Change all tubing yearly?

[nanodoc]

My RSM 250 is 1 year old now ( woohoo!) , the right pump is connected to a chiller using clear vinyl tubing. Actually everything is the same, also to the pumps, with 2 hose clamps on each end. I was told to change the tubing once a year to prevent disasters, at the same time disassemble and rinse off all the pumpsfrom calcium deposits etc.
My tank is working great, everything is functioning well, I can see thru the clear tubing and there is no buildup as far as I can see. Is it really necessary to change the tubing?
Would like to know what your opinion is about this, change the tubing yes or no, and how often?
Thanks!

 

[theplantman]

I have a 34 Solana not RSM but I have the same clear tubing on mine and it has been running strong and that tubing is 4 years old. The only reason I could see changing tubing is if it is exposed in any way to UV light, lets say from a metal halide fixture. This can break down plastic pipes. I would inspect all the connections and make sure there are no frays, but don't see a reason to change it out after a year. Hopefully some RSM owner will chime in for you.

 

[DianaKay]

Congrats on your ONE YEAR Tankaversary!! I've read posts that say you really need to empty out & flush your chiller yearly but I'd think a simple sight & feel evaluation of the tubing would be good. So, +1 for me not changing it out in only a years time.

 

[Choff]

Gratz on a year!

2 concerns with the tubing; algae/build up and along the lines of the uv exposure the tubing will start to breakdown/relax. The area I would be most concerned about are the connections. If you have some slack, you may want to cut the ends off and reconnect the hose barbs + hose clamps for fresh tight seal. Otherwise if they look clean I see no need to replace.

As for the chiller, you should back flush it for 30 min once a year. I actually just did this for the first time and was amazed at what came out.

All I did was take a 5 gal bucket of RO water and dropped in an 600gph pump. Hooked that up in the opposite direction of the normal flow and let it run. I was shocked at how much crap instantly came flying out. I quickly stuck a filter sock on the outflow so it didn't keep recirculating through the chiller.

I thought it was going to be a much more involved process running vinegar solution etc, but the jbj Site said to just do this. It was shockingly easy and I plan doing it probably every 6 months based on what I just saw.

Hope that helps.

Sent using Tapatalk 2

 

[nanodoc]

thanks for all the great feedback!
That's shocking about the chiller. I have a JBJ too. Excellent pearl, might be worth a stickie!