OK this is for the chemical engineers. What would we use to get the salt crystals out of the black water pipes?
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Vinegar
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Anything acidic will help. Vinegar is cheap... some swear by lemon juice... others use bleach.
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I don't think they're salt. I think (and I'm no organic chemist, just my theory) the scaling that develops is similar to the material that clams make their shells out of. Hence the theory that adding a little vinegar with each flush will prevent them. Just like acidic sea water kills coral reefs and clam flats.
In practice, I haven't found that small amounts of vinegar make existing scaling go away. Maybe after thousands of flushes. More likely it will slow the formation of new scaling. But most of us don't think to use it until we notice the build-up.
One last thing, the holding tank on a boat is a complex bio-reactor. To keep smells down, you want to encourage the growth of the aerobic bacteria, and discourage the anaerobic ones. There are additives you can buy that are essentially fertilizer for the "good" bugs. Adding vinegar or bleach may have a negative effect on the balance of bacteria inside the tank. Not to mention the rubber parts in the system.
In the end the best thing to do once a pipe, hose of valve gets a build-up of scaling is to replace it.
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