Yet another DE hose-cord-management / sleeving project.

[wow]

I order a lot of stuff from DigiKey, so last order I added some Flexo-PET and some heat-shrink tubing. Last night I needed a break from counting bandages and building kits for 12 hours (!) so I spent a little time in the shop.

Here's what i started with:

[attachthumb=#]

And here it is by the hose connector. It sure doesn't look like it's gonna fit...

[attachthumb=#]

But when you push it back on itself...

[attachthumb=#]

Yes, I think that will work. So, with the cord tucked out of the way to make it easier to push the sleeve on, I started feeding it on. It didn't take me long to realize that this wasn't going to work.

First, I removed the connector from the end of the hose so I didn't have to deal with the 'crown' all the way around.

Then I realized the cord wasn't going to stay straight and would wiggle around all over inside the sleeve. I figured it wouldn't look very nice, so I had to re-think it. I grabbed some more of the heat shrink and positioned it about every 2-1/2 feet along the length, I carefully lined up the cord on the top of the hose, then applied a little heat to hold it in place. I could also have used electrical tape, but I had a package of 50 of these strips so...

[attachthumb=#]

It was a little futsy pushing the sleeving on, but I finally got it done.  I put some heatshrink on each end and shrunk it down, DONE!

[attachthumb=#]

[attachthumb=#]

[attachthumb=#]

I went with 1.5" Flexo-PET and heat shrink . It was a little tight on my 36mm hose, but worked fine. It would be PERFECT on a 27mm hose.

And remember that I said I bought a bag of 50 of these heat shrink pieces? That's because it was the only way DigiKey offered it.

I don't need that many - obviously - so if someone is doing this to their hose and wants me to drop a couple in the mail to them, I'd be happy to 'pay it forward'. But be aware that the First Aid Systainers come first, so if you need them in a hurry it's not gonna happen!

 

[RC]

How long circumference heat-shrink tubes did you use?

Most of them seem to have a 2:1 shrinkage ratio so if one would be shopping for a multi-use tube for both 27mm and 36 mm hose I guess it needs to be around 45 mm circumference before shrinking to give a maximum shrunk size of 22mm and cover the 36mm at the same time, right?

 

[Sparktrician]

Another source for both the sleeve and heat-shrink tubing is Cableorganizer.com. 

 

[wow]

Another source for both the sleeve and heat-shrink tubing is Cableorganizer.com. 

Yes, but I don't get an employee discount there!

[wink]

OH, you mean your post WASN'T intended for me? Ok - thanks for posting. Choices are good!

 

[Nippychippy]

Thanks for the photos WOW I have just done mine and I never taped or heat shrunk the cable in place how do you find it when you try and tidy it away at nite hope this make sense

 

[wow]

How long circumference heat-shrink tubes did you use?

Most of them seem to have a 2:1 shrinkage ratio so if one would be shopping for a multi-use tube for both 27mm and 36 mm hose I guess it needs to be around 45 mm circumference before shrinking to give a maximum shrunk size of 22mm and cover the 36mm at the same time, right?

I went with 1.5" diameter, which just BARELY fit. But I did that by choice, as the more you shrink the tubing the stiffer it gets. Mine holds well (so far) and is still quite flexible.

 

[wow]

Thanks for the photos WOW I have just done mine and I never taped or heat shrunk the cable in place how do you find it when you try and tidy it away at nite hope this make sense

I figured that if I didn't anchor the ends they'd climb up like a pair of cheap underwear.

[scared]

So far I don't notice much difference on flexibility, and I've got the lighter hose that comes with the 36AC. That's when I am wrapping it horizontally, like when you coil it up. And that's because the cord and hose both move together.

Moving it vertically is more restrictive, though, since the cord doesn't stretch or contract but the hose does. I don't see it as an issue so far, but time will tell.

The Flexo-PET appears to make ZERO difference in weight or flexibility. It just isn't heavy enough or restrictive enough to matter.

 

[promark747]

As an alternative to the heat-shrink tubing, I've found that using cut up pieces of a bicycle inner tube works perfectly and is very cheap.

 

[mprzybylski]

I used electrical tape on both ends of mine and it's worked very well thus far.

 

[wow]

As an alternative to the heat-shrink tubing, I've found that using cut up pieces of a bicycle inner tube works perfectly and is very cheap.

Never thought of that. Good idea!

I used electrical tape on both ends of mine and it's worked very well thus far.

Does the stickiness of the tape not collect dust over time? That's what I figured would happen.

 

[mprzybylski]

I have not had any issues with that at all wow. It's just like the tubing as far as I can tell.

 

[runner4fun]

Are those first aid systainers I see in WOW's photos available for sale?

 

[copcarcollector]

Are those first aid systainers I see in WOW's photos available for sale?

They were. WOW undertook a huge project making these, stuffed with a ton of first aid supplies. Sadly Wayne has passed away. He was a great asset to the Fog community.

Also, a  [welcome] to you

 

[Eden1415]

I used cable tiles to hold the hose and the power cord in place while pulling on the sleeve.  made applying everything a lot easier.