How Do You Fit 1/4" Tubing on Diffusion Stone Barb?

While I am smarter than a five year old (me thinks so), I am struggling with fitting 1/4" vinyl tubing on the barb of a diffusion stone.

I've tried soaking the tube in warm water, soap, force, swearing, and sweet-talk but the best I can do is push the tube two barbs up on a 6 barb post.

I have even heated the tubing, shoved a tapered metal chopstick an inch into the tube, cooled the tube in the freezer (with chopstick) in hopes that the tube will maintain form. Nope. Do I need to boil the damned thing to make it more malleable?

Can you help me outsmart this tube?

It appears to be easy but this freaking tube is defeating me.

Any suggestions?

Boil it.
BTW, what size is the barb?

I use a SS racking cane so I can be sure to get the stone all the way to the bottom of the carboy. To connect the cane to the stone, I use a very short length of 3/8 ID silicone tubing, attached with SS hose clamps. I can remove the stone, leaving it attached to the silicone tubing and boil it to sanitize, then reattach to the cane without having to touch the stone. After reattaching, I spray it all with StarSan to sanitize what I touched, and I'm ready to aerate.

The stone is made by Fermentap, the barb is 1/4" OD. The tubing is 1/4 in. x 20 ft. PVC.

http://morebeer.com/view_product/18252/102299/Diffusion_Stone_-_2_Micron_Oxygen_Stone

Boiling may be the next option. I am not sure how I'll handle the hot tubing at that point though.

Do I need a larger tube?

Just take your fulll piece of tubing(several feet I assume....) and grasp it about a foot from the end. Fill up a pot and boil some water then stick about 1 inch into the boiling water for around 20-30 seconds. pull out, shake off, and shove it in................................... This might be the different than you are used to.


Having worked with aquarium co2 products for 10 years, this is what it takes. Other options are a PITA.