# Marine sanitaion hose



## carlosthedog (Sep 8, 2006)

I want to replace some of my marine sanitation hoses. I've researched many of the sanitation hoses and have found Sealand OdorSafe Plus Sanitation Hose highly recommended and for only $9.79 USD. Funny thing is it appears to be nothing more than flexible PVC Spa hose. The same stuff I used to plumb my spa and swimming pool. My question is since PVC is impervious to odor permeation what's the difference between the Sealand PVC hose and flexible PVC Spa hose, besides price and marketing?


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## Joesaila (May 19, 2007)

I'm pretty sure its not the same. The marine sanitation hose is not supposed to as impervious to odor as regular pvc.


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## midnightsailor (May 23, 2003)

There are several types of marine sanitation hose. The most basic and cheapest is the white vinyl hose as sold by Shields as their type "Series 148" @ about $5.00/ft for 1-1/2" ID hose. This hose comes in various ID sizes from 3/4" to 3" and is basically the same as the hose you mention for your spa. It is really a general purpose hose. Sealands hose is basically the same but it is supposedly formulated with a compound to resist odors. This is equivalent to Shields Series 144 super PVC sanitation hose. It comes in two sizes, 1" and 1-1/2" and goes for about $6.50/ft for the 1-1/2" ID. Shields also offers a Series 101, black, multiply rubber hose with a green stripe,this hose is commonly refered to as Shields green stripe sanitation hose. This hose has been around for a long time. It is very flexible compared to the white vinyl and is highly odor resistant. It comes only in 1-1/2" ID and goes for around $ 9.50/ft. Top of the line and relatively new is the Shields Poly X sanitation hose. it is the most flexible, and supposedly very resistant to odor, combining rubber, fabric plys and polyurethane. It has a white polyurethane outer coating and comes in 1" and 1-1/2" ID. It is very expensive, a 12-1/2 foot standard length of it goes for around (hang on to your wallet) $250.00, about $20.00/ft
I have used all types except for the new PolyX, and have found little difference between the odor safe hose and the regular hose. In my experience, I still find the SHields green stripe the best, not only in terms of odor resistance, but also in handling (bending radius, getting onto fittings). Perhaps the Poly X is better , but at that price, I have not decided to even try it. 
In my experience, keeping an odor free head has alot to do with a proper installation, and maintenence, emptying the holding tank promptly, and flushing out the tank and hoses periodically, especially before any lay-up. Some people even use fresh water for flushing, but IMHO, unless you are tied to a dock with a water hook-up it is a waste of fresh water. A well ventalated head also helps.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Carlos-

I'm pretty sure that if you used the SPA hose, you'd be doing another replacement in a very short period of time.


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## erps (Aug 2, 2006)

> My question is since PVC is impervious to odor permeation what's the difference between the Sealand PVC hose and flexible PVC Spa hose, besides price and marketing?
> Reply With Quote


Good question. Peggy Hall on rec.boats.cruising may be able to give you a definitive answer. I went with the Shields white pvc hose that's about half the price of the sealand stuff. So far so good but from what I've learned is that none of it lasts forever.


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## boydgatlin (Apr 20, 2003)

*Minimum bending radius*

I claim no expertise beyond my experience in replumbing the two heads on my Beneteau. It turned out that several of the high-end 'odor proof' hoses were too stiff to make the turns required in my installations. No amount of heating or other tricks could change that. The only thing that worked for me other than the flimsy stuff that came on the boat was Great White Water/Sanitation Hose by Headhunter (Headhunter, Inc ), which is quite pricey but very easy to work with. The only turn it could not make was the bung connection on the bottom of the holding tanks, were I ended up using a 90-degree PVC elbow.

In summary, my modest proposal is to make sure whatever hose you choose is flexible enough to make the turns required in confined spaces. Not all are.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

The green stripe stuff is good enough that I replaced the original hoses in my plumbing system 2 years ago, and my boat is a 1980! Sealand's finest is very hard to bend- that's what I put in to replace the 26 year old green stripe. I thought the Sealand would flex better, but I guess the green stripe was stiff due to it's age.


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## Joesaila (May 19, 2007)

Thanks for the info MidnightSailor. Saved it to documents.


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## TaylorC (May 15, 2008)

*Trident*

I agree with midnightsailor, and also prefer the rubber hose to the PVC based versions. I was shocked by the price that Sealand seems to get for their Odor Safe. After a lot of research I went with Trident 102 (white with a green stripe) which is the same hose (except for color) as Trident #101. Trident #101 is available from Ship Stores - a 50' roll is $232 or $4.64 per foot. Here is the Black/Green Trident #101 and the White/Green Trident #102 at Ship Stores. These were the best prices I could find.

I did two heads on a 46' boat and used an entire 50' roll, and then some. Add up everything you need (don't forget the galley and head sinks and the pumpout) and see if buying a full roll/box makes sense.

Trident Marine: Sanitation Hose has a breakdown of the differences between 140,148 and 101/green stripe. Note that the Trident and Shields part numbers are similar, apparently the two companies have common roots.


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## carlosthedog (Sep 8, 2006)

Good info. Thanks guys. 

It looks like I can go cheap, take a chance with the Home Depot stuff and later wish I'd spent a few bucks more. Hmmm I'll probably buy a roll of the Trident 101. It sounds just as good as any other stuff and easier to install.


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

Here is a tidbit that I learned the hard way; The inner diameter of Marine 1½" sanitation hose IS NOT 1½"... It you buy 1½" Flexible PVC it will NOT work with the Dometic SeaLand fittings. The ID is actually slightly less than 1.49" (38mm). If you buy the widely available, flexible PVC, and wish to use it with SeaLand custom hose adapter (307341513) IT WILL NOT FIT.

I believe that the correct size flexible PVC hose is actually 1¼", which has a 1.38" ID.


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