newb tubing q

[breathemetal]

so can someone break down the sizes for me? sorry for the newb q.

i know the 1/2'' stuff is the thickest and hardest to bend right?
so whats middle/most used?
whats the easiest to bend and smallest?

thanks a lot.

and tygon is the best brand right?

[sirheck]

Its not really the diameter.
Its the wall thickness that makes it hard to bend.

3/8,7/16, and 1/2 inch are the most common sizes.
With 3/8 being the minimum(most here would agree) to use.

Tygon the best?
Well yes and no.

It depends on your personal preference, including colors as well.

[Polizei]

Like sirheck said, what matters most when it comes to bending/kinking is the wall size.

For instance, 1/2" tubing can have multiple wall thicknesses. You can buy 1/2-5/8 tubing, which leaves you with a thin 1/16" wall. You can also buy 1/2-3/4 which will leave you with a hard-to-kink 1/8" wall.

3/8" tubing comes in 3/8-1/2 and 3/8-5/8 flavors, for 1/16" and 1/8" wall flavors.

7/16" tubing usually has a 5/8" outside diameter, for a 3/32 wall thickness. Most people use 7/16" because it's a nice compromise between "bendability" and size. Many people don't like fat 1/2-3/4 tubing, but like the performance of it, so they go with 7/16-5/8 for the easier routing and cleaner (less fat) look, while still maintaining decent flow rates.

[Zehnsucht]

so can someone break down the sizes for me? sorry for the newb q.

i know the 1/2'' stuff is the thickest and hardest to bend right?
so whats middle/most used?
whats the easiest to bend and smallest?

thanks a lot.

and tygon is the best brand right?

Stickies FTW.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=202394 , which directs you to:

18 Types of Tubing Reviewed (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=157370)

[MaddHawk]

Like sirheck said, what matters most when it comes to bending/kinking is the wall size.

For instance, 1/2" tubing can have multiple wall thicknesses. You can buy 1/2-5/8 tubing, which leaves you with a thin 1/16" wall. You can also buy 1/2-3/4 which will leave you with a hard-to-kink 1/8" wall.

3/8" tubing comes in 3/8-1/2 and 3/8-5/8 flavors, for 1/16" and 1/8" wall flavors.

7/16" tubing usually has a 5/8" outside diameter, for a 3/32 wall thickness. Most people use 7/16" because it's a nice compromise between "bendability" and size. Many people don't like fat 1/2-3/4 tubing, but like the performance of it, so they go with 7/16-5/8 for the easier routing and cleaner (less fat) look, while still maintaining decent flow rates.

Got all your walls cut in half. :rolleyes: 1/2"-5/8" is same as saying 4/8"-5/8", which means the wall thickness is actually 1/8". Same again with 1/2"-3/4", enhanced you can say its 2/4"-3/4" or 4/8"-6/8" for a wall thickness of 1/4" or 2/8". For the rest of the bolds the correct wall thickness is:
1/8" and 1/4"
6/32" or 3/16"
;)

[shazza]

Got all your walls cut in half. :rolleyes: 1/2"-5/8" is same as saying 4/8"-5/8", which means the wall thickness is actually 1/8". Same again with 1/2"-3/4", enhanced you can say its 2/4"-3/4" or 4/8"-6/8" for a wall thickness of 1/4" or 2/8". For the rest of the bolds the correct wall thickness is:
1/8" and 1/4"
6/32" or 3/16"
;)


You need to divide the nominal wall thickness by two ... so 3/8 ID with 5/8 OD has a nominal wall thickness of 2/8 ... but you need to divide this by 2 to get the actual thickness which = 1/8.

Don't have a pic handy, but think of a cross section view of the tubing and measure the diameter in the middle of the tubing ... you have the length of the opening ( 3/8), and the thickness of the wall x 2 ( 2 x 1/8). Clear as mud without a photo, but I'm sure someone will put one up.

[Polizei]

Got all your walls cut in half. :rolleyes: 1/2"-5/8" is same as saying 4/8"-5/8", which means the wall thickness is actually 1/8". Same again with 1/2"-3/4", enhanced you can say its 2/4"-3/4" or 4/8"-6/8" for a wall thickness of 1/4" or 2/8". For the rest of the bolds the correct wall thickness is:
1/8" and 1/4"
6/32" or 3/16"
;)

Um, no. There are two walls to the tubing if you look at a cross section of it. You have to account for both walls, that's why you divide the difference between the OD and the ID by two.

[veedubfreak]

I stick with 7/16ID 5/8OD masterklear because its cheap, easy to work with, and provides a good seal over 1/2" barbs.

[Waterlogged]

Maybe this will clear up how to size tubing for all those that are confused.

[MaddHawk]

Got me there, didn't quite think it through all the way. :lol2:

[Wisc]

Polizei - Very nice and informative! A perfect answer to help even those that thought they know. 3/4 registered in my mind as smaller than 7/16 because I seen 8 and 16 so much at the end when I seen 3/4 I failed to do the math. But to find out it's bigger! I'm glad to know this.
MaddHawk - Very nice job confusing me! It's not that hard to do, but WOW! I was so with you there!
Waterlogged - Thanks for the picture! I have to admit I was still confused and had to go over it a few times, but I got it. MaddHawk did a pretty good job on me!

[MaddHawk]

Ya normally such details don't get past me but, it sure did that time. :p: Good thing I made that mistake now while learning and researching and not when actually placing orders for my own build in the far off future. :up: