Flexible connections?

[maple1]

I'm not up on my piping & fitting stuff - is there a reliable way to connect boilers & storage tanks etc. with a flexible connection? I'd like to isolate all my components as much as possible from each other just in case things shift or creep & crawl a tiny bit over time. I hooked my water pump up to my house line just with a piece of clear flex & pipe clamps, to isolate vibes over time. Cars use flexible rad hoses & clamps under pretty high temp high pressure conditions - don't think I want to try to jimmy up rad hoses & clamps, but is there something 'factory made' along this line?

 

[Frozen Canuck]

Only trust worthy solution I know of is o2 barrier pex with fittings to connect to your system pipe. Maybe not as flexible as what you had in mind though.

 

[nate379]

http://www.brasscraft.com/Products.aspx?Id=227

 

[Frozen Canuck]

Yep see those or a similiar product used in plumbing. Not sure if thge 3/4" diam is going to let you transfer the btu's you will be producing with your boiler. No CSA rating so if your code compliant on your install you may want try a similiar product that is rated for use here.

 

[maple1]

Not sure why but Pex never occurred to me. I'll keep that in mind.

I think I'd like to keep my boiler/tank connections around 1 1/4 NPT size, if I can. Still lots ahead in the planning stages though.

 

[Frozen Canuck]

Don't really think you will need it, can't recall any other members saying they had vibration issues. However if it is just peace of mind your after I can't see the harm either. Yep you don't want to choke down the pipe diam if you can help it.

 

[goosegunner]

They make vibration isolation fittings that have a woven copper outer layer. I have one that connects my water system to my well. I am not sure if they have a temp rating.

gg

 

[Pat53]

These might work... but I'm sure they are pricey

http://www.metraflex.com/elastoflex.php

 

[SmokeEater]

I looked at a similar product to keep my 100 gal Smart (buffer) from being hard connected with black iron to the boilers. Ended up buying two 1 1/4" braided stainless flex pipes to keep the three heavys from pushing and pulling each other around. There not connected yet, but it looks like that will work ok, but again, they're (the piping) a bit pricey.

http://www.acehose.com

 

[maple1]

Bumping.

Can anyone think why a piece of hydraulic hose would be a bad idea? I should be able to get some made up to whatever size & with whatever fittings on it I need - not sure on price though for say 1 1/4".

 

[Pat53]

Bumping.

Can anyone think why a piece of hydraulic hose would be a bad idea? I should be able to get some made up to whatever size & with whatever fittings on it I need - not sure on price though for say 1 1/4".

As long as they can handle the heat I don't see why they wouldn't work?

Pat

 

[Bob Rohr]

As long as they can handle the heat I don't see why they wouldn't work?

Pat

If you use a rubber hose product, be sure it has an oxygen barrier of some sort. EVOH, aluminum, etc. Or you will get O2 ingress causing sludge and corrosion. I used the MetraFlex on mine just to try them out. They will build them to any size and fitting.

hr

 

[willworkforwood]

It's sad to see great names like Master of Sparks and in hot water go into the dumpster. Seeing you post under your real name hr reminds me of when I found out that Santa Claus was really just my Old Man. But not to worry, I'll still always be interested in what you have to say, regardless of who you are

 

[steam man]

I use flexible stainless braided connections for even steam at 150-200psi and heavy fo oil at 350psi and 250 degF. They usually have npt threads or JIC ends. I am not sure in sizes over 3/4" but I use plenty of flexible hoses much larger on industrial diesel generators and they take the heat.

 

[SmokeEater]

I'm not up on my piping & fitting stuff - is there a reliable way to connect boilers & storage tanks etc. with a flexible connection? I'd like to isolate all my components as much as possible from each other just in case things shift or creep & crawl a tiny bit over time. I hooked my water pump up to my house line just with a piece of clear flex & pipe clamps, to isolate vibes over time. Cars use flexible rad hoses & clamps under pretty high temp high pressure conditions - don't think I want to try to jimmy up rad hoses & clamps, but is there something 'factory made' along this line?

Have those Ace Hose stalnless flex hoses connected and working on my Triangle Tube Smart 100 and earlier I said that they were 1/1/4", but they're actually 1/1/2". I didn't need to get them as long as I did to get the "flex" from them and they wouldn't have been so pricey. I see the Ace Hose 1/1/4" x 12" stainless and braided flex hose is $65 per. Here's the link

http://acehose.com/mcart/index.cgi?code=3&cat=2

 

[maple1]

Anything wrong with using these to hook up a storage tank etc.?

http://www.pexsupply.com/Holdrite-QFC-11418-1-1-4-Flexible-Water-Heater-Connector-18-Length

Water heater connectors, should do the trick? Might have to see if my local P&H place can get these.