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Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V2 #816




. Anyone use something like this? Anyone use something
>that
>> gets rid of all the messing with silicon etc.? And, of course, something
>> easy and inexpensive.
>
>I have had good luck buying solid rubber stoppers at hardware stores,
>drilling holes in them, and shoving in copper tubing cut to length. The
>pre-drilled kind you mention also exist and would be more convenient, but


>Drilling the stoppers isn't too hard. I held mine in pliers against a
>workbench and used a power drill (sorry, I don't remember what bit size) to
>drill all the way through. This created a rather rough hole and a lot of
>rubber bits. I have since been told sticking the stopper in the freezer
>makes it easier to drill, but I have not had a chance to try this. A little
>water-based lubricant worked great for pushing the copper tubing through
>the hole, and it makes a good seal. Cutting the tubing to length is easy
>with a hacksaw or file. I found it useful to smooth out the cut end of the
>copper tubing with a file, as the end was fairly rough after cutting. I
>didn't want any burr poking a hole in my airline tubing!
>
>I have only had one problem of note with this approach: Stretching airline
>tubing over the copper tubing can be difficult,

***** Stick the end of the airline in hot water, pull out and shove a
sharpened pencil in to widen the opening, remove pencil and put on copper
tubing, airline seems to have some memory and go back close to original size
making a snug fit.

 since the tubing I used was
>slightly larger than comfortable for the (silicone) airline tubing I had. I
>think the nominal OD of the copper tubing I used was .25 inch. This makes a
>snug fit. The overall effect is similar to a predrilled stopper and glass
>lab tubing; it's not nearly as easy to clean, but that's not so important
>for our application.
>
> -matt
>
>


Mike Reid  mreid at voyager_net
Eastwood Elementary School  5th Grade  Rm 203
216 Vinewood St.   Sturgis, Mi   49091
W-(616)659-1560 ext 203   H-(616) 651-9575

It's easier to get forgiven than it is to get permission.