Actually that's exactly what I think you're using? PVC is Poly
Vinyl Chloride:
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=24693
http://www.amazon.com/Small-Parts-Clear-PVC-Tubing/dp/B003TJ9YPQ
It's a plastic alloy, IIRC, a mixture. It can be rigid, semi rigid or flexible depending on how you make it. Many modern plastics are alloys, like the ABS that makes up telephone cases. Each of the 3 materials in the mix adds to the overall properties desired. Keeping it from shattering, for instance. It's also dyed many times (like the pipe) and can have UV protection agents if it's going to be exposed to sunlight.. Useful stuff, but I'm not so sure ho safe here? Temperature ratings can be quite low (140F in the first example above). I don't know if it gets that hot there, but I suspect it's possible with a WT and some serious efforts cloud chasing? And, unlike some other plastics, PVC is pretty nasty when it outgasses as I recall?
I'm not sure if there is a difference, or if it's just semantic, or the same thing, but this is what I'm using.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Sioux-Ch...-D-x-2-ft-Clear-Vinyl-Tubing-HSVSP2/204407884
Says vinyl, not PVC. Different size and brand, but essentially what I got from my local home depot. This one says it's rated to 175* and I doubt I'm getting anywhere near that.
I also doubt my
relatively cloud-chasing usage patterns, is getting my atomizer base measurably or meaningfully hotter than yours. Mine may see 25w for about 200 milliseconds per puff, but it is
long, repeated, continuous 10-second hits that results in heat build up on the ceramic housing, much more so than the hottness or vapor output of a single 10 second-puff, or a fraction of that period.
Some guys here do like to ride the button continuously long and hard, for multiple 10-sec cycles, but my lung capacity is modest, so I hardly ever cycle the button. I almost always take a few seconds break between large puffs, and rarely will go for more than 3 or 4 big ones, back to back. DT is potent and rarely fails to satisfy me when my donut is loaded.
Unless one carefully researches the use of PVC (and that includes the
specific PVC used) I recommend against copying this using random PVC tube. Silicone rubbers can be had in 450F and more rated materials. While not as stiff it's sure to be safe.
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=23884&catid=799
Reinforced versions might fix the stiffness issue and still provide enough safety margin on temperature:
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=104746&catid=799
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=114757&catid=799
BTW using Platinum catalysts is what makes it (and Silicone rubbers) 'Food Safe', not to fear it. It's a good thing.......
Everyone gets to make up their own mind about what is a good idea in life, I just see reason for caution here. IMO it's a risk that can be avoided.
OF
I certainly don't want to dismiss these concerns outright, so I did look up that info on the tubing, and for my breakfast sesh with dabby today, I grabbed my cheap little infrared thermometer, jammed it as close to my target as possible, and tried to get some data, FWIW. Most likely not as accurate as a thermocouple, but it's all I have.
Baseline: back of my throat: 95F, not bad
Baseline: cool atomizer base AND hose, 70F
1st 10-second hit 25w 245 TCR 380F full bowl: 70.7 + 70 F base and tube
2st 10 second hit: 74F, atomizer base and tube
3rd 10-sec: 80F for both parts
The glass globe got around 75F. I spaced out each puff as little as I could, less than 10 sec perhaps, and I got
stoooony haha
FOR SCIENCE! Took a rest for just a couple minutes, went to 390F and had a few more light hits to finish the load, but nothing got over 75F again with the little bit of time to cool.
My roommate was in the kitchen with me cooking (burning) swine sausages on a griddle so I zapped his stuff also, 200F inside his swine to know it's safe to eat, 462F on the burnt griddle to help dial in and triangulate my little tool
SO to get back to earth now... based on this imperfect data, I think I'm way safe and don't have much to fear, at least within my usage patterns.
BUT, to press the issue, and advocate for the devil here, let's just say my vinyl (PVC?) hose
is hitting it's upper range of usage temperatures, or if it had a lower temp that I am getting close to, like 90F.
What gasses and harmful substances would my hose be emitting? Phthalates? Other stuff? How toxic is it, and how much of it is going into me?
Looking at the hoses in my setup, they are barely in the vapor path at allmaybe a <1mm gap between surfaces. Any possible off-gassing would be primarily external, rather than being sucked into my vapor stream.
If phthalates are the concern, I'm not really sure if this is warranted? Aren't these compounds omnipresent in our modern environment, kind of unavoidable, undesirable, but nothing like a super poison like lead, cyanide, dioxin, etc.... Something that affects children more but for healthy adults?
Let's put this risk into context against
known risks and harmful substances we can encounter from things like crappy, unregulated cotton/silica wick and wire vape systems, or from combustion from running our ceramic donuts at fixed VW mode, or from good ol-fashioned
smoking?
If you think there's more to it, or other stuff you think I should know, do tell, I don't mean to be facetious, sarcastic, or dismissive here.
That braided silicone tubing you posted looks ideal, but is very expensive & tough to source.
I suppose an alternative would be a regular piece of silicone tubing, reinforced with maybe a non-toxic glue or fiber-fix type tape to give form to it, but leave pure silicone on the section contacting both surfaces.
Provided it was high temperature and 'food safe' (not all are) that should be just fine you'd think. I may have got lost, but if the idea is to make the connection stiffer, any sort of splint on the outside should do that without health issues? Even one of my all time favorite building materials, wooden coffee stir sticks? The rubber tube would safely seal any nasty stuff away from our lovely vapor.......
