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Microbore vs minibore

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Ignore above post, pressed wrong button!. I run 100m of 6mm hose and I've had the same pump now for nearly 7 years. Still purring beautiful
I think @Jake 's problem is how he will manage with microbore hose and the flow he needs through 3mm jets. Microbore hose isn't the issue as many use it successfully including yourself, but the majority of us use 2mm jets.

I agree that using it must put extra strain on the pump as it has to work harder. But the experience of users over time including yourself, indicates that good quality pumps seem to manage OK.

 
I think @Jake 's problem is how he will manage with microbore hose and the flow he needs through 3mm jets. Microbore hose isn't the issue as many use it successfully including yourself, but the majority of us use 2mm jets.
I agree that using it must put extra strain on the pump as it has to work harder. But the experience of users over time including yourself, indicates that good quality pumps seem to manage OK.


Yeah that's my issue @spruce , flow rate is the concern with 3mm jets

 
Ignore above post, pressed wrong button!. I run 100m of 6mm hose and I've had the same pump now for nearly 7 years. Still purring beautiful
thats good to know though Steve

 
@Jake I don't know the answer to your question as I have never used microbore.

In the early days when suppliers first started offering minbore and microbore hoses in place of 1/2" garden hose, Williamson pumps wouldn't guarantee their Shurflo pumps if we used those sizes. They said it created extra strain on the pump - they should know. We chose to go the minibore route as the hose wasn't as small as microbore and still easier to manage. I decided that we would bear the cost of our own pump failures as using minibore was a major step forward.

Alex Gardiner didn't rate Shurflo and sold Flojet which he maintained was a better pump. He believed that Microbore was the way to go from what i remember. With experience we never had issues with pump failure, only with pressure switch failure. The analogue controllers Varistream first introduced solved that problem and allowed us to regulate our water flow. I maybe wrong, but I don't think at one time Alex used to use a flow controller, so found the microbore restriction gave a good flow rate at the brush head which he was comfortable with.

Again, I maybe wrong, but Alex was never an advocator of 3mm jet sizes, he always recommended 2mm.

Thanks spruce,
@Alex Gardiner id like to here your views if possible
Hi Spruce and Jake

Spruce you have a good memory of those early days!

Correct in the early days I did not bother with these modern fangled flow controllers as I used decent Flojet pumps that could cope with 6mm Microbore hose (lighter and better flow rate than 8mm Minibore) - the 100psi pump could even cope with two reels of 100m 6mm Microbore.

With the above set-up 3mm jets would not have provided enough pressure at the jet and so would not hit the glass as well as 2mm jets.

With modern single pump/controller set-ups it is far easier to use 3mm jets. Some customers (and most of our US clients) prefer 3mm jets as they turn their pumps up and use more water so they rinse more quickly. I still find that 6mm Microbore, 2mm jets on about 75-80 flow rate is good for me.

 
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