Tubing question.

[Tay]

Does what kind of tubing you use matter? Will the tubing I have (see Project Treasure Chest in my sig) work?

[voigts]

That braided PVC is durable, but it really sucks as far as elasticity is concerned and is very hard to use in any kind of tight or semi-tight bends as are common in watercooling setups. Most people use Clearflex 60 when it comes to price (mcmaster.com catalog page 85, get 1/8" wall). The 1/2" ID 3/4" OD runs .68 cents a foot if I remember right (if that is what you need...they carry about everything else too), and their shipping is reasonable. Although you always want to use good clamps, Clearflex seals really well over barbs, etc. and especially if you get the 1/8" wall, does not readily kink.

[sideroxylon]

That braided PVC is durable, but it really sucks as far as elasticity is concerned and is very hard to use in any kind of tight or semi-tight bends as are common in watercooling setups. Most people use Clearflex 60 when it comes to price (mcmaster.com catalog page 85, get 1/8" wall). The 1/2" ID 3/4" OD runs .68 cents a foot if I remember right (if that is what you need...they carry about everything else too), and their shipping is reasonable. Although you always want to use good clamps, Clearflex seals really well over barbs, etc. and especially if you get the 1/8" wall, does not readily kink.


Agreed! I've been using Clearflex for a while now and am very happy with it. Not to mention how ugly that braided tubing is. ;)

[Mr.Guvernment]

i took a chance and orders some PrimoFlew Blue tubing and very glad i did! tis tubing is awsome! (see last page of link in my sig)

[Jas]

The Primoflex stuff is awesome in its ability to bend tightly and not kink. Its main downside is it is slightly permeable, so you will experience coolant loss to evaporation through the tubings wall.

[ls7corvete]

I am using thin walled silicone in my latest setup. The kink resistance is about the same as the thick walled silicone but it puts almost no strain on the blocks. Having no strain on the blocks leads to better mounting and better temps.

Who says tubbing type cant affect temps, hehe.

[iceage]

I love tygon. Been using that and Clearflex for the past year. If you can find tygon at the right price, go for that. There's a contractor that sells large legths of it on Ebay from time to time.

[Sneaky]

clearflex is probably the best bang-for-the-buck tubing you can get - just make sure you get the 1/8" walled stuff (3/8" ID x 5/8" OD or 1/2" ID x 3/4" OD)

[Bugsmasher]

I have used Tygon, Clearflex, and Masterkleer. To date for 'bang for the buck' I go with Masterkleer from McMaster.com. I have a 1/2 OD fitting setup and am currently using their 7/16" ID-3/32" wall thickness-5/8" OD Masterkleer. Makes nice tight bends without kinking and for under $9 for 25 feet I have enough to redo my system several times. The shipping came to around $5 so it netted out sub $0.50 per foot.

To find it just go to mcmaster.com and search for the part number ---> 5233K44

This will bring up all of the Masterkleer General Purpose Clear PVC tubing they carry. I think it was around $0.37 per foot in 25 foot increments + shipping.