How to un-kink or un-curl flexible pipe

[slinger]

Does anyone here have any ideas about how to remove the inevitable curl that is present in spa-flex PVC and flexible vinyl tubing? I just bought some .75" braided vinyl tubing from Home Depot that is nearly unusable it has such severe curl and kinking in it from being rolled up too tightly. I also bought some .75" spa-flex that I would like to form into a kind of 'S' shape, and it's natural curl is preventing me from doing that without placing large stress on the plumbing.

Any thoughts? I thought about submerging it in boiling water for a few minutes, or cooking it in the oven for a little while, but I wanted to see what your opinions were.

Thanks!
-Robert Hildinger

[Ruu]

Mostly I have tried shouting at it. This hasn't worked out so well yet, but I think that I shall probably continue this technique with most problem equipment.

Dave

[budhaboy]

personally, I use a hair dryer, and a spray bottle filled with water for kinks- heat up the tubing and reshape the kink out, and then spray it down with cold water to "freeze" into round- this keeps the kink from pulling itself back in.

[Ixthys]

wack it against the wall if shouting doen't work!

[sjm817]

I haven't had much luck. The biggest problem with flexible tubing is it is put on a spool and you are stuck with the curve it comes with. Try making 1.5" Spa Flex do what you want it to! The stuff is better for long gradual sweeps.

[Johnsteph10]

I have heard others heating it in their oven at a low temp for 10 mins or so and then straightening it out successfully.

Anyone try this?

[Ireland]

I have found that a heat gun works pretty well.

[bklynmet]

Bucket of hot water for a few minutes to get it soft and holding it stretched out as it cools. It isn't perfect and takes time but I can get a lot of the curvature out. The hairdryer approach by budhaboy sounds good and something I'll try out myself.

[Tomzpc]

Originally posted by Johnsteph10
I have heard others heating it in their oven at a low temp for 10 mins or so and then straightening it out successfully.

Anyone try this?

I've always done it this way. Works great! 10 minutes is probably longer than you need. It also makes the tubing nice and soft which makes the barbed fittings go in real easily and then when the tubing cools off it almost molds around the fitting.

[nolofinwe]

can you be more specific with respect to time and temperature?

[Ruu]

Shout for as long as you can. It helps of the temperature of the room you are in is about 70 degrees. Am I helping?

Dave

[OldmillXxX]

Throw it in the bathtub with very hot water and let it soak until the water has cooled a little and then just drain it and stretch it out on the floor, or better yet, install it in your system! The fittings will go on easy and then it will "cool" to tank temp and mold it's way how it will be finally used.

Simple.


Tim

[waterlily]

You could also turn your stove burner on and hold the tubing over it, rotating it to get all sides warm. This takes a little bit of doing, but it does work.

[slinger]

Thanks for all the suggestions folks! Puitting the pipe in a 225 degree oven for about six minutes worked amazingly well for both the spa-flex PVC and the vinyl tubing. You could actually see the pipe beginning to uncoil as it got hotter.

Thanks again!

[Rook]

I put it in a cloths dryer for a couple of minutes. If you tuck it to the back and keep it wound it will stay in place and not bang around. After a few minutes it is hot and plyable and you can bend against the curve while it cools. I got most of the bend out of spa flex like this. I am sure with a couple more times I could get it out completely.

[slimreb]

I always put mine into a oven at a temp of 300 and let it sit for about 3 minutes. The pipe is really soft and plyable. I was able to take a two foot section and make it totally straight by heating it then putting it into a wooden jig I had made to cool down. You could also heat it up then put it into place and let it cool so that it will always be in the shape of how it will run on your tank as stated earlier.

[picture the reef]

A little off subject but will the spaflex work with conventional pvc fittings? If so will the standard pvc cement work on the spaflex. Also should you use cleaner/primer with the cement? I have heard conflicting opinions on this.

[Twins Guy]

Originally posted by Ruu
Mostly I have tried shouting at it. This hasn't worked out so well yet, but I think that I shall probably continue this technique with most problem equipment.

Dave
ROFL!:lol:

[zenguitar]

You guys, shouting doesn't work. You have to YELL at it. Shouting is like, HEY! Where as yelling is like, HEEEEEYYYYYAAAHHHHHHH!!

See the difference?

This also works with skimmers, ballasts and co-workers.




The oven thing is probably the best option but I personally believe spa-flex is evil. (I have to give a contributive answer at least)

[Ixthys]

Originally posted by slimreb
I always put mine into a oven at a temp of 300 and let it sit for about 3 minutes. The pipe is really soft and plyable. I was able to take a two foot section and make it totally straight by heating it then putting it into a wooden jig I had made to cool down. You could also heat it up then put it into place and let it cool so that it will always be in the shape of how it will run on your tank as stated earlier.

So you were able to create the equivalent of rigid PVC? :D

[spamin76]

I am gonna go put it in my oven!! :)

[slimreb]

Originally posted by Ixthys
So you were able to create the equivalent of rigid PVC? :D

I guess you could say that though it is clear. On my 100G tank I really do not have any flex tubing in the plumbing at all. It is pretty much all rigid PVC as I really do not like the flex tubing look. I had a good amount of it on my 55G though.