I am completing my $10 home-made hanging water-filter bag, and was wondering if anyone has sourced what I am guessing is silicone tubing??? The katadyn folks sell replacement tubing for their hiker at $26 a pop...so I am wondering if there is another source for this not-so-readily available stuff?

Thanks for any help!

Aquarium store?

I tried going to an aquarium "warehouse" store. They had tons of poly tube...but no silicone. I am at a hospital right now, and there are tons of small diameter silicone tubes with the pinch clamps...but none with a 1/4 inch outside diameter. I may have found a medical supply store that has it, but the guy at Tap plastics (who did not have it) mentioned another person was looking for it and was having difficulty too. He was using it for a jacuzzi. It is just weird that in the internet age of get anything you need right now, you cannot buy this stuff very easily. Seems to only be available in mass quantity direct from the manufacturers???

CAn't you get tubing at HD or Lowes? There is food grade tubing there; just not sure if it is silicon or other?

I searched for silicone tubing 1/4 and this was the first hit: 12' for $4, but you'll have to pay shipping. It's a coffee machine store, so maybe you can find a similar supplier locally.

Edited by archeopteryx2 on 03/08/2006 16:41:28 MST.

Well *BEEP* if you aren't right! Thanks! I think I continually overlooked that link with my "Google eyes" thinking automatically a coffee specific link was a dead end. I had to pay a stupid amount on shipping...but it saves me a trip to a store that I would have a hard time getting to given their operating hours. If anyone needs 6' you know where to find it, since I will now have 12 and probably do not need half of that.

My home made water bag came together pretty nicely. I bought the Dancing Light Gear water bag ($10), cut a hole in it, inserted a 1/4 plastic connector...and now I can slap a Katdyn water filter inside and put a plastic clamp on the end of the tube. All inspired by Bill's Cuben water filter bag...and my need to avoid sewing.

Rats! The tubing was 12 inches on the PO from the coffee co. Back to square one.

It looks like McMaster-Carr is selling the appropriate type of flexible silicone tubing.
Unfortunately it is difficult to link directly to any product, so you'll have to look around for yourself. There are a lot of choices!

This is the item that looked approptiate to me:
Item 51135K73
Silicone Rubber Tubing Soft, 1/8" Inner diameter, 1/4" Outer diameter, 1/16" Wall, White
1-99 Ft.: $0.56 per Ft.

Hope that helps.
_Ben T

Edited by studiofluid on 03/14/2006 11:35:19 MST.

Good eye! The project stays on budget and I don't have to settle for poly tube!

I'd recommend quarter-inch ID rather than 1/8, which has limited flow.

e.g., 5236K87

The McMaster-Carr stuff is helpfully listed for use with food, beverages and water.

(FWIW I've found 1/8 silicone pretty easy to obtain from aquarium supply places as air-line tubing and from automotive places as vacuum tubing. 1/4-inch seems a lot scarcer.

Try www.mcmaster.com McMaster-Carr is the source for just about everything mechanical, and for materials. They have a huge assortment of types and sizes. And they are fast.

Im very interested in your gravity filter will you post pics and directions when done?


thanks in advance

Rob

Rob,

My gravity filter looks identical to Bill's Cuben version with a couple minor exceptions (do a search here for Cuben Filter and it should pop up many pictures). I sourced a Silnylon water bag which holds 5 quarts+ from Dancing Light Gear website for $10 or $12. I had bought a pack from Ula and Brian sent me a connector to place in the bottom of the water bag (I am told they are easily sourced at Autoparts stores) the kind he uses in his Amigo...and then finally tracked down 5 feet of tubing from McMasters for $3 plus shipping. Just like Bill's, the Hiker filter goes inside the bag.

I will try to post some pics this weekend.

This may be compulsive, but...
I put my Amigo connector on my pack cover/gear hammock/water bag/kitchen sink. The multi-use pack cover is a knockoff of Jack Tier's idea (Jacks'R'Better). Thanks, Jack. I love to steal your ideas.