# My best diy project to date, lily pipe cleaner



## AverageWhiteBloke (20 May 2014)

Diy lily pipe cleaner. by AWB70, on Flickr

Tried many commercial pipe cleaners which to me have been a brown trouser experience. Knocked this up and it works perfect for both 13 and 16mm pipes.
Fishing line, air line tubing and a body scrub. Cut a piece off, roll up and insert about 20mm into the tubing then stitch through the tubing using fishing wire to prevent it coming out when extracting. Gets to all the hard to reach places.
As Bear Grhylls says, "necessity is the mother of all invention"


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## jose_j (20 May 2014)

Very clever AverageWhiteBloke, I like it!


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## AverageWhiteBloke (20 May 2014)

Thanks, I now have two sets so hopefully they won't get as gunged up in between filter cleaning. I can have a set soaking in bleach while the others are being used.
Having one set soaking for an hour or so while I was cleaning the filter just didn't make a difference to me. Most commercial ones I tried were metal and the intake pipe was touch and go on how much force to use. The metal scrapes on the inside of the curve quite harshly!
Not bad going for stuff I already had at hand.


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## James D (20 May 2014)

Good idea. I was cleaning out my intake pipe this weekend and was thinking that it could do with a removable cap at the end you can't get to, they're a nightmare with the normal cleaners, I've poked to hard before now and the metal end of the cleaner has knocked the glass end clean off. I actually pushed a rolled up ball of kitchen tissue down in the end but it was a bugger to get out!

I'm going to try this sometime so cheers AWB.


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## Claire (20 May 2014)

Great idea. I couldn't get my cleaner to go around the tight bend on my mini lily pipes previously, and managed to crack it trying to get it back out, resulting in a weepy leak  Will be using this in future and on my new lily pipes!! Although considering stainless steel ones as they seem a bit more "me-proof"...


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## AverageWhiteBloke (20 May 2014)

James D said:


> Good idea. I was cleaning out my intake pipe this weekend and was thinking that it could do with a removable cap at the end you can't get to, they're a nightmare with the normal cleaners, I've poked to hard before now and the metal end of the cleaner has knocked the glass end clean off



Already did that, that's where it began. Ironically mine broke off clean along one of the slits so I took the sharp edge off with sandpaper and it actually works better albeit needing a mesh intake filter on. I actually looked about to see if anyone did an open ended one but couldn't find any.




Claire said:


> I couldn't get my cleaner to go around the tight bend on my mini lily pipes previously, and managed to crack it trying to get it back out



Haven't done that yet but it was only through luck. I did manage to get the brush out eventually but you could just tell I wasn't far from breaking it. I like the stainless as well but from what I hear unless you pay top dollar some of the cheaper ones have been rusting. At least now I can avoid the cold sweat on filter cleaning day.[DOUBLEPOST=1400603210][/DOUBLEPOST]Probably should add if you're using more rigid tubing to make it with to soften the end with boiling water. Makes getting the needle through a whole lot easier.


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## Claire (20 May 2014)

AverageWhiteBloke said:


> I like the stainless as well but from what I hear unless you pay top dollar some of the cheaper ones have been rusting.



 Well that sucks.


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## AverageWhiteBloke (21 May 2014)

These look hot! Not sure why they only come in 14mm Diameter unless they are specifically for the ADA filters. Good thing about them is my missus wouldn't mind me getting them  They go with the stainless, white paint, white oak and glass  theme that seems to be prevalent in my house at the moment. I even had her commenting that a white gloss cabinet would look good instead of the cabinet I have which is well over due a change. 
It can only be seen as a good thing when aquarium manufacturers are now heading towards aesthetically pleasing equipment from the outside these days. Up to this point in my 20 or so years of keeping fish my tanks have always been something that's been tolerated, now my missus actually has opinions on which she likes.


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## Claire (22 May 2014)

Not sure either, but probably would fit other piping at a squeeze. You can get a set for about £80, but after hearing about them rusting I'm now not so sure!! Guess the ADA ones would be ok though.


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## AverageWhiteBloke (22 May 2014)

Yes, I think it's the ones from China I've heard people having problems with. Just cleaned my lily pipes on my shrimp tank today. Wish I'd came up with this idea earlier, what a big difference it is! I'm no longer avoiding pipe maintenance. Only scary bit now is pulling the pipes off the tubing but using hot water and some petroleum jelly on them before putting back on is a great help. The secret is patience and don't twist the pipe.
I think I may make the body scrub bigger on the other end of the tubing to get better cleaning for the 16mm pipes. The one I made is a bit small, I can always trim it down a bit if the airline tubing won't push it round the corners.


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## EnderUK (22 May 2014)

I'm pretty sure if you went to a small hydraulic firm they could cut and bend some st.st pipe for you much less than 80 quid. You would probably have to finish it off by drilling and polishing though they might do that for you as well.

In fact it would take them about 15 minutes and ST.ST pipe is very very cheap so I'd be shocked at more than 50.


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## roadmaster (22 May 2014)

Weed eater twine attached to small flexible brush with electrician's tape work's for me while cleaning intake /output pipes on my eheim classic's.
Is very redneck, but flexible enough for glass as well.


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## James D (23 May 2014)

> Ironically mine broke off clean along one of the slits so I took the sharp edge off with sandpaper and it actually works better albeit needing a mesh intake filter on.



I did exactly the same, I changed my filter though and needed 17mm pipes so it ended up in the bin.



> Good thing about them is my missus wouldn't mind me getting them



I can imagine the response in my house if I spent £160 on lily pipes


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## AverageWhiteBloke (30 May 2014)

What's that song? You say it best when you say nothing at all  you can get away with glass ones. My missus didn't even notice they were in there until I was cleaning them one day.


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## tim (9 Jun 2014)

Top man awb posting this up, I've struggled to clean my gush nano pipes due to the bends, perfect solution so big  from me


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (9 Jun 2014)

AverageWhiteBloke said:


> What's that song? You say it best when you say nothing at all  you can get away with glass ones. My missus didn't even notice they were in there until I was cleaning them one day.



Theres a truth in your eyes, saying you'll never leave me.. 
Unless you catch me sneaking nearly £200 worth of equipment into the tank.


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