"Rob" wrote in message
om...
OK, let's try to be scientific here, since we're talking about a bunch
of money. If my pump specs recommend 1.25" diameter tubing for the
distance I'm pumping, won't the friction on the tubing ID be great, if
it's got the spiral texture? So, to my mind, smooth tubing would be
much better, assuming I won't need to take any tight bends, so no
kinking.

With smooth tubing, clear PVC from Home Despot at 1.25" is expensive!
I don't need vac tubing at all. I could hard pipe with rigid PVC but
soft would be easier. Has anyone used the black tubing used for drip
irrigation? Seems that should hold the pressure. Maybe I should just
call my pump company hotline (Oase). What does pool tubing go for?

Thanks again. There's a big hole in my ground yawning to be filled
with water!

--Rob

What length of tubing do you need? If the tubing is $1.50/foot, and you need 20
feet, that is only about $30 (and that is on the high end, IMHO). If I remember
correctly, I paid about $0.60/foot for the tubing I used, and I bought 10 feet
of it. So I spent $6.00 for the tubing for my pond. I don't see that as a big
expense. What you saw was more likely clear Tygon tubing, which is expensive
because it is pharaceutical grade. I found clear vinyl tubing for about
$0.64/foot at the link below:

http://www.savko.com/partlist.asp?pgid=4&ptid=19&pid=35

So 20 feet of this tubing (1.25" ID) would cost you less than $13.00

Now, if you want to go with high pressure braided vinyl tubing, it does get
expensive. The plumbing store advertises it at $4.81/foot. But of course, that
is food grade tubing. I don't think you need to use that kind of tubing, do
you? I would shop around