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Unread 09-02-2007, 12:55 PM   #11
ulairi
Cooling Neophyte
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Stateside
Posts: 17
Re: New setup (sanity check)

Quote:
Originally Posted by bobkoure
If you can find springs that fit on the outside of the tubing you're using, that will reduce the tendency to kink as well. The issue with internal springs is that it raises your loop resistance - not that you can't overcome it, but it raises the minimum you can turn your pump down to, so the potential for slightly more noise.
As I remember, coolingworks had plastic external springs. No idea if this is still available or if it ever existed for the OD of whatever tubing you're about to use. Hardware stores are good places to find lots of different springs.
If you have a really tight bend, think about using thin wall copper tubing. Many radiator shops can not only bend this stuff to your spec but can also "bead" the ends, so you can push flexible tubing over the ends.
And then there's just using thick-wall soft silicone tubing, which is slightly worse than thin-wall at damping vibrations, better at stopping through-tubing-evaporation, and basically won't kink unless you try to kink it. The downsides are that it's thick (duh), and comes in dull orange, and, is expensive. BTW, if you're using low restriction blocks, there's pretty much no need to clamp it, particularly if you use 3/8" ID tubing on 1/2" fittings.
Hrmm... thinking points.

Color of the tubing is the least of my concerns, though transparency seems like a Good Thing (tm).

While not needing clamps if I use a low-restriction block makes intuitive sense, the pessimist in me wants to anyhow - there does not appear to be all that much of a downside and the added insurance seems worth it.

Do you have any opinion on the Norprene tubing? It seems to be favored highly by Gabe of SwifTech.
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