Keep Dirty Sight Tubes Clean

How can I deal with the constant maintenance concern of dirty sight tubes?
Keep Dirty Sight Tubes Clean
One poster uses a durable 2-inch milk hose as a sight tube and easily replaces it when it gets too dirty.

Interested in Accessories?

Get Accessories articles, news and videos right in your inbox! Sign up now.

Accessories + Get Alerts

This feature in Pumper reports noteworthy conversations that take place at the Pumper Discussion Forum, an online forum for industry professionals found at www.pumper.com. Pumper Discussion enables exchange of information and ideas on septic and drainfield installation and maintenance, trucks and equipment, portable sanitation, chemical and additives and much more. Information and advice in “Overheard Online” is offered in good faith by industry professionals. However, readers should consult in depth with appropriate industry sources before applying such advice to a specific business situation.

Question:

Has anyone found a good way to clean a 2-inch sight tube on a vacuum truck? I can’t find a soft brush for this purpose.

Answers:

I used to just replace it.

◆  ◆  ◆

I use a water jet. If that doesn’t work, replace the sight tube.

◆  ◆  ◆

Do you drain the sight tube at night if you’re parked outside so it doesn’t freeze? Is the process shutting off ball valves and undoing the caps, and then drain into a bucket?

◆  ◆  ◆

I’m interested in the sight tubes. My trucks use the glass bowls. What material is the tube constructed of? How long do they last? Have you ever had an issue/emergency with one breaking?

◆  ◆  ◆

Yes, I have had one freeze and crack, so I switched to using 2-inch milk hose. It freezes but doesn’t break or crack. Just make sure during installation that elbows are mounted so the hose drains completely when the truck is emptied. I had this done wrong the first time. I can post photos of my current setup. The blue-colored hose actually stays clean longer. I have an extra tube made, and swap hoses when they get too dirty.



Discussion

Comments on this site are submitted by users and are not endorsed by nor do they reflect the views or opinions of COLE Publishing, Inc. Comments are moderated before being posted.