OF
How would you secure the stir sticks around the tubing?
Butting in with a thot. Maybe rubber bands or zip ties. I'd go zip ties to make it nice and clean
I did take a look at some of those links, and based on the huge variety of materials, sizes and applications offered, I'm sure we could find one that would have a safer margin on operating temperatures and sufficient stiffness/aesthetics.
All the ideas for fixing or reinforcing silicon hose, that's all good, group brainstorming and all, but I think we're getting unnecessarily complex.
I think what I should do is just email the good people at usplastic, tell them what I'm trying to use a plastic hose for (vapor aromatherapy
) and ask them to recommend a tubing with the best combo of safe material / operating temp / stiffness. Sometimes you can just write/call them up and companies will provide good service and info!
So if they suggest something better, I'd try it out, but in the meantime, or if they tell me what I'm using is probably safe already, I'll still be taking some nice, milky, spaced-out in duration, 25w 10-second puffs with
Dabby.
The copper elbow is ok, right? My other rig's elbow is brass
Wow the world's a dangerous place, what with all these tubes and tangents'n shit.
I know, right.
I did wanna talk glass bubblers, and sometimes we have to adapt them since the available choices of adapter-free glass / water connections for DT are minimal/nonexistent, then we get sucked into a PVC hose rabbithole
Let's go back to chinese opium instead
The hydratube is a bit big, but I was even thinking it may find a home in my car. I mean the pinnacle pro is great but I have a feeling I'm going to want a smoother hit once the Hydratube is available. It might be just too big though. We'll see
Whoa...you wanna use that big ol bubbler while driving?
Don't get too greedy stevey! We're talking about risks and dangers here...that seems germane. Would seem difficult to keep a 2 foot bubbler from breaking while using in my car, plus a dead giveaway to anyone watching you use it?
I love how the DT 2.5/2.7 with most any mod looks innocuous and stealthy like any sub-ohm juice vape that someone may use. But when I attach my mini bubblers, even my good friends who have seen my vapes without them get all freaked out "WHOA what are you smoking on that bro?"
everyone always seems to think I'm about to smoke some meth even though they just saw me vaping kush on it moments earlier
@Vape Donkey 650 in excitement of the incoming hydratube, Ive already found a way to attach the dt atty. I remember I was bummed when the 14mm joint of the pinnacle pro bubbler couldn't fit the new 2.7 splash cap. At that time I thought to myself that it would have been perfect if the joint was 18mm. So light bulb!!! I have already fitted the 2.7 cap onto a 18mm joint using this as an adapter
I've always use these as an adapter because they are silicone and I had a few lying around. I cut the upper, thicker portion of the tip. The bottom half is too thin. Once cut into a little band I shove them onto the 2.5 and 2.7 caps. The 2.5 caps with this adapter will fit any of those slim pen vape bubblers.
Getting the little silicone band onto the 2.7 cap took a lot of ingenuity because the mouthpiece is so large but believe me it is possible.
Oh yeah, as a future maintenance tip for your pinnacle pro bubbler and dt atty combo, you are going to need to keep your o rings cleaned every once and a while. To secure a snug fit I take the orings off and wiped them down with an alcohol soaked napkin. Ever notice removing the cap gets a bit looser over time. The o rings get a bit saturated with wax and this can lead to a loose connection with a heavy bubbler attached. Knowing this, I have many spare orings and find the ones that fit most snuggly. A long time ago I think Matt changed the orings because people were complaining it was hard to remove the cap. I still have the old o rings. New ones work just fine too, I just notice I had to clean those more often, like once a month.
Thanks for the notes...I don't think I'm gonna try to connect the hydratube to a DT base, but with an 18-18MM adapter, it can turn my old arizer into a poor man's vapeXhale Evo hopefully
I'm sure there could be other ways thought up as well, I usually try to go for the fewest pieces with the strongest bonds. And I tend to keep my atomizer bases pretty neat and tidy, but not always the donuts inside.
I'm still trying to decide if it would be more desireable to use the 2.5 or 2.7 cap with the pinnacle water tool? No cap, atomizer base into the water tool (with adapter?) would be more desireable for me, but not sure yet how to accomplish that.
Love it. Yep, I'd probably be right there with rubber bands or some other lashing scheme until I was sure the idea was sound. Then I was thinking maybe one of those velcro straps that you use to tie up cables and stuff, a turn or two might be just the support needed and would have the silicone rubber to protect it? You could glue the 'splints' onto the strap......
OF
Ha..i think that would work better than the zip ties / cable ties because you would have to cut those and put on a new one each time you remove your atomizer base from your glass globe / bubbler to reload, clean, etc. I think that would look silly though, I'm gonna try to look into higher-grade tubing that is sufficiently stiff like vinyl/PVC.
Yeah, but the medicine for instant relief is right at hand.......
You know what WC Fields said, 'when in the wilderness always carry a bottle of liquor with you in case of snakebite......also carry a small snake in case there are none'.
OF
OH OH let me try to deconstruct your metaphorical reference.... so our kushy oils is our medicine/liquor, and phthalates/off-gassing is the snakebite, the PVC hose is the snake?
So if we can't self-medicate with kush, carry some pvc hose to heat and inhale the fumes instead?