What's Growing Inside Your Waste Pipe?

It’s not something most of us want to think about, but the inside of a waste pipe is a busy place. Every flush leaves a little something behind, and over months and years, that residue slowly turns a smooth hose into a narrow, crusty tube.

What builds up in the pipe

Organic material and sludge that coats the pipe walls.
Fats and oils from grey water and waste.
Crystallisation from urine, which forms a hard scale.
Biofilm, a slimy layer of bacteria that holds everything together and produces odour.

The slow squeeze

As deposits build up, the inside diameter of the pipe gets smaller. Toilets drain more slowly, pumps work harder and blockages become more likely. A pipe can lose a large part of its capacity before you notice anything wrong, and by then you might be looking at replacing hoses.

Odour through the pipe walls

Sanitation hose is also slightly permeable. When a hose is coated in bacteria-filled sludge, odour can soak through the hose walls and into the boat. If you can smell sewage when you wipe a hose with a damp cloth or the hose has changes colour, the inside needs attention.

Keep your pipework clean

Using ProPower Marine keeps wastewater pipework cleaner and reduces the conditions that cause odour and restriction. Its microbes digest organic sludge and fats, help manage deposits, and replace the odour-causing biofilm with beneficial bacteria. If the pipework has changed colour, replace piping and dose with ProPower to prevent this happening again. Always dose through the toilet. Pouring ProPower straight into the tank misses the pipes. Dosing through the toilet means every metre of pipe between the bowl and the tank gets treated on the way.

Shop and learn more: ProPower Marine Tank Treatment · Dosing guides