Experiences with alternative tubing

Ok, so i have just set up my first wc loop, and silly me only ordered 1m of tubing thinking it would be heaps (oh how i was wrong). So i nicked down to the local auto shop and found some 1/2 inch ID car heater hose. Its pretty much the same dimensions as the tygon but way stiffer and looks a bit ghetto :D. I was wondering if anyone has experience using other tubing and if so what works the best cos IMHO the tubing that you can buy is overpriced.

Some other alternatives that passed through my head were; garden hose, braided hose (also from cars).


Attachment 120475

so that's a pic of the final result (don't judge me on the fans and wires I'm still waiting on my noiseblockers)

you can usually pick up clear tubing from hardware stores, but that stuff is very stiff and about 50c per foot. i used it for years and it worked out fine. i go with nicer stuff now simply because of color.

You can try out the Durelene tubing from here http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/dupvctu1idx3.html

It's not that much, and I can confirm it's pretty good. Namely, it should be the same as Tygon, it just doesn't go through those certification processes Tygon does hence it's much cheaper. Anyway, know a guy who's using it for a year now and everything's fine.

Small OT, what NB you gonna use?

i got the silent pro pk2s (the pk3s weren't in stock and i'm impatient)

primochill LRT
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car tubing.. noreprene..

there is a reason why no one likes to use that anymore, nor vendors will try to carry it anymore.

Its the king of plasticer leech.

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Originally Posted by NaeKuh

car tubing.. noreprene..

there is a reason why no one likes to use that anymore, nor vendors will try to carry it anymore.

Its the king of plasticer leech.

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What?!?! Perhaps you meant Neoprene and not Norprene?

If you search this forum you'll find plenty of people who like Norprene (http://www.tygon.com/norprene-a60g-i...al-tubing.aspx). You'll break down before it does. I use it myself and the only downside is that it's a bit more kink prone then other types of tubing.

I think the cons of most other tubing are mostly stiffness and aesthetics.

Boston Plumbing gas lines ftw

-PB

Braided works well but it's very, very stiff.

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Originally Posted by Hoboclese

i got the silent pro pk2s (the pk3s weren't in stock and i'm impatient)

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Cheers!

Oh yeah! and Primochill is good if you ask me, just didn't post it at first as I was trying to point you the cheapest but good solution. I have it too. It's more flexible than Durelene. Neither of those two have plasticicer problems as far as I know...

Yeah, Durelene 1/2" tubing is $0.69 per foot, Primochill LRT 1/2" is $2.25 per foot.

Having used both in my own loop - the difference definitely isn't worth the triple price.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jumper2high

Yeah, Durelene 1/2" tubing is $0.69 per foot, Primochill LRT 1/2" is $2.25 per foot.

Having used both in my own loop - the difference definitely isn't worth the triple price.

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It is to me since I want green in my main PC :p:

But my server box uses duralene because it isn't at all dressed up to be pretty.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jumper2high

Yeah, Durelene 1/2" tubing is $0.69 per foot, Primochill LRT 1/2" is $2.25 per foot.

Having used both in my own loop - the difference definitely isn't worth the triple price.

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Yup, listen to the man, I did since we live in same town and I didn't regret. You can see the difference right out of the box.
Ofc, if you want some colored tubing like Sparky, choice is obvious. :)
Thanks goes because he pointed me to Durelene.

Tbh, all said and done we are not talking a huge price difference between different tubing for your average loop. If you build/rebuild a lot of loops its a different story ofc.

So for most I'd say its worth the few extra bucks, as its performance is usually well known and tested by the community :) Clouding and leeching has been pretty bad on most if not all clear tubing I've tried from HW and pet stores etc. Some worse than others obviously, but still, the shops rarely knew what they where selling. If I could get good cheap tubing locally, that would ofc be my first choice as well.