Plumbing help. PVC or Pressure hose?

[snaza]

Hi,

Setting up my new tank and wandering if its better to use PVC piping over flex pressure hose? Just seems much easier to use hoses as the PCV is hard to line up when there are lots of bends. Are there any advantaged with PVC?

thanks

Aaron

[waynem]

The cost.....

[mfinn]

Just depends on how you want your setup to look. If hoses hanging all over is ok, then go with the flex hose. But if you want the cleaner look of straight pvc pipe with pvc 45's and 90's......
Plus when you use the flex hose, it's most tend to skip unions, which come in handy when doing wok on the system, cleaning or changing out pumps.

[Shane Hoffman]

I would highly recommend flex hose. You have less water impedence and head pressure over all...alot of times you can avoid 90 degree bends if you sweep the hose 45 then use a 45. The less 90 degree bends you have the better. Also you wont have any rigid lines hooked up to a pump causing vibration issues

[Macimage]

I found the pvc easier to work with. I had trouble getting the flex hose into the fittings, it just didn't slide in easily. Perhaps it was just me.

I used sweep 90's so as not to reduce the flow:

http://www.flexpvc.com/cart/agora.cgi?product=PVC-Elbows-Sweep-90

Joyce

[mfinn]

Wow, not only do I spell badly (before coffee) I forgot one important step.
I do use a flex hose on each side of all pumps, before connecting to pvc pipe. As mentioned, this will help eliminate pump vibration issues.

[reidcrandall]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15414124#post15414124 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Shane Hoffman
I would highly recommend flex hose. You have less water impedence and head pressure over all...alot of times you can avoid 90 degree bends if you sweep the hose 45 then use a 45. The less 90 degree bends you have the better. Also you wont have any rigid lines hooked up to a pump causing vibration issues

I would agree with this, however, if you need to make any tight turns (less than 10" in daimeter) you will need to use PVC for those areas. The hose needs at least that diameter in order to fit straight into the couplings, elbows or whatever you are using. If they do not go straight in, you will be asking for trouble in the long run.

[jayb12]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15414307#post15414307 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mfinn
Wow, not only do I spell badly (before coffee) I forgot one important step.
I do use a flex hose on each side of all pumps, before connecting to pvc pipe. As mentioned, this will help eliminate pump vibration issues.

i second that. i only use flexable piping on my pump to help dampin the vibration factor and it makes it easy to undo a gear clamp to remove the pump for cleaning

[HighlandReef]

mine are also just flex tubing, makes it easy for cleanup, etc and also dont vibrate alot

[catfisher]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15414138#post15414138 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Macimage
I found the pvc easier to work with. I had trouble getting the flex hose into the fittings, it just didn't slide in easily. Perhaps it was just me.

I used sweep 90's so as not to reduce the flow:

http://www.flexpvc.com/cart/agora.cgi?product=PVC-Elbows-Sweep-90

Joyce

I run a pond store and we run into that problem all the time. It seems every company wants to make their hose a little different even though they all say they have the same inside dimensions. Laguna is slightly smaller than Pondmaster, etc, etc...

I actually stock different brands of hose just for that reason.

[snaza]

Thanks everyone for your help.

[Macimage]

Originally posted by catfisher
I run a pond store and we run into that problem all the time. It seems every company wants to make their hose a little different even though they all say they have the same inside dimensions. Laguna is slightly smaller than Pondmaster, etc, etc...

I actually stock different brands of hose just for that reason.

Thanks catfisher! I really thought it was just me, as the hose I bought was a bit too large to fit into my Home Depot/Lowes' fittings!!

Joyce