LeftyReefer
2500 Club Member
I finally decided to get a doser to save the trouble of manually dosing my 2-part each day. I'd also like to be able to automate the dosing of some other products like acropower, etc.. so finally getting around to automating my dosing. So a while back, I got a Jebao doser, and built some DIY dosing containers, but wasn't exactly sure what I would need for dosing lines. On my DIY containers, I used john guest push in (RO type) bulkhead fittings on the container caps. The doser came with barbed connectors on the ends of the doser head tubes. I tried to get RO tubing over those doser nozzles and it wouldn't stay on securely. Watched a few youtube videos of people setting up dosers and a bunch of them used RO tubing for their bulkheads and then would do some type of transition to silicone tubing that would then connect to their doser.. So not knowing exactly what I would need, I ordered a set of the Reefdose dosing tubes. and figured I already had enough RO tubing. The reefdose tubes should be here in another day or two.
While waiting for those to show up, this past weekend, I had to stop at Home Depot for some other things and while I was there I decided to see what they had in stock for RO filters, fittings, etc... in the plumbing aisle. One thing that caught my eye was a roll of 1/4" OD clear vinyl tubing. $3 and change for a 25' roll. nice and flexible and 1/4" OD. I thought it might work for dosing line, and might work in john guest fittings.
They had 10 foot rolls for $2 and change and 20 foot rolls for $3 and change. I grabbed one of the 20 footers and headed to the checkout.
1/4" OD x .170" ID clear vinyl tubing x 20 feet
Can be used for flexible lines for low pressure air, water, liquids, beverages, chemicals and gases as well as drain lines for air conditioners and dehumidifiers. Excellent resistance to mild acids and chemicals. See through design allows for visual flow. Not for use with Ice Makers or petroleum based products.
I got it home and sure enough, it fits into and more importantly, it seals perfectly into any john guest (push in) RO type fitting, and it also seals perfectly over the barb connections on the doser tubes ends. No extra fittings or shrink wrap to convert from RO to silicone tubing. This stuff seems to work perfect for both, so it's perfect for dosing line and pretty darn cheap. It's crystal clear and much more flexible than RO tubing. Most silicone airline won't seal in a push in RO fitting, as it's usually too small. This stuff being 1/4" OD, does so perfectly. So it fits perfectly into the RO bulkhead fittings on my DIY dosing containers. No extra stem to barb fittings or shrink wrap needed to convert from RO to silicone tubing now.
Hooked up the home depot tubing, bled the air out of the lines and then ran a calibration routine on my doser app.
Once calibrated, I programmed a test schedule to run over the next two days. I just had it dosing water from the containers into a graduated cylinder so I could confirm it was dosing the correct amount over a number of doses. I've had it up since and so far it seems to be working just fine. No leaks, no air getting in, no draining back into my containers, etc.. dosing the right amount each time.
Now I'm wishing I hadn't ordered the Reefdose brand tubing, at much higher cost.
The only thing this stuff from Home Depot lacks is availability in different colors, which is fine with me. I hadn't planned on color coding my dosing lines anyway. I think I prefer the clear tubing anyway since I can see into it and makes it easier to see where an issue might be.
hopefully I can return the reefdose tubes without too much hassle.
While waiting for those to show up, this past weekend, I had to stop at Home Depot for some other things and while I was there I decided to see what they had in stock for RO filters, fittings, etc... in the plumbing aisle. One thing that caught my eye was a roll of 1/4" OD clear vinyl tubing. $3 and change for a 25' roll. nice and flexible and 1/4" OD. I thought it might work for dosing line, and might work in john guest fittings.
They had 10 foot rolls for $2 and change and 20 foot rolls for $3 and change. I grabbed one of the 20 footers and headed to the checkout.
1/4" OD x .170" ID clear vinyl tubing x 20 feet
Can be used for flexible lines for low pressure air, water, liquids, beverages, chemicals and gases as well as drain lines for air conditioners and dehumidifiers. Excellent resistance to mild acids and chemicals. See through design allows for visual flow. Not for use with Ice Makers or petroleum based products.
- Non-toxic FDA grade compound
- Suitable for use with liquids, chemicals and gases
- Use as flexible drain line
- For use with hose barbs and clamps
- Made in North America
- Temperature range +25°F to +150°F
I got it home and sure enough, it fits into and more importantly, it seals perfectly into any john guest (push in) RO type fitting, and it also seals perfectly over the barb connections on the doser tubes ends. No extra fittings or shrink wrap to convert from RO to silicone tubing. This stuff seems to work perfect for both, so it's perfect for dosing line and pretty darn cheap. It's crystal clear and much more flexible than RO tubing. Most silicone airline won't seal in a push in RO fitting, as it's usually too small. This stuff being 1/4" OD, does so perfectly. So it fits perfectly into the RO bulkhead fittings on my DIY dosing containers. No extra stem to barb fittings or shrink wrap needed to convert from RO to silicone tubing now.
Hooked up the home depot tubing, bled the air out of the lines and then ran a calibration routine on my doser app.
Once calibrated, I programmed a test schedule to run over the next two days. I just had it dosing water from the containers into a graduated cylinder so I could confirm it was dosing the correct amount over a number of doses. I've had it up since and so far it seems to be working just fine. No leaks, no air getting in, no draining back into my containers, etc.. dosing the right amount each time.
Now I'm wishing I hadn't ordered the Reefdose brand tubing, at much higher cost.
The only thing this stuff from Home Depot lacks is availability in different colors, which is fine with me. I hadn't planned on color coding my dosing lines anyway. I think I prefer the clear tubing anyway since I can see into it and makes it easier to see where an issue might be.
hopefully I can return the reefdose tubes without too much hassle.
