Food safe plastic tubing?

Need to create a long drinking straw for a disabled friend, 3 feet or so. He's currently using a tube from a piece of medical equipment, but it's not designed for drinking thru, and has a strong plastic taste - probably all sorts of nasty chemicals leeching into the water.

Its only for cold water, but needs to be flexible. A decent length that we can snip 3ft pieces off would be ideal.

Anyone know of any sources? TIA.

Reply to
Simon C.
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Have you thought of contacting an organisation that supports folk with disabilities as they are bound to have come across this problem before .

Reply to
Usenet Nutter

I confess I haven't, but good idea. But in the meantime suggestions still welcome.

Reply to
Simon C.

Try a supplier of home-brewing kit.

Reply to
Bernard Peek

Boots used to sell something that might do - sold as part of their wine making kit and it was used for syphoning wine into bottles.

I'm not sure boots still do winemaking gear, but other places must (no pun intended). Might be a bit big - but would certainly be food safe. Try Wilkinsons or similar?

Darren

Reply to
D.M.Chapman

Google he say

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Reply to
TMC

You might find a few ideas for drinking devices at

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Home brew shops are a good source of wider bore tubing but it isn't particularly flexible. The tubing used in a number of bits of medical apparatus such as drip sets is more than food safe and usually much more flexible than PVC.

Reply to
Peter Parry

At work we use silicone tubing a lot. It's inert and flexible. We normally buy from

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but a quick google suggests that aquarium suppliers sell it too.

Reply to
Alan J. Wylie

Yeah, that's what I was going to suggest

which reminds me - anyone know a good source for 2.5 or 3mm diameter nylon cord ?

Reply to
geoff

An outdoor activities shop will be able to supply a hydration system intended for climbers, hikers and so on. I believe that some of these systems can incorporate a pump to reduce the suction needed to get a drink. Three feet (if that's more or less vertical) would need quite a sucking force.

HTH -

Reply to
Frank Erskine

I cant think of a plastic that's UN-safe, so its really a matter of 'taste' :-)

and rigidity.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

My local (non-chain) has cord in 2, 3 and 4mm; also has elasticated cord. I use it for boot laces and other things. Needs the ends burning else it unravels.

Reply to
PeterC

Para cord from any outdoors shop

e.g.

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Reply to
TMC

Mine did before it shut down a few years ago

Homebase - £1.99 / metre ... FRO !

Reply to
geoff

In message , TMC writes

Reply to
geoff

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember geoff saying something like:

Venetian blind refurbishers. You can get it in 100m /500m rolls (like they do), but I'm buggered if I recall any names of suppliers.

Reply to
Grimly Curmudgeon

Yuo'd also need them to have one hell of a drop to justify para cord!

Reply to
PeterC

Many many thanks for the suggestions chaps. I'll try the local home brew shop.

Reply to
Simon C.

I also intended to suggest that.. however it is very soft and may collapse under vacuum. The ordinary stuff isn't very flexible when cold.

Reply to
dennis

Have you considered a complete solution such as the Camelback drinking systems used by athletes and hikers?

These have a reservoir of drink, a flexible plastic tube, and a mouth piece which can be bitten to open the flow of liquid. The reservoir/bladder can be positioned so that gravity can assist the flow of liquid if this is desirable. Food safe and designed to be easily cleaned. The plastic bits (which fit inside many backpacks) are available at most outdoor shops.

HTH

Dave R

Reply to
David WE Roberts

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