A/C Vent hose-is it possible to replace with hard line?

[MARKDTN]

Saw the post on the vent balls and it got me to wondering on the tubes. I have put flex a/c vent hose in a couple factory a/c trucks and it's a pain. I was wondering if anybody had ever tried to replace the "dryer" hoses with say thin wall sewer pipe? You can buy 90s and 45s. You could make a duct that would not collapse. Seems like it might flow better too. Just wondered if anybody had ever tried it, and if so was it worth the effort?

[HotWheelsFan]

Myself, I would rather work with the factory style A/C-heating ducting than to design and modify the flexible hoses into a rigid non-flexable system. What happens when you need to work under the dash for any other types of work?

The original style hoses may seem a pain to work with, but I would rather remove a flexible hose out of the way to change a hard to reach dash lighting bulb...

Bob

[Peanut74]

IMO, I don't see how it would practical to do. The way everything is cramed in the center of the dash I don't think hard a/c lines would be feasible.

[Stocker]

Agree with the above. I doubt it could be done (though in theory, anything is possible). If such a part existed, could it even be installed? And if it were in place, could it be moved out of the way should you need to access anything else?

[body bolt]

I used Teflon lubricant when I installed new hoses and it made it much easier.

[jumpsoffrock]

I have also considered installing rigid ducting. My best advice would be to go to junkyards and piece together some kind of duct work from other cars.
Problem?
Most vehicles with rigid ducts had them perfectly designed for that application.

Using PVC pipe from hardware store? Sounds like a clunky nightmare.
Not to mentioned being laughed off the face of the planet the first time some guy sees what you did.

Some Youtube guy who owns an automotive shop said that an old man came into his ship needing electrical work on his 20 year old car. The Youtuber found the car had been rewired with Romex. The old man said rats ate the original wire so he redid it himself...


Nonetheless...
I have read that flexible line slows the speed of the air, and doesn't hold the air temperature as well, I'm sure it's not the best, but I bet it's good enough.

[Richard]

Hard pipe is not necessarily better for air flow. A long radius elbow can add about 30 times the diameter of the pipe in equivalent length. That is like 10' of pipe on 4"". Short radius like pvc and water pipe is even more. Longer the pipe or duct there is more resistance. Flexible pipe with gentle bends can easily flow better in many cases and makes installation easier. Dealt with airflow problems my entire career. Fixed a lot of botched A/C installations due to improper ducting. Small diameter ducting and tight airflow bends in the aftermarket A/C units are only one reason I avoided them.

[jumpsoffrock]

^Interesting info, thanks for sharing Richard. I doubt I'll ever try using hard lines anyways.