Hose type

[cshadduck]

Ok...I got my eheim 1250 the other day, and waiting for my Maze2 and D-tek. I am using 1/2" tubing. I can't decide what kind of tubing to get though. There is the cheap stuff at the hardware store but pinches hella easy. They also have threaded tubing which is hells stiff but that makes me wonder how well I will be able to clamp it. I also saw latex tubing but was only 1/4" How do you think that would workout? What is the best route to do for tubing? Cost isn't an issue really...to an extent of course.

[GuyBFF]

I would recommend silicon tubing from www.mcmaster.com or www.dangerden.com. Other than this make sure whatever tubing you buy is not placing any forces on the waterblock that could either leverage/rock your block off the cpu, or flex your motherboard.

I tried braided PVC in 1/2" from Home Depot, and it cost me a CPU! The vinyl thinwall product worked well, but sorta collapses on the intake side of the pump from the suction. I've had great luck with the 1/2" ID 1/8" wall silicon, and I hear the PVC tygon is very good as well and a little cheaper.

Hope this helps.

[redleader]

A draft of my FAQ entry on tubes:

Q. What tubes and clamps should I use to make sure my setup doesn’t leak?

A. This is an often overlooked question. There are two main types of tubes that I am aware of for watercooling. The first is silicon tube which is sold by Danger Den. The second is vinyl tubing which is common in many applications and can be bought cheaply at your local hardware store.

Silicon is highly recommended for the connection to your waterblock. Vinyl doesn’t bend very much at all. Because of this more then one experienced watercoolers has killed his processor when the tube lifted the waterblock off the CPU die. OTOH silicon tends to kink easily, while vinyl does not.

Another consideration is the type of clamp used to seal connections. Silicon is best used with plastic clamps like those sold by Danger Den. Vinyl works well with metal screw-tight type clamps (my name for them, OK?). The two cannot be interchanged, as I learned the hard way. A metal clamp will cut silicon tube up like Swiss cheese, leaking water when it does so. A plastic clamp will not have enough tension to seal vinyl, leaking water gradually out of your system. Both work fairly well with their own respective tube types, but metal clamps seem better and are easier to fasten (IMO anyway).

Hehe thats youGuyBFF

Anyway you know way more then I do about this so I don't mind hearing if you disagree with anything.

[GuyBFF]

I actually apreciate the example if it saves someone else, your FAQ is going to make it easier for every new watercooler. Great job!

I did use thinwall vinyl (1/16" like they have at Home Depot) and it flexed pretty well, with about the same kinking as silicon, although it was easily sucked on the input side of the pump. I used zip ties about every inch to keep it round until my silicon arrived. I'm still using braided PVC for the rest of the lines, as it's next to impossible to kink and flatten (although it killed my processor )

[cshadduck]

So, would the braided stuff at Home Depot work good? That stuff looks durable and looks kinda cool with the braided stuff in it. How did the braided PVC kill your CPU? Is the braided PVC the same stuff I was lookin at Home Depot you think? I didn't think to read the label to see if it was vinyle or what. I want the safest setup since I can't exactly afford to buy new CPU's. Thanks for the help guys.

[GuyBFF]

The braided stuff from Home Depot is likely 1/8" wall Braided PVC. Most of my system is still this as it's very durable and nearly impossible to kink (I will replace it with silicon when I have some free time). What happened is even though I made sure to take the largest radius' possible with both the tubes heading for the waterblock, the hose tends to be "springy". This small amount of force was enough to gently rock the waterblock just enough to kill the CPU, but not enough to be noticable by eye.

Although it looks great at first it very quickly gets hazy, unlike the clear vinyl, I don't know why. I did try 1/16" wall clear vinyl Home Depot sells for a short while for the two hoses to the waterblock, and it does kink easy, but routed properly it should be OK. The hose on the inlet to the pump tended to collapse from the suction, so I placed zip ties every inch to keep it round.

I would definetly consider silicon in 3/16" or 1/8" wall. Danger Den and McMaster are both great suppliers. This is what I am currently using for the lines to the waterblock. It bends more than the vinyl without kinking, doesn't seem to collapse by suction, and is very flexible.

Danger Den did comment that this problem isn't as serious with 3/8" systems due to the smaller hose.

[gonad]

What Mcmaster Carr part number are you guys using for Silicone tubing? I bought 10' of 1/2" ID from them and my Danner pump sucks it shut almost instantly. Home Depot 1/2" ID Vinyl sucks shut in 2 days. I got some monster braided stuff on there temporarily, but I want to get rid of it.

GoNaD
Sometimes I feel like a nut...

[GuyBFF]

51135k43 - 1/8" wall 3/4" OD 1/2" ID 50A

My system is pretty restriction free, maybe this is the reason it's ok, but if you have the 1/16" wall tube, that would probably be much, much worse.