HydraTube Flush Device

@t-dub: Maybe I missed it somewhere, but what size silicone tubing (ID & OD) are you using with your #2 rubber stoppers?

I just got my PBW in the mail and I'd like to try using the plugs & tubing to do it right!

Yes thermal shock is something to be concerned with, you will notice I never use anything but hot water. There is no reason for a cold part to the process so I eliminated it, hot glass dries more quickly anyways

For tough situations mix that PBW super strong and use hot, hot water

Stu said:

@t-dub: Maybe I missed it somewhere, but what size silicone tubing (ID & OD) are you using with your #2 rubber stoppers? I just got my PBW in the mail and I'd like to try using the plugs & tubing to do it right!

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I think this is the size in Silcon I'm using atm please note the bend radius is a little thin, meaning it will pinch, so better choices are available.

I went to order some of the tubing from US Plastics, but the shipping came out to be twice the price of 10' of tubing, so I just got 25' from Amazon (free shipping.... Amazon Prime FTW!).

Soon I'll be cleaning my glass like a pro!

Thanks t-dub for this informative thread.

I ordered 5 lbs of PBW (cheaper that way)...now I just need to track down the plugs. Thanks T-Dub, this is awesome!

Tweek said:

I ordered 5 lbs of PBW (cheaper that way)...now I just need to track down the plugs. Thanks T-Dub, this is awesome!

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Scope out Midwest Supplies via Amazon...and other Homebrew vendors. That's where I sourced everything for my whip. I am noticing the PBW cutting through both the thicker as well as the older resin stains after repeated flushes and soaks during the course of the day today. I am eager to try an overnight soak. It works, but I think the key is to clean regularly, and with t-dub's method here, that chore is now quicker than rinsing off a dinner plate.

t-dub, where can I find an anti-siphon for 3/8" or similar tubing? I can't keep my pieces topped off for more than 4 hours on account of having a retarded sink here. It's usually got an R/O hooked up so I never noticed. I suppose I could crack the water all night but that would dilute the PBW, and send my $ down the drain before it could clean any resin.

NoddingDonkey said:

t-dub, where can I find an anti-siphon for 3/8" or similar tubing? I can't keep my pieces topped off for more than 4 hours on account of having a retarded sink here. It's usually got an R/O hooked up so I never noticed. I suppose I could crack the water all night but that would dilute the PBW, and send my $ down the drain before it could clean any resin.

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For shorter dwell times mix the PBW stronger and hotter, don't be shy. You can also mix the solution separate and using rubber stoppers, fill your pieces. A rubber stopper placed at the top of a tube will stop siphon effects

t-dub said:

For shorter dwell times mix the PBW stronger and hotter, don't be shy. You can also mix the solution separate and using rubber stoppers, fill your pieces. A rubber stopper placed at the top of a tube will stop siphon effects

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ya that makes sense...2nd set of eyes on any problem always helps.

I'm excited about setting this up for myself, I'm buying the parts now. Thing is that the #2 stoppers I'm getting will have a 5mm hole in them (basing that belief on this list of standard stopper measurements), so I figure I need a 7/32" outer diameter tube (.219 inches, to go into a .197 inch opening) because that's the closest OD size to the hole I can find (on Amazon at least, where I'd prefer to buy all of it). Does anyone think this wouldn't work? I figure I'll have to jam it in there, but as long as it'll work I have no problem with that.

I decided to give this type setup a try, but I wanted to do it a bit differently. Mostly I wanted a kit that quickly connected up to a permanent faucet attachment, install it just once so no further touching of the faucet threads, etc. I end up with this:



I just pieced this together at the local hardware store. That's a #2 rubber stopper and the 5/16"x7/16"x1/16" silicone tubing many of us use. The fittings are:



(Sorry, pic is a bit out of focus.) That is a standard faucet adapter that replaces the aerator assembly; this one accepted the aerator washer/screen but not the little plastic aerator piece itself. It is very similar to this:

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-25ecodZ5yc1v/R-203673037/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053

And this is what attaches:



The top piece is a quick disconnect coupler, it came with the faucet adapter above in a kit or you can buy it separately - total about $10 - like this:

http://www.lifeandhome.com/snap-nipple-garden-hose-coupler-fites-adapter-3-4.html

It has 3/4" garden hose threads, to which I attached the nylon barbed coupling - $3 - like this:

http://www.lifeandhome.com/nylon-coupling-1-4-x-3-4.html

The barb is 1/4", so I also needed a small radiator clamp since my tubing is 5/16" ID and while it was actually snug on the barbs, it wouldn't hold full water pressure. I didn't want to buy more tubing, I already had the clamp. But even with 1/4" ID, a clamp isn't a bad idea.

The same idea can be used with different fittings and even more cheaply. For example, there is a version of the faucet adapter which instead of a coupler like above just has a fixed female hose adapter, then the male version of the nylon barb is used instead - just screw in your hose section. A leisurely stroll thru the plumbing dept yields lots of possibilities.

