Replacing toilet pipes

I recently changed mine - with great difficulty.  It was a horrible job, requiring me to get my head and one shoulder through the small door below the sink and then twisting into positions I'd long thought myself incapable of.  Not to mention the inevitable leakage.....I'm still traumatised by the experience.

Like Ratbasher, I changed my pipes (370) and found the experience rather scaring to the senses! It can be done through the hatch under the sink, but is difficult. There are a number of posts on this sight with pictures of a hatch fitted for the purpose of changing the pipes.

We still have this job on our to-do list. If you're lucky, you might be able to reach the clamp through the upper wooden paneling. Otherwise, the inspection hatch is the better option. In the worst case, it's a job for the ship's mechanic.

Edited by BamBam - 29 October 2025 at 17:38

Changing to fresh water flushing reduces the formation of the deposits. Also stops the stale sea water small. 

Unfortunately, long and bitter experience tells me that the only guaranteed solution is to do as Wayne suggests and use fresh water.  However, while that might do-able when alongside, for those of us without massive water tanks or a watermaker it's simply not an option if you spend long periods at sea or moored/anchored.  Watermakers themselves bring their own problems anyway, as do some of the products often thrown into the toilet system.  'Practical Sailor' magazine carried an excellent article a while ago researching additives and found them mostly useless anyway, particularly vinegar.  I've got 'trudesign' hull valves and while they might resist acids I don't want to risk the boat testing that claim, particularly given the strengths necessary to achieve any meaningful result.