I have heard that you can clean the build up that occurs from sea
water flushing in the 1 1/2" discharge hoses from the heads using
Acetic acid. Is this true? If so, what percentage acid would I use?
Thanks

Dave wrote:
On Tue, 13 May 2008 09:31:14 -0700 (PDT), said:

I have heard that you can clean the build up that occurs from sea
water flushing in the 1 1/2" discharge hoses from the heads using
Acetic acid. Is this true? If so, what percentage acid would I use?

Umm.....where in the grocery store do you suppose you might find acetic
acid?

Uhmmm...right *next* to the vinegar maybe?

Keith Hughes

Yes, acetic acid is white vinegar, but the stores only carry 5%
strength which seems to do little or nothing.

wrote in message
...
I have heard that you can clean the build up that occurs from sea
water flushing in the 1 1/2" discharge hoses from the heads using
Acetic acid. Is this true? If so, what percentage acid would I use?
Thanks

I am Greg Hall - Peggie's older, more intelligent brother. Peggie is
indisposed for a week or so. She's healing well up after her recent
successful face lift surgery. She's not getting any younger, ya know, and
like many post-menopausal women, she's concerned with the rapid onset of the
aging process after the sharply reduced estrogen output of her shutting down
ovaries.

She says don't use acetic acid. Acids in general are bad for your waste
system. Acid attacks the rubber parts and acid wreaks havoc with the good
bacteria in the holding tank(s) causing quite a reek. Peggie says a better
solution would be to manipulate the flexible hoses manually while somebody
else pumps the head. Flexing the hoses back and forth manually breaks the
hard deposits loose from inside the hoses and the water passing through
carries it away. Peggie tells me she likes squeezing hoses. ;-)

P.S. My sister would appreciate if you spelled her name right. Thanks.

--
Gregory Hall

Gregery:

My apologies to Peggie! Hope she mends well and soon.
I cannot imagine the strength required to "squeeze" or flex an 1 1/2"
hose on my boat. The lengths are much too short.

If there's a trick to it, please tell me or better yet come and
demonstrate.

wrote:
Gregery:

My apologies to Peggie! Hope she mends well and soon.
I cannot imagine the strength required to "squeeze" or flex an 1 1/2"
hose on my boat. The lengths are much too short.

If there's a trick to it, please tell me or better yet come and
demonstrate.

You should ignore GH, who is actually Wilbur aka Capt. Neal, a notorious
troll.

Peggie does indeed recommend vinegar for keeping pipes free of
precipitate. There are three things to remember: first, it does nothing
much for grease, grime, sludge etc, its really for dissolving the
salts. Second, it shouldn't be left standing in the system because it
can slowly dissolve the rubber valves in the pumps. It has no effect in
the holding tank, especially since its well diluted there. And third,
if the deposits are heavy (and I've seen the 1.5 inch tube reduced to
..25 inch!) loosening it could lead to an immediate terminal clog,
requiring dis-assembly of the system to clear it out. This is a
self-correcting system, since once you've been through it you will run a
cup of vinegar through the pipes every week so it never happens again.

So, Wilbur continues to spiral down to new lows as a human being.

He's an amazing guy. I be his mother would be proud.

On Tue, 13 May 2008 09:31:14 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

I have heard that you can clean the build up that occurs from sea
water flushing in the 1 1/2" discharge hoses from the heads using
Acetic acid. Is this true? If so, what percentage acid would I use?
Thanks

Try ordinary vinegar.

Casady

On Tue, 13 May 2008 12:29:00 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

Gregery:

My apologies to Peggie! Hope she mends well and soon.
I cannot imagine the strength required to "squeeze" or flex an 1 1/2"
hose on my boat. The lengths are much too short.

If there's a trick to it, please tell me or better yet come and
demonstrate.
If there is room, you can use your two biggest hammers. If not, get a
couple of five pound lead ingots. Hold one behind the hose and hit
the other side with the other.
They get scale out of the tubes in the biggest boilers by beating on
them with special power tools.

Casady

On Tue, 13 May 2008 12:29:00 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

Gregery:

My apologies to Peggie! Hope she mends well and soon.
I cannot imagine the strength required to "squeeze" or flex an 1 1/2"
hose on my boat. The lengths are much too short.

If there's a trick to it, please tell me or better yet come and
demonstrate.

Hi,
I did not read the original post as it was kill-filed.
If you are talking about cleaning out the deposit on the inner walls
of the hose, a hammer taken to the hose works wonders. If the deposit
is really thick each hose will have to be dismantled. A combination of
hammering and banging the hose on the dock will loosen all.

Acetic acid or store bought 5% white vinegar is only really useful as
a preventative applied weekly and left to stand. It is also great for
cleaning any discolouration of the enamel toilet bowl and for
disinfecting seat, surrounds etc. It also removes any of the brown
discolouration from stainless hose clamps and white paint as does
oxalic acid.

To really give the system a clean, every couple of months I mix a 10
to 20% solution of hydrochloric acid (sometimes sold in hardware
stores as Muratic Acid) and leave it for about 3 hours. I carry the
acid in concentrated form (100%) in a plastic bottle enshrouded inside
2 thick plastic bags. Be sure to wear gloves when mixing and using it;
keep your nose away from the bottle when you open it (in just removing
the cap it will start to visibly gas when mixing with the mositure in
the air); and be sure to add the water to the acid and not the other
way round. If you feel the need to smell it in order to identify it
remember school science training and waft the smell from the bottle to
your nose with your hand, not by bringing the bottle to your nose.
Simple stuff but we all can be idiots at times.

Hope this helps

regards
Peter