I didn't want to buy/wait for rubber stoppers with a pre-drilled hole, especially since I knew the hole would be too small. So I just drilled the hole myself. Getting the tubing through that hole is tricky; since the tubing is a very flexible silicone it could be pinched together to push into the hole and then pulled through from the other end with a needle-nose (pull it far enough for the pinch to expand, might need to push a #2 phillips or equiv into the hole to open up the tubing, then cut it off flush).

I bought some cheap gloves too which can withstand the very hot water, but unfortunately they are slippery handling the glass so I have to find something better.

A sorta fun, relatively quick, fairly cheap method for cleaning glass. Used it on a couple of HT's and a Mobius bubbler, works great and avoids that "shake and break" risk.

Thanks t-dub for the inspiration!

Good call on drilling yourself. With the standard size holes, there simply isn't enough flow and it will blow out of the faucet easily, so I can hardly even turn the water on. Oh well, live and learn, my v2 will be much more effective

My number 2 drilled hose stoppers don't fit in my faucet. They are the exact same size meaning that if I squeeze really right I can kind of force it in but it is not ideal. I bought one of those hose faucet kits but can't get that installed into my faucet. It is almost like it is half a mm too big. Has anyone tried shaving down the sides? Would that work?

I use Moen faucets btw.

John Lewus said:

My number 2 drilled hose stoppers don't fit in my faucet. They are the exact same size meaning that if I squeeze really right I can kind of force it in but it is not ideal. I bought one of those hose faucet kits but can't get that installed into my faucet. It is almost like it is half a mm too big. Has anyone tried shaving down the sides? Would that work? I use Moen faucets btw.

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Sure, you can alter the rubber stopper all you wish. If you want you could buy one the correct size and drill a hole through it as well. Thanks for reporting back, when you get finished a pic would be cool

I have been trying to buy one the right size but it is hard to find one with a hole drilled through locally. I don't want to buy a 50 cent stopper and pay 10 bucks for shipping.

Working out a cleaning routine for the VapeXhale Devastator. RezBlock keeps it so clean, a hot water flush like this in the morning keeps me going for a week easily without using any PBW. You may notice the addition of some "rubber baby bumpers" to the area. This is test material, I'm learning a lot about counter top, wet maintenance solutions, more on that l8tr . . .

Looks good t-dub! I don't know why this thread hasn't exploded more as this makes cleaning/flushing/rinsing SO much easier.
I don't keep up with cleaning nearly as much as you, but the flush device with scalding hot water cleans 80+ percent of crud in most my glass, then PBS handles the rest.
Sooo..., you better get on the patent befor 420 science does...

Still working on the "rubber baby bumpers" project, here is an updated pic of the HydraTube Flush Device in action . . .

Exercising my flush device on the turbine. The spinning action makes the water come out of the top of the tube in a "fan" like spray shaped like a cone. It travels a pretty good distance so make sure to use a sponge or something as a "suppressor" to keep the splash down . . .

So, now I'm seriously looking at getting the requisite drilled stoppers and tubing... @Roger D has the same idea there my hubby came up with, watching @t-dub flushing his...

Where did you find that adapter, Roger D, and where did you get it?

It's silicone tubing from the minivap with bits of hard plastic tubing to connect them together and to the tap. I would love to find something in one piece with all the proper fittings

Cleaning the Swagger IGG Fanatic circ to gridded barrel turbine with my HydraTube Flush Device. The vortex action created by the turbine creates a nasty cone shaped spray of water that must be suppressed during flushing. I move the tube at 0:30 to illustrate . . .

when i first saw this thread i rushed out to my LHS (local hardware store ) and picked up some tubing and various size stoppers. However, I couldnt figure out the right combination to fit my sink and 18mm joints. I plan to make another trip soon to try to figure it out forreal this time

Hey guys. I am also a homebrewer. I wanted to share a cheapo homebrewer secret. PBW is awesome but its EXPENSIVE for what it is. Many of us homebrewers use oxyclean instead. Look for the free version (scent free). You will save some cheese and shouldnt notice anything different. Its what i use at home.

Cwittneben said:

Hey guys. I am also a homebrewer. I wanted to share a cheapo homebrewer secret. PBW is awesome but its EXPENSIVE for what it is. Many of us homebrewers use oxyclean instead. Look for the free version (scent free). You will save some cheese and shouldnt notice anything different. Its what i use at home.

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OxyClean is only HALF of PBW . . . the other HALF is sodium metasilicate that you can also purchase in bulk in the hardware store and then mix your own. This "home mix" reacts more readily than the professionally blended variety, take care not to accidentally create a supersaturated solution in the process and if you mix up any extra of this stuff, store it safely and use it quickly.

t-dub said:

OxyClean is only HALF of PBW . . . the other HALF is sodium metasilicate that you can also purchase in bulk in the hardware store and then mix your own. This "home mix" reacts more readily than the professionally blended variety, take care not to accidentally create a supersaturated solution in the process and if you mix up any extra of this stuff, store it safely and use it quickly.

Click to expand...

Does the sodium metadilicate do anything more than the oxyclean already does though? Im not challenging, i just dont know. Its my understanding that once you use the oxyclean your good too go. A least i hope, since i have been using it exclusively for the past few years on my brew equipment. It seems to do a hell of a job on my glass as well. Im sure you could easily combine the two but i dont see the value in the added expense.