PVC pipe for radiator coolant

tweety Wolfsburg Wizard

460 posts · joined Feb 2011 · 18 Jul 2011, 4:04 am

#852281

About to plan my conversion to EA81 on my trike as mentioned elsewhere in the forum.

Can anyone tell me if PVC say 32mm or 40mm pipe can be used for radiator coolant from and to the radiator from the engine? Does anyone know the specifications of the product eg pressure, chemical resistance and temperature tolerance?

Just asking...thought if it was feasible it would be so much easier/cheaper hooking up a custom radiator in lieu of s/steel pipe.

Alternatively are there any rubber manufacturers that make long lengths of flexible radiator hose suitable for this now common need?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXwh4z8d66o
SUBARU ea81, VW auto, Detour camper
My ex girlfriend said "its me or a trike". Her big mistake.

DubCrazy Custom Title Time!

1,295 posts · joined Jul 2003 · 18 Jul 2011, 7:24 am

#852284

in one word NO.. if your thinking of useing normal pvc piping they use for plumbing ad such it will struggle to hold the pressures and if it manages to cope with that it will turn brittle very quickly and split/explode. I belive you can get high presure pvc piping easly enough but its not cheap..

for what it will cost you to buy pvc you would be able to make it out of steel. Just goto your local exhaust fabricator and they will have all u would need for a cheap price plus they can put bends etc where needed.

when i rebuilt my ea82t in my baja i replaced all piping this way for very little cost.

steff..

Life with out a v-dub is no life at all!!!!!

Bone Officially Full-On Dubber

299 posts · joined Aug 2009 · 18 Jul 2011, 7:44 am

#852286

On my ea81 baja I used the 32mm rural pipe from local produce store which was just to test the engine. I didnt think the pressure was an issue as the radiator cap was 13psi. Anyway to cut a long story short it didnt look like failing at any piont but I used 90 deg radiator pipes for the bends with good radiator clamps. (used for 2 yrs and looked like new when removed). I think it was the green stripe rural pipe (not garden).

helbus Administrator Mad fabricator, paint and body

7,386 posts · joined Sep 2002 · 18 Jul 2011, 10:39 pm

#852439

I used Water Suction Hose in our bus. It is rubber with a spiral wire core. Not as cheap as PVC, but I used 5 metres of the stuff and it cost less than $100, so it wasn't ridiculous expensive compared to other aspects of the conversion.

EJ22 into Bay Microbus - Finished project build thread- click on this spot here for info

mactaylor Custom Title Time!

1,005 posts · joined Aug 2007 · 19 Jul 2011, 8:20 am

#852475

most new houses use plastic hot water pipes that take town pressure thats about 20psi and 75geg and there is a plastic product for high temp and high pressure but its not cheap cant remember what its called but reece industrial stock it. personaly id use alluminium pipe not vry exy, get you exhaust dude to bend it to shape, you can buy good looking clamps and fixtures from enzed.

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