Sanitation hose length for MKll

[Jim Hardesty]

I plan on replacing the head to tank hose this spring.  Defender has sanitation hose on sale for about $10/foot, seems like a good price to me.  And the weather is starting to break.   I need to know the length, don't want to be short.  To MKll owners that have replaced the hose.  What is the length?
Thanks,
Jim

[Stu Jackson]

Jim,

I'd be very leery of anyone else's hose measurements, in this case because I've seen multiple/different layout of sanitation hose runs.  Some have vented loops on the discharge line, some don't.

The ONLY "absolute" hose measurement I would trust is the exhaust hose from the Mark I muffler to the transom.  It IS seventeen feet.  I bought a tad more and had to cut it off. 

[Fred Koehlmann]

Yeh, I'd have to agree with Stu. When we put in a custom holding tank to replace the previous one, we also replaced all the hoses and redid the vent hosing and where it came out.

The factory installed sani-hose went first from the head aft, then looped back around under the waste basket to turn forward, and then up behind the nav-table and then down to the tank. I rerouted it to go straight out the back of the head to go up behind the nav-table and then back down to the tank. This way we had less "stuff" just sitting in the hose. (And freed up some storage space). That said, I think we went from a 15' hose to a 10' or less one.

As for the vent hose, we were having issues with the stanchion vent where it was dripping into the electrical area beside the nav station. So I cut the stanchion and close in the deck (nice and solid) and now no more water mixing with electrical, or any chance for it to ever do that. The vent hose went forward and out behind the main cabin port hanging locker in a 1" dia. hose.

[KWKloeber]

Jim,

FWIW, Defender's "our price" isn't a sale price, it's the normal, non-sale price.

What type were you planning to use?  I used Shields SuperPVC 15 yrs ago and am very happy with it.  The best that I think there is now, is Sheilds PolyXSanitation - lifetime odor warranty.

ken

[Jim Hardesty]

Ken,
Raritan Santi/flex


https://www.defender.com/product.jsp?id=3057989

Thanks all.  Will check the length on Shamrock.  That is unless I hear recommendation for bettert hose.
Jim

[KWKloeber]

  That is unless I hear recommendation for better hose.
Jim

Jim,

It depends on what you mean by "better" since everything marine is a tradeoff.  There's no question in my experience that PolyX is a better sanitation hose than SaniFlex.  But it comes at a price premium.  It has a lifetime guarantee against permeation compared to 5 years because it's polyurethane compared to rubber.  Another tradeoff is that PolyX is a little stiffer than SaniFlex but if you are not making sharp bends that's usually not a huge issue.  But, if you are looking for the best defense against odor permeation, PolyX is the clear winner.  Practical Sailor also agrees its the superior hose.

k

[John Langford]

Back to the length issue.

I cut a 2" hole directly behind the Jabsco toilet "output" and led the hose aft with a moderate loop through the back of the hanging locker to the holding tank input. The hose length was 5'. This replaced about 15' of hose that first headed aft under the head sink to a valve that provided a choice of a direct overboard dump through a new thru-hull or a long trip forward, back past the head compartment to the holding tank. Totally ridiculous. Imagine how many pump strokes were required to truly clear the line between the head and the holding tank...remembering that what is advertised as an 18 gallon tank is not!

BTW, no matter what the angle of heel or how full the tank, I have never had any sign of regurgitation from the tank.

Hope this is useful, of course, respecting the earlier recommendation that you do your own measurements. Sanitation hose is too expensive to take a chance.