is spa flex ok t use?

[seagirl]

i bought some spa flex today at lowes, is it ok to use on my drain line? it's not smooth on the utside, it has coils or ridges, whatever they are called. thanks

 

[Konadog]

It will be fine for drain lines. The ridges will collect stuff over time.

 

[seagirl]

Thanks Konadog, i'll make sure to clean it regularly

 

[spoon671]

Isn't that called "smurf tube"? You wouldn't want to use that, only because of all the grime and sludge that will build up on all of those little grooves on the inside of the tubing.

 

[seagirl]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11153207#post11153207 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by spoon671
Isn't that called "smurf tube"? You wouldn't want to use that, only because of all the grime and sludge that will build up on all of those little grooves on the inside of the tubing.

not sure if its smurf tube? It was labeled as spa flex hose at Lowes. i figure i can clean it once a month with a garden hose because i'm only going to have about 2 feet of it at the end of the drain line.

 

[JeffDubya]

There is white flexible PVC out there without the ridges, I have seen that sold under the name "Spa Flex" as well. It's used a lot in the construction of hot tubs, and glues with standard PVC glue. I would recommend it over this product.

 

[Blown 346]

Not only will it get gunky inside, but those ridges will slow down flow which can cause your return pump to over power the drain causing the tank to fill up to fast. Also it will be really noisy.

Like said above Lowes has Spa hose, that is smooth inside and out. That works well. Or you could just build a PVC drain line.

 

[spleify]

I have used this stuff for some time now with no ill effects. I do believe that it will collect gunk, maybe more than some other types of tubing. Just keep an eye on it.

 

[seagirl]

see the problem is that i have very little space under the tank and need some hose i can lift out of the filter sock for easy changing. i have a hard pvc drain now, but i have to unscrew a union and remove the drain to change filter socks. i figured with this stuff i can just lift it out of the sock and set it to the side while i cange the filter. so i need something that allows a lot of up and down movement.

Blown 346- it is 1.5" hose and i only have about 5-600 gph going thru it, you don't think it can handle that?

spleify- thanks for the pics, in your opinion is it really noisy?

 

[sjm817]

That is not SpaFlex, but it will work.

This is Spaflex

 

[spleify]

I don't think it is noisy. On the lower fuge I have limited space and need to pull the hose out to remove the filter sock and change my media. That is why I went with the spa flex.
HTH
Spleify

 

[JeffDubya]

Spa Flex is actually much more efficient, nothing to reduce your head pressure other than gravity.

 

[Grevious]

So spa-flex glues together with regular hard PVC using regular PVC glue. Is it usually available at Home Depot or Lowes?

 

[JeffDubya]

Yes. Just standard PVC glue, and works with all the standard fittings. I bought mine at a specialty plumbing store, but then saw huge rolls of it at my local ACE hardware. I have never looked, but I would be shocked if the big box stores didn't have it.

I replaced my rigid PVC return lines with this and was amazed at how much faster the water was running.

 

[kdblove_99]

Yep lowes and HD sells it. It is a little cheaper at my lowes than HD and alot cheaper than ACE.

 

[dkh0331]

Not all Lowes or HD's sell spa flex. Neither of my local stores carry it but my Ace hardware does.

 

[RokleM]

http://savko.com/partlist.asp?pgid=4&ptid=19&pid=36

 

[spoon671]

Hey seagirl... for my overflow plumbing I am using similar "spa-flex" tubing that you have pictured. It has those ridges on the outside, but is completely smooth on the inside.

 

[seagirl]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11160415#post11160415 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by spoon671
Hey seagirl... for my overflow plumbing I am using similar "spa-flex" tubing that you have pictured. It has those ridges on the outside, but is completely smooth on the inside.

where did you get it?

 

[Toddrtrex]

I've been using something very similar for my drain. Been using it for over 6 years now, only cleaned it once. It has been working great for me. I am running b/t 500 and 600 gallons per hour.

Can sort of see it in this picture. Mine has white ridges as opposed to blue.