Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Plastic attachments to hold liquid-tubes onto condenser?

JefferyH - 17-5-2014 at 13:40

Too many times in my home lab running simple experiments have I had my hose pop lose from the condenser and spray cold water everywhere.

Recently begun a summer lab course and there are these peices attached to where the hose goes, that allows the hose to be plugged in and then tightened with a plastic screw/bolt type system. Probably a really poor description but maybe somebody will know what I am talking about. Some sort of attachment that goes over the glass where the water enters and exits? Not really sure what to search for to find these online.

cyanureeves - 17-5-2014 at 14:05

i have been using those stretch tubes used for exercises and have not needed any clamps at all,i know it didnt answer your question but its a cheap option.

JefferyH - 17-5-2014 at 14:13

Those could work. I would still like to find out what those metal pieces are called though.

Where did you get those stretch tubes? The ones I am aware of for exercises are usually far larger than the condenser inlet/outlet

cyanureeves - 17-5-2014 at 14:25

they often come in to a christian donation center where i volunteer hours,different color bands and grab handles made of hard plastic tubing.the hoses stretch nice and tight over my liebig and ahlinn condensors.i think a person's foot goes into one end of the stretchy things like a stirrup and the other end is used to pull with your hands.i used to see commercials on t.v. where they were also tied to a door knob.people buy stuff then give up on exercise equipment and just live happy and die fat, i guess.

[Edited on 5-17-2014 by cyanureeves]

JefferyH - 17-5-2014 at 14:40

I know what you're talking about, but I figured they were too big. I suppose the material is really thick making the inside much smaller than the outside.

subsecret - 18-5-2014 at 10:07

You might want to use that yellow latex hose, though it is slightly expensive (about 1 USD per foot). If you moisten the end, it slides really well onto a hose barb. If this is insufficient, you could wrap some thin wire around it to keep it secure. I also found some very nice rubber tubing on the Home Science Tools website. It's by far the best water tubing I've used. Link is provided.

http://www.hometrainingtools.com/rubber-tubing-5-16-x-10/p/C...

Mailinmypocket - 18-5-2014 at 10:21

The plumbing section at Home Depot sells pre cut 10ft lengths of the yellow latex tubing. Perfect for attaching to glass connections but as awesomeness says, sort of pricey... Then again I have been using the same two 5ft pieces for two years now so, it's worth it

aga - 18-5-2014 at 12:42

Ty-wraps maybe ?

If they're Metal, i think they're called Jubilee Clips in the UK, if this image is what you mean :-

http://www.absolute-koi.com/images/categories/C1000.jpg

Re-reading your question, i don't think either is what you mean, but may help.

[Edited on 18-5-2014 by aga]

JefferyH - 18-5-2014 at 12:55

I'll look at home depot for the tubes. I have been using the somewhat hard-clear rubbery plastic tubing, but its not very flexible at all.

I think I have seen a video somewhere of the plastic-screw attachments... maybe I can find it.


Will these home depot rubbery tubes be sustainable enough for vac-distllation? Getting my vacuum tubes to stay attached, or getting them on in the first place, have proved challenging due to the unflexibility of the tubes I've been using.

[Edited on 18-5-2014 by JefferyH]

Mailinmypocket - 18-5-2014 at 13:03

No they collapse under vacuum. The clear plastic tubing is better for vacuum lines but they get very rigid when you run cold water through them which is why the pop off condensers and whatnot.

pichoro - 18-5-2014 at 13:18

I too thought you meant these: http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/fittings-pid-705.ht... I actually do use these on my condenser, although I'm careful not to tighten so far that they would crush the glassware.

I also know they make clamps for this. The ones I've seen are an off-white plastic that close with teeth that remind me of a zip tie, except they can be undone to loosen them back up.

ScienceHideout - 18-5-2014 at 16:02

I know exactly what you are talking about, but I think that you have to have a condenser that was made for those and comes with them. Is this what you are talking about?

http://chemglass.com/product_view.asp?pnr=CG-1210-HC

"Removable hose connections"? They are threaded if I am not mistaken.

Burner - 18-5-2014 at 16:11

I have been using this type of hose clamp (http://www.coleparmer.com/Product/Acetal_Copolymer_Hose_Clam...) for years with rubber tubing for all of my cooling needs. Works like a charm and they are totally reusable. I bought a large assortment on Ebay for 10USD for my home lab.

pichoro - 18-5-2014 at 16:41

Quote: Originally posted by Burner  
I have been using this type of hose clamp (http://www.coleparmer.com/Product/Acetal_Copolymer_Hose_Clam...) for years with rubber tubing for all of my cooling needs. Works like a charm and they are totally reusable. I bought a large assortment on Ebay for 10USD for my home lab.


Those are the off-white clamps I was talking about!

JefferyH - 18-5-2014 at 17:37

Quote: Originally posted by ScienceHideout  
I know exactly what you are talking about, but I think that you have to have a condenser that was made for those and comes with them. Is this what you are talking about?

http://chemglass.com/product_view.asp?pnr=CG-1210-HC

"Removable hose connections"? They are threaded if I am not mistaken.


That's it!

So the condenser has to be threaded?

Dr.Bob - 18-5-2014 at 21:34

There are about 10 or 20 different plastic connectors that I have seen for connecting hoses and glassware. The threaded fittings are used by a few companies, but are expensive to replace the fittings. Since they have to be made that way from the start, they are rare.

Most glass ware has a hose barb, which works well with rubber/latex tubing, best with a wire or zip tie to secure them. Tygon can be often used, but needs to be softened with a heat gun or the tube soaked in acetone for 10-30 seconds to allow it to flex over the barb. And there are many other quick fit type connectors that can be used, depending on the tubing type, these go from simple plastic connectors to swadgelock type connectors. The Cole Parmer catalog has a ton of them available. (www.coleparmer.com/).

ScienceHideout - 19-5-2014 at 12:38

I think that if I were you I would try Expediglass. They have a HUGE variety of condensers of pretty good quality...