Here we go...

[sissy]

thats the same one I have except the smaller size for the spitters not sure if turning the water off to the spitters cause the hose to get brittle or not .But i took it all out and am going to put back in the rubber hose .I got sump pump hose for my filters I figure if it can stand up to a sump pump it should be able to stand up to a pond and so far over 2 years old and no problems and since it was only 15 dollars for 25 feet I bought 2 so I can replace it if I see any problems but checked it closely and it is still flexble and it has the ribs and it is just not as stiff as the other hose for ponds is

 

[koiguy1969]

i've had the same TETRAPOND hoses since 2008...

 

[rebelangel_3733]

Pondlover, here's a quick tip I found really helpful when attaching my hose to the pumps...soak it (the tip) in hot boiling water for about 10-15 seconds before trying to stuff it onto the nozzles lol works like a charm! It makes that part of the hose stretch and way more flexible to attach for sure. Wish I could remember what hose I used...it's just a flexible black one...alot of help that is huh lol but it works as it is thick.

 

[rebelangel_3733]

oh it shrinks back to size tightly around the nozzle after it cools..then I attached my hose clamps over it.

 

[sissy]

I have the tetra pond in the rubber type and liked them but when I saw the ribbed ones I thought they might be better .They are either made cheaper or they are not the same type of hose .The ribbed ones lowes sells are not much good if they get brittle like this .i went back to my solid rubber ones .The ribbed ones don't kink ,that is the only good thing about them .go to lowes .com koiguy and see if they are the same as yours .these are very shiny black ones

 

[koiguy1969]

i have the thin wall spiral reinforced (ribbed) hose....they are not a problem unless they get cold, then they can get stiff and can crack... most of it stays in the pond and will never present a problem...i move mine betwen ponds in spring and fall i might loose a couple inches of hose in the fall removing it from the filter inlet. because thats the only place i clamp

 

[sissy]

last winter I could have seen a reason for it to crack but this winter i couldn't as we barely got below 29 degrees at night and maybe I could understand the part that is out of the water but not the big sections that were in the water .I put in the new pump and thats why I took them apart to run the hose 's in less noticeable spots and when I went to pull them out they just cracked in between the ribs .Can't figure out why but that hose won't get used again in the pond .Don't want to take the chance .

 

[pondlover]

Rebel we are going to try the boiling in water or a heat gun. Husband got 1 1/4" & 1 1/2" adapters, neither will fit. Your idea sounds like we can get the 1 1/2" to fit. Thanks for the tip!

 

[CountryEscape]

Good luck, PL, if the 1.5" and 1.25" adapters didn't fit. That's the problem I had with the pond tubing I got on clearance last fall. I loved it, was really solid stuff, but no adapters would work. I tried the boiling water for longer than 15 seconds, too, and still would not fit. One adapter was too small, the other too big, and there is nothing in between. I figured were was some special fittings and the company that made the tubing did that on purpose, but another girl in the store said her Grandpa did a lot of cussing while he was trying to put her pond together, but he got it done. Not sure how! I worked for over 2 hours and tried everything I could think of and nothing worked. I know the cheap stuff I got may not last, but ... it was CHEAP, so no worries about replacing it. I doubt it will cause any problems except from freezing, and all is either drained above ground, or down in the pond. The only part I'm worried about is what is in the bog. But, as I said before, I drilled holes in that, so if it cracks and leaks, more power to it! LOL I should be ready to hook everything up when the weather decides for sure we are past winter. I sure was tempted to hook everything back up this weekend, since it was soooo warm! Patience, I kept telling myself ....

 

[pondlover]

CE, we are worried about exactly what you just said. I may end up taking it back and getting the flexible pvc. We do have a nursery here that sells pond supplies, but they have sky high prices. I am also ready for spring and the longer day light hours. I love being outside and working in my yard, will love it even more when my pond is finished.

 

[CountryEscape]

PL, the way I put my tubing, I can easily remove it, replace it, or whatever. If you try to put adapters in the tubing you have and it won't fit, then I'd return it. In my opinion, NOTHING is worth pushing and shoving and heating and cutting and using all sorts of tools and STILL not getting it to fit right. There are other products that are easy as pie to work with. My tubing I'm pretty sure is called sump pump tubing. I figured it it could go underground and carry the water away, it can work in my pond. Again, it may get brittle and crack if it gets frozen, or maybe the sunlight will be hard on it (mine is all pretty much covered with pea gravel, dirt or rocks, though), but it's cheap and can be easily replaced. Just keep that in mind. Again, before you get to the point where you are planning to put it all together, try to fit the fittings into it. That way if you need to change it, you can do it BEFORE you are in the mode of finalizing the tubing! Good luck!!! I hope I'm wrong, and what you have will work perfectly.

 

[pondlover]

Did you get your tubing at lowe's. Sump pump hosing, right? It just doesn't seem smart for my trying to save a few dollars and I should have gone ahead and bought the flexible PVC tubing from webbsonline when I ordered pump. I placed order for pump yesterday around noon and its supposed to be here tomorrow.

 

[CountryEscape]

I bought all of my tubing from Menards, which is similar to Lowe's and Home Depot. I went outside to take a picture of the sump pump tubing which I am using now, and I also found a picture of the clear PVC tubing I had before. I loved the clear stuff, but they didn't have it in black, and the clear allowed algae to grow. Clear was VERY easy to work with, and fit all the fittings! You will know immediately if the fittings work or not.

Here is the clear tubing I used initially. As I said, I loved this, very easy to work with, fit all the fittings, but algae grew in it since it's clear.


Here is what I changed it out the clear for the sump pump tubing. As you can see, there is a section in the middle that is wider, that is the only part that can fit onto the fittings, but it worked out with my lengths needed. For shorter sections, I left the clear tubing, as I can change them out if needed, or take apart and run a brush through them to clean them out if necessary.


And, can't leave out the fish! This was taken this morning. The koi and few goldies are in 42" of water, just hanging out. It's easy to get clear picture, since they are not moving around, but since they are down so far, not crystal clear water, but I can sure spot each and every fish in that pond, and I love that! Enjoy.


Hope this helps you decide what I have used and what you have bought or will buy, PL!

 

[sissy]

thats the same hose I used as it has flat parts were you can cut it and attach fittings .I remembered it from my sump pump in NJ and that was in there for ten years I lived there and at least a few years before I bought the house and it was exposed to all kinds of weather conditions outside and was flexable and passed 2 home inspections .They check sump pumps and hoses really well in NJ when you sell and since I wanted to sell fast I got a home inspection myself so I could see if there was anything I had to address first ..I still have the solid rubber hose i used on my first pond and used that on my spitters and i have had that since my first pond .

 

[pondlover]

CE - I love the pictures of your fish and can't wait till I can have some. We also have a fish aquarium in the house and enjoy my fish in it. Thanks for the pics.

CE & Sissy - I think the hose I have purchased is going back. Your right, we shouldn't have to heat, melt, push or pull to get it connected. I wonder if the clear tubing would have the same algae growth problem if its totally covered?
Since the weather is so beautiful right now, I'm leaving work early so I can go home and work on my pond!!! Maybe I will have some progress pics for later. :goldfish: