Need helping with a leak

[PhilT]

I think the Red Sea barb is US not metric. If you bought the pump barb in Canada maybe it’s metric? On my 425xl it’s 3/4”, might be 1/2 or 5/8 on a 170. I got 3/4 nylon (plastic) clamps at amazon, also 3/4 ID silicon hose at amazon. I found silicon is much more flexible if you need a slight bend in the hose, the vinyl hose is stiffer and hard to bend. Although the silicone can kink a little.

 

[roberthu526]

If OP didn’t have a hard time hook up the hose then he probably used the wrong barb or hose. I find vinyl tubing extremely hard to install if the size is right. This is why I always use silicone tubing. It is more expensive but for a once for all installation I find the extra few bucks well worth it.

 

[Jay1982]

Hey everyone, thanks for the help. I picked up a clamp and the leak hasn't resurfaced.

 

[Jay1982]

If OP didn’t have a hard time hook up the hose then he probably used the wrong barb or hose. I find vinyl tubing extremely hard to install if the size is right. This is why I always use silicone tubing. It is more expensive but for a once for all installation I find the extra few bucks well worth it.

The top barb was a struggle, the bottom was a pain. I didn't use the wrong one though. I know that much. And the tube is the one I got with the RSR

 

[Danj]

FWIW, i just finished plumbing my rsr and all of the stock plumbing is definitely metric, which is crazy hard to find in the states. Made sourcing adapters kind of a PITA but once the right parts finally came in, everything fit together nicely

 

[roberthu526]

The top barb was a struggle, the bottom was a pain. I didn't use the wrong one though. I know that much. And the tube is the one I got with the RSR

Maybe give silicon tubing a try?

 

[Stigigemla]

In the manufacturing of float glass melted glass is floated out on a bed of melted tin. One side of the new float glass sheets contain a lot of unvisible tin. Normally that side should be on the outside of the tank and cause no problem but if the glass has the tin side in the tank it will slowly dissolve in the water.
I use nylon barbs from Hellerman-Tyton but I guess it is the same BRS are selling. They are very good anyway.

 

[siggy]

FYI these zip ties were designed for fuel lines, I first seen these when I bought a new Mercury outboard so you know they are made for harsh environments...Note the taper on the bottom

https://www.alliedelec.com/hellerma...sCAwJksJ9VC5b5LFiqmjMxwhuB4x2LIMaAs14EALw_wcB

 

[vetteguy53081]

I agree with clamp. Get/use a true clamped you can ratchet tighten. Yes it may rust as mine have and that Little rust is no impact on your system unless its a 2-5 gallon tank

 

[Crabby48]

Oetiker clamp in stainless steel for best option or hose clamp in stainless steel. SS hose clamp will not have SS worm gear so recommend getting one from a marina

 

[BestMomEver]

They will rust from the humidity. They don't need water running over them. The ones from HD will rust.

We're getting off topic....

And salt creep...

 

[atx100r]

Ive had good luck with hose clamps or in odd situations I purchase silicone tubing. It expensive but much more flexible than the vinyl or reinforced tubing. You can pick it up at BRS or your local NAPA or auto parts store. Hard to see (In blue coming off blue uv sterilizer) but I used it on my UV sterilizer because I had a similar issue as you . It takes a really tight turn I couldn't get with the other types of hose.

 

[Skep18]

Get a real hose clamp.

 

[Forsaken77]

I deal with barbed fittings and hosing a lot. It seems the hosing may have expanded slightly because it shouldn't leak even without the clamp.

Maybe get another hose.

Also, use THESE Titan titanium hose clamps. They are 100% titanium, even the screw, and will NEVER rust. It's all I use and I have them submerged for 3 years so far and they look brand new. They're a little pricey for a clamp, but well worth the investment because they will last forever.

You also want to put the clamp more towards the top when the water is running down. You don't want to let the water get between the barb and the hose as much as possible.

