ClimateLine hose got hole - medical grade silicone sealant?

[DreamDiver]

Finally, after years of service, my ClimateLine hose has gotten a hole right where holes happen most often--the edge between the connector and the hose. The plastic has stressed past its breaking point due to many nights of use.


The hose still heats, so I wonder if anyone has tried using a medical grade silicone sealant in a tube to close such a hole in an attempt to get longer use out of the hose. I'd rather not plonk down another $51+ if I can help it any time soon. I'd also rather not use duct tape.

I don't see it available as medical grade, but aquarium silicone sealant has to be harmless enough to allow fish to thrive, and fish are pretty finicky about their environment. I wonder if I could just use some of that.

Any thoughts?

[SleepWellCPAP]

After 5 years I would highly recommend replacing that item. You might check secondwindcpap.com or post here to periodically to see if anyone has one that's no longer in use.

Outside of that, originally CPAP masks were "glued" to patient's noses with silicone. I'd imagine your idea of using it to seal the hole should work fine.

Good luck!

Jim

[Drowsy Dancer]

Would plumber's teflon tape be durable enough?

[chunkyfrog]

I have been thinking of making a Sugru sleeve on mine to help prevent that.
Sadly, Sugru does not appear to be sticky enough for a repair.
Aquarium sealant needs to cure for several days before the fish can go into the tank.

[newsnore]

I would use what we (here in NZ) call insulation tape (e.g. - http://www.amazon.com/3M-Scotch-Electri ... ation+tape) - bought here at any gas station . It is used for electrical wiring repairs. If it is wound onto the hose - pulling tightly to the point of stretching the tape while winding it several times around the problem area should not only seal the hole but also strengthen that weak point of the hose. It also looks nice and neat and can be bought in various colors. You could be use it in conjunction with silicone if you are concerned about the hygiene side of things. Looks like Amazon have food grade silicone and not too expensive - http://www.amazon.com/Clear-Food-Grade- ... B0063U2RWU
This heat shrink tubing (e.g http://www.amazon.com/Ancor-301148-Elec ... ink+tubing) could be a possible option although it would not be quite so flexible.

[purple]

IF it has one hole, it is trying to create several more. Like a shoelace that breaks.

[jdm2857]

Would plumber's teflon tape be durable enough?

Plumber's teflon tape does not have adhesive. It is stretched tight while it is wrapped
around the threads of the male side of the connection (counterclockwise), and the
stretch holds it in place until it is threaded into the female part.

There's a type of silicone tape that fuses to itself when overlapped. One name for it
is Rescue tape. It basically will form a solid band around the hose one it fuses. I
believe that some users wrap the ends of their hoses with this type of tape when
they are new as a preemptive measure.

[DreamDiver]

After 5 years I would highly recommend replacing that item. You might check secondwindcpap.com or post here to periodically to see if anyone has one that's no longer in use.

Hi Jim, thanks for your suggestions. Secondwind is selling new climatelines for the usual price. My climateline is only 3 years old, if that, I think.

Would plumber's teflon tape be durable enough?

Hi Drowsy Dancer, Plumber's tape is pretty good for threaded pipe, but not so great for this instance, as jdm2857 suggests.

I have been thinking of making a Sugru sleeve on mine to help prevent that.
Sadly, Sugru does not appear to be sticky enough for a repair.
Aquarium sealant needs to cure for several days before the fish can go into the tank.

chunkyfrog, this stuff is amazing! But like you, I suspect the aquarium sealant may be more promising.

I would use what we (here in NZ) call insulation tape ... Looks like Amazon have food grade silicone and not too expensive...
This heat shrink tubing could be a possible option although it would not be quite so flexible.

newsnore, thanks for these suggestions. We call it electrical tape in the US. Having used electrical tape before on various other projects, my concern is for its durability. After a few weeks of bending, the tape often starts peeling off, exposing areas of sticky that attract dust and fuzzers. It might be good short-term solution in a pinch. The food grade silicone sounds like the best and cheapest option so far. As for heat shrink, you're right, it won't work not only because it's too inflexible, but also because I would end up heating and likely melting additional holes in my climateline in the process of attempting to shrink it.

IF it has one hole, it is trying to create several more. Like a shoelace that breaks.

I only found one, but it's obvious there is additional wear damage that will at some point cause additional holes if I don't fix it before it gets that far.

There's a type of silicone tape that fuses to itself when overlapped. One name for it
is Rescue tape. It basically will form a solid band around the hose one it fuses. I
believe that some users wrap the ends of their hoses with this type of tape when
they are new as a preemptive measure.

This sounds like a great idea, too, thank you, but I wonder about its longevity as a tape if it can be removed and reapplied.

Thanks everybody for ideas and suggestions. I'm going to try newsnore's food-grade silicone suggestion and report back. Wish me luck.

[Sheriff Buford]

I'm surprised no one has mentions duct tape. When I get lazy or forget to put it on a new hose, the hose will rip at the connection next to the rubber cap. When I do use it, it lasts until I'm ready for a new hose. In fact, I have never had a rip when I used duct tape.

Sheriff

[LSAT]

I'm surprised no one has mentions duct tape. When I get lazy or forget to put it on a new hose, the hose will rip at the connection next to the rubber cap. When I do use it, it lasts until I'm ready for a new hose. In fact, I have never had a rip when I used duct tape.

Sheriff

I agree,...but...the OP indicated that...he didn't want to use duct tape.

[squid13]

I wrap the ends with athletic tape the kind when they take blood from you and wrap your arm, sticks to it's self. Buy it at WalMart.

[Adam Joel]

I wrapped my hose tightly with saran wrap (plastuc wrap / cling wrap) the stuff used to seal leftover food for example. Then over top of that i used electrical tape (insulated tape) over top of that. The seal is air tight now until i buy a replacement hose. Darn cat chewed up my hose. I cant get mad or fault him in his mind he was saving dad from a snake lol. That or hes an arsehole. Anyways what i am doing now is also using 1 1/4" flexable plastic hose to make a protective shroud that the new hose can sit inside and also i will elevate hose so its more out of reach. Lesson learned!

[chunkyfrog]

Does anybody else marvel at how stingy some folks can be?
Come on, kids; this is your HEALTH! Prorities should display maturity.
What stupid things have you blown too much green on--just last MONTH?
Buy the new hose, and skip the steak house, or smuggle your treats into the theater.
instead of blowing a tank of gas at the concession stand.

[squid13]

The reason that I wrapped the hose back in 2013 was that they were having a problem with the hose separating at that point. You wrapped it to support it there so it wouldn't separate from the end connector. I had one separate on me and the fix I got here on the forum. I'm talking about the heated hose for the S9.

[SewTired]

As someone who has used many tubes of aquarium sealant, you can try it, but it's going to bust. Aquarium sealant is flexible, but would not tolerate the stress that you would put it under. We were sometimes able to strengthen the seal on connectors by using various tapes, but it was really only effective when attaching RIGID structures to RIGID structures. Your structure is flexible. So you really need the sealant plus a support, which is where the tape comes in... You could try also adding a short length of pipe insulator around the repair and the end - might provide the support you need. I'm referring to that semi-rigid plastic stuff that you add to pipes that sweat with a slice on one side to fit around the pipe. That would put the stress further down the hose and away from your repair.

As to the safety of the sealant, once it is cured, it is safe. I believe it has to be above 145F to leech any chemical (as a soft plastic, it has a lower threshhold than a hard plastic). Hope this helps.

Ultimately, though, I think you are better off just shelling out for the replacement. Hoses are designed to last only 2-2.5 years and you've had double that life already.