DIY: Drain hoses for wet dry filters

[algarciajr]

I was in the process of setting up a wet dry filter on my 150 gallon aquarium when I found out that the standard 3' drain hoses I had were to short for my tank. I remember seeing long hoses at the Lowes (Hwy 290 and Cypress Rosehill) by my house, not every Lowes carries the hoses in these packages by the way. This store also had a 40' long packaged hose. The one I shop at has them outside in there lawn and garden section on the isle with all the pool supplies. I bought a 25' hose and a couple of connectors (at Warehouse Pool Supply listed below) for the ends of the hose. The hose itself already comes with connectors on each end so the cuffs are optional. I will probably just slip the cut end of the spiral hoses onto my overflow box bulkheads and use a couple of 1 5/8" hoses clamps. The 1 1/4" hoses cuffs are threaded on the inside so that you can connect the spiral hoses. Also if you want more peace of mind you can probably put a bead of 100 percent silicone around the inside of the cuff where it meets the spiral hose. John (fshfrk) also mentioned to me that drain hoses disentegrate after about 8 years, something to look out for.


Sorry for not having step by step pictures of the whole process but I think it is pretty self explanaorty and plus I have not set it up yet.

25' Hose $19.99
1 1/4" cuffs ~ $4

Lowes
14128 Cypress-rosehill Road
Cypress, TX 77429
Phone: (281) 213-1500

Warehouse Pool Supply
25823 Northwest Freeway
Cypress, TX 77429
Between Target and Best Buy
Ph: 281-304-0899

Below is a link to the cuffs, I bought mine locally at warehouse supply right down the street from the Lowes.

http://www.funwater.com/products/Poolmaster-Replacement-Hose-Cuff-1%252d1%7B47%7D4.html

[fshfrk]

Thanks Al. I've had 2 w/d hoses go bad in the past month. This is a cheap way to have back up hoses.

[cichlid1409]

nice. I didnt know you could buy tjose connectors. those hoses are pretty cheap and work well. I have a 1 1/4" one I used to drain my 125g.

[jsnoravo]

nice writeup and very useful info. i've always wondered about how to diy these wet dry hoses for a custom fit. i've searched a lot of forums and this is the first time i've gotten useful info on this subject. thanks for sharing.