Pixel Strip inside clear PVC hose

[BradsXmasLights]

Has anyone tried threading the standard 2811 pixel stripe through clear PVC hose like this stuff from bunnings? http://www.bunnings.com.au/kinetic-25mm-x-10m-reinforced-pressure-hose_p4920245


My next question is, is 19mm wide enough or will i be safer with getting 25mm?



Either way I'm planning on threading a draw wire (with sinker) though it first whilst hanging it off a 3 story building

 

[nzlongfellow]

Either way I'm planning on threading a draw wire (with sinker) though it first whilst hanging it off a 3 story building

For what it's worth if the sinker doesn't work tie a small ball of wool or cloth onto a light string and use a vacuum cleaner to suck the draw cord through.

 

[firebug]

Tie something light like a twist of paper to some string and either use compressed air to force it down the tube or a vacuum to draw it up. Tape the string to your strip and drag it back through. The straighter the better...

 

[battle79]

I got my 2.5mtr arches through the 19mm tube from bunnings.
Had to uncoil it and sit it in the sun for the day to get most of the kinks out first.
You might struggle with a full 5mtr strip. Might be ok if you can find a roll without kinks in the tube.

Cheers,
Rowan

 

[battle79]

Just noticed the tube you linked.

I used this one instead.
http://www.bunnings.com.au/pope-19-mm-x-5-m-clear-vinyl-tubing-1011922_p3130573

Cheers,
Rowan

 

[BradsXmasLights]

Cool thanks, some helpful hints here. I'm after a 10m run around my garden edge, so hoping the hose will armor it up as well as it making look nice & defused. Will probably need to cut/join it half way for power injection too.

 

[battle79]

if you used 60LED/mtr strip & painted it white after you zip tied it to conduit you could get something akin to the neonflex I would think.

I'm tempted to try this. Not sure what paint I would use though, needs to stick and be be translucent, maybe that 'glow in the dark' paint from the art shop would work well. Will need to wait till next Ray order though. No 60/mtr for me.

Cheers,
Rowan

 

[firebug]

I think shell used 25mm flexy conduit for garden edges. Shines through just fine. She might chime in with a link...

 

[ShellNZ]

Its this stuff that I used

http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Good-Selling-Electrical-PVC-Corrugated-Conduit_1545797699.html

Got some in NZ tho.

 

[AussieDoug]

If you do use the silicone tube you may need to put some form of lube into the hose so you can pull the strip through. I would suggest silicone spray, that stuff makes everything slippery.

As for getting a pull cord through first you could use a tissue with a bit of fishing line tied onto it and suck it through with a vacuum cleaner.

 

[ԆцряєсϮ]

For those that have done strip in this way, how does it look?
ie as the strip only emanates light from one side if it gets twisted do you get dark spots?

 

[battle79]

I made sure the strip was flat to the support conduit as I pulled it through the PVC.

I imagine you would get dark spots if it was twisted, but can't confirm.

Shell, your corrugated conduit looks a lot thinner and translucent than the standard stuff from electrical wholesalers, no wonder it shines through so nicely. I tried standard grey stuff and got almost no light at all.

Cheers,
Rowan

 

[sck1ng]

Not sure if you can order PEX in from the US or not but that is what I used last year.. My strips, which were longer than 7m, was very easy to slide through..


http://auschristmaslighting.com/forums/index.php?topic=4919.15


Above is how I did things.. Didn't look bad at all on the house. I left them up over the summer here in the US and I will see soon how they panned out staying out in the sun when I hook things back up in the next month or so.. Only down side I see currently is that the roll of PEX has started to curl back up on the facia of my house so I need to put more clips to straighten it back out..


Here is some video of it on my house..


https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152055037321132&l=1144484303913821349




Here is the PEX that I used: http://www.amazon.com/SharkBite-U860W100-Tubing-2-Inch-100-Feet/dp/B004Y75BG8/ref=sr_1_10?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1409189449&sr=1-10&keywords=sharkbite+pex

 

[BradsXmasLights]

Well the verdict is in. 19mm tube was heaps wide enough. Had no problem feeding a draw wire through.

Camera was a bit out of focus, but here's a video...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHBaoUIAvyY


10m of WS2811 strip, with 2x0.75mm2 cable injecting at 5 & 10m points, powered from one end only at this stage.

 

[arw01]

30 or 60 leds per meter in that one?