marks, yes. Build up, no! Skid marks are easy to get rid of.
Just fill the bucket with seawater and add some bleach. Let it sit until
next needed. It makes it spic and span and sweet smelling.

So to prevent build up stop using built-in heads and sewage lines. That's
for lubbers. Go back to the efficient and tried and true method of
discretely disposing your waste over the side using a bucket.

--
Gregory Hall
(Peggie's older brother)

"Gregory Hall" wrote in message
...
Go back to the efficient and tried and true method of discretely disposing
your waste over the side using a bucket.

Disposing of waste within, what, 3 miles of shore is against the law in the
US.

"Bill Kearney" wrote in message
...

"Gregory Hall" wrote in message
...
Go back to the efficient and tried and true method of discretely
disposing your waste over the side using a bucket.

Disposing of waste within, what, 3 miles of shore is against the law in
the US.



SO FRIGGIN' WHAT!!!!!!

They gotta catch you first, dude! I've been doing it for years and ain't
been caught yet. If a body's careful he'll never get caught. Like **** and
dump it when it's dark! How about them apples? I don't know about you but
I'm sick and tired of people trying to tell me what to do and what not to
do. I say, screw them all. I never heard anything so stupid in my life this
dumping law. It don't make a lick of sense. It's totally legal for me to
squat over the side and poop but I can't poop in a bucket and dump it over
the side. Just what's the difference. The turds end up in the water either
way but one way's legal and the other isn't. That's just plain stupid!!!
Anybody who complies with a stupid law is himself or herself stupid.

--
Gregory Hall
(Peggie's older and smarter brother)

SO FRIGGIN' WHAT!!!!!!

Sure, cholera, dysintery, e-coli... no problem.

It's totally legal for me to
squat over the side and poop

No, it isn't.

Anybody who complies with a stupid law is himself or herself stupid.

Yeah, but what's your excuse?

On Sat, 29 Mar 2008 09:23:47 -0400, "Bill Kearney"
wrote:

SO FRIGGIN' WHAT!!!!!!

Sure, cholera, dysintery, e-coli... no problem.

It's totally legal for me to
squat over the side and poop

No, it isn't.

Anybody who complies with a stupid law is himself or herself stupid.

Yeah, but what's your excuse?


The trouble with the theory that "anyone who complies with a stupid
law is himself or herself stupid" is that it is a nonviable defense
when you get caught.


Bruce-in-Bangkok
(correct email address for reply)