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How to clean the tubes for glassware? &take glasswareoff?

G

gregalon

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Joined
22 Feb 2011
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43
Hello,

there is probably going to be a very obvious answer to my questions but I am new to this aquascaping and I was wondering how to clean the tubes from the external filter to the tank because it's sitting on the kitchen surface and my mum keeps complaining about it being unsightly :crazy: ?

I have tried putting it in the dishwasher (twice and there is still some muck and I can't use those pipe cleaners to clean the glassware because its a meter long?

ALso its easy to put glassware on (heat the tubing in a glass of hot water and boom, but how do you take it off without breaking the glass?

sorry for the questions but the brown dirt is doing my head in!
 
Re: How to clean the tubes for glassware? &take glasswareoff

gregalon said:
... but how do you take it off without breaking the glass?
Click to expand...
Very carefully!

I've broken half a dozen inlets and outlets over the years, including a friend's ADA lily pipe! :oops:

The best way I can recommend is to pinch around the hose near the glass where it's attached.

The gently twist the hose and glassware in opposing directions. Keep pinching and twisting and eventually they should come apart.

I've considered heating up the hose with a hairdryer before now, but would think the glass also expands. Worth a try.

I accept no responsibility for any breakages or accidents you may incur following my advice! :)
 
Re: How to clean the tubes for glassware? &take glasswareoff

How I did it for a good while was cut the hose off an inch below where the glassware stopped. Place it in warm water(not hot) and leave it for a few minutes then hold the glassware and thumb the remaining tube off....I had a ton of tube so loosing an inch every month didn't bother me all to much,

You could also fit a piece along the tubing that would allow you to disconnect the two, so filter then tubing into a breakpoint then on the other side of the joint, tubing then glassware. If you had a long enough spring washer you could clean the glassware and the tubing then re connect.
 
Re: How to clean the tubes for glassware? &take glasswareoff

Adding to Georges post, it works best if you do it under a running warm tap, this is two fold, one it lubricates the joint allowing it to slide off and it also softens the tubing.
 
Re: How to clean the tubes for glassware? &take glasswareoff

Removing the tubes from the glasses as very easy i would say. Of course it need to be done carefully and depend a lot on your glasses too. Some glass has very thin thickness this is not that resistant to any actions. But the branded stuff is strength i would say.

Do not twist and do not add too much pressure to the glasses otherwise it will break.
Take the glass - close to the connection in one hand, and the tube in another. Push in the glass pipe to the tube gently. This will add some air bubbles between the glass pipe and the tube. And will be easy to remove. Do not push too much, small movements just do the trick.

Cleaning them for me the ADA Spring Washer worked the best. I've seen some cheaper alternatives for this on the net, but it's flexibility do the work for all kind of pipes.
 
Re: How to clean the tubes for glassware? &take glasswareoff

Hi,
I'm with Viktor on the push-pull method. This un-seizes the pipe making it easier to pull off. I'm fundamentally opposed to paying £30 for a brush though, so I usually just soak the pipes in bleach. You can also fill the tubes with bleach and then stopper the tube ends to leave it soaking for 10 minutes or so.

Cheers,
 
Re: How to clean the tubes for glassware? &take glasswareoff

Hi mate,
You can if you want to. The more dilute the bleach the longer it takes. This goes for any hardscape or equipment cleaning. If you're allergic to bleach then you can dilute or wear gloves. Obviously a good rinse is important. You can use thin bleach, which is just Sodium Hypochlorite, or you can use thick bleach which a mix of the Hypochlorite plus Sodium Hydroxide (drain cleaner). Glass is impervious to these ingredients and so are the plastic hoses. Decorative paints or decals on the pipework may suffer though, but I mean, it's bleach, so this shouldn't be surprising. Don't splash it on your clothes! Your wife will get annoyed...

Suppliers sell this stuff in attractive perfume bottles and give it alluring names like "Aka-Ninja Karate Aquarium Cleaning Solution" and have the unmitigated gall to sell it for 100X the supermarket price. Absolutely disgraceful.

Cheers,
 
Re: How to clean the tubes for glassware? &take glasswareoff

ceg4048 said:
Suppliers sell this stuff in attractive perfume bottles and give it alluring names like "Aka-Ninja Karate Aquarium Cleaning Solution"
Click to expand...

Haha this is spot on Clive, my ADA Superge is pretty much bleach in a aftershave bottle :D
 
Re: How to clean the tubes for glassware? &take glasswareoff

Thanks for all the tips!
 
Re: How to clean the tubes for glassware? &take glasswareoff

I am using the Cheap Drain Unblockers from the pound shop. Look the same as the expensive pipe cleaners but fraction of the cost. you can get them in most width sizes down to pico
 
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