Hi. Can someone please tell me what diameter the collection tube is? We have lost ours and our beekeeper says we need to get some honey off (far sooner than we expected) and no one from Flowhive has answered my email in a week. I must be able to buy something local but a close fit is essential isn’t it to prevent leakage.
I believe the outside diameter (OD) is 1 inch (25mm) for the rigid plastic tube. You may find some irrigation tubing that is almost right, then take some medium and fine grit sandpaper with you, in case you need to adjust the fit. I would also take some insulation tape, in case it is a bit small - that way you can adjust it to give a good seal by wrapping some tape around the tubing before you insert it.
Hiya Taylormaid, the problem is that the Flow tubes have a small extended tab on the end which is to block the drain back to the hive so you may get some spillage using an alternate.
Outside diameter - 24.72mm
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Thanks Skeggley. All I need now is for Flowhive to get off their butts and reply to my email about how to buy one, or two, or three!! - it isn’t listed on their website and in the meantime, the honey retrieval is getting more urgent by the hour.
@taylormaid Are you in Australia? I can mail you one of mine if its urgent - we got six and I only ever use one or two and a time. Let me know if you haven’t got an answer from the Flow Hive guys already.
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Thank you for the kind thought but we are in NZ. I still haven’t heard back from them; I know they are busy but it’s been over a week for a very simple to fix little query.
Well it may be your lucky day I’m off to NZ today and could bring two for you. Could post from Auckland. Perhaps post them back to the MIL once you have received your own. I’ll not need them til next year.
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Aren’t you wonderful, thank you so much. Can you email me on lindsey@tmsw.co.nz please so I can send you my address.
You should be able to find a clear vinyl tubing that will fit fairly easily. It would also be fairly easy to cut that drip block into clear tubing as it is pretty soft. If it is urgent that is the direction I would go.
You could also remove the frame and empty it over your vessel so that it would catch all the mess and what would have dripped away into the hive.
I can see your email has been replied to. Sorry for the delay. We arranging for the Flow Tubes to be sent.
In the meantime you could just drain 5 of the Flow Frames, and then when one is fully drained you could then drain the Flow Frame which does not have a tube.
I bet they have lost/misplaced all of the tubes… 
I am buying a safe for mine… 
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Don’t put them in a safe place like my mum does She can’t remember later where she’s put the stuff. it’s very safe lol
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24.72mm would roughly translate to 1" outside diameter. So depending on the fit, 3/4"ID tubing generally gives you 1"OD.
I am finding out the exact dimensions for you as well. Hopefully I will hear back soon.
Yes, that is what has happened to ours I am sure, put in a safe place, which seemed logical at the time, but we have been to all the logical places.
Trouble is Faroe, we have no tubes at all. With even 1 tube we would just do one frame at a time.
Tubes are 100mm Long
25mm wide
21 interior width
a one inch tube will fit properly over the tube
We designed it so a flexible tubing with a 25mm outside diameter can be inserted directly into the frames. If the tube has a 2mm or more wall thickness, this will sufficiently block the honey leak back point if inserted all the way.
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Is there a food safe tubing that we should be using? Does anyone have a link to someplace where I could order?
thanks!
JonnyVermont
Assuming that you are in the US (your profile doesn’t say), I found these two choices, both of which fit the Flow tubes, and are recommended for household water use:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Sioux-Chief-1-1-4-in-O-D-x-1-in-I-D-x-10-ft-PVC-Tubing-900-01406C00201/100136896
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Sioux-Chief-1-3-8-in-O-D-x-1-in-I-D-x-2-ft-Braided-Vinyl-Tubing-HSBVQN2/204407818
The second one is FDA approved, but a bit more expensive, as it has braided walls.
Dawn