 

[Steve McGlamery]

just getting my aquarium going and over the last 3 days I’ve been struggling with a leak. I thought it was coming from my FMK, but stumbled upon the true leak after taking apart the plumbing around the FMK several times. Here is a video of the leak on the return hose of a Reefer 170. Do I silicone it??


Thanks in advance!!

If the green hose is an Eheim hose they are metric and your hose barb is standard. Just a guess.

 

[PhreeByrd]

I can't believe 75 posts about a dripping hose barb fitting, and people are still arguing about it.
The sizes of hose/barb fittings are not critical enough for imperial/metric sizes to be a real issue unless you're completely clueless.
Every hose/barb connection requires a clamp of some kind. A zip tie is not a clamp. 10 zip ties are not a clamp. Silicone sealant is definitely not a clamp.
Plastic hose/tubing comes in multitudes of formulations and types. Some are hard, some are soft. What you want is a thicker-wall, softer durometer tubing. I've never found anything suitable at local big box home centers. Their 'flexible' tubing is almost always cheap, thin-wall vinyl that is stiff and kinks easily. McMaster-Carr's 'Masterkleer' tubing is excellent stuff. They also have every size imaginable of the ratcheting plastic clamps.
https://www.mcmaster.com/masterkleer-tubing

 

[MnFish1]

I can't believe 75 posts about a dripping hose barb fitting, and people are still arguing about it.
The sizes of hose/barb fittings are not critical enough for imperial/metric sizes to be a real issue unless you're completely clueless.
Every hose/barb connection requires a clamp of some kind. A zip tie is not a clamp. 10 zip ties are not a clamp. Silicone sealant is definitely not a clamp.
Plastic hose/tubing comes in multitudes of formulations and types. Some are hard, some are soft. What you want is a thicker-wall, softer durometer tubing. I've never found anything suitable at local big box home centers. Their 'flexible' tubing is almost always cheap, thin-wall vinyl that is stiff and kinks easily. McMaster-Carr's 'Masterkleer' tubing is excellent stuff. They also have every size imaginable of the ratcheting plastic clamps.
https://www.mcmaster.com/masterkleer-tubing

It depends on the pressure inside the tubing - for example water flowing from an overflow into a sump doesn't necessarily require a clamp (except for insurance). No more no less. A clamp merely applies pressure around the tubing. A thick zip tie that is tightened with the appropriate tool applies pressure just as much as a 'clamp'. In fact it is 'a clamp of some kind'. IMHO. Additionally - I don't think there are 75 posts arguing about clamps. Most are suggestions to the OP based on reading the first post without reading the rest.

 

[PhreeByrd]

It depends on the pressure inside the tubing - for example water flowing from an overflow into a sump doesn't necessarily require a clamp (except for insurance). No more no less. A clamp merely applies pressure around the tubing.

I agree. On an "unpressurized" line, the clamp really is only needed as a retaining aid, to prevent the tube from coming off of the fitting. But in reality, there is no such thing as an unpressurized line -- if there was, it wouldn't be doing anything.

A thick zip tie that is tightened with the appropriate tool applies pressure just as much as a 'clamp'. In fact it is 'a clamp of some kind'. IMHO.

I would unequivocally disagree, and have personally demonstrated that a zip tie, even tightened with a proper tool, cannot be tightened sufficiently to prevent pulling tubing off of a fitting by hand, while even a plastic ratcheting clamp as referenced earlier in the thread, definitely can be. Zip ties are designed for bundling wires, not for clamping plumbing or anything else.

 

[Crabby48]

I agree. On an "unpressurized" line, the clamp really is only needed as a retaining aid, to prevent the tube from coming off of the fitting. But in reality, there is no such thing as an unpressurized line -- if there was, it wouldn't be doing anything.



I would unequivocally disagree, and have personally demonstrated that a zip tie, even tightened with a proper tool, cannot be tightened sufficiently to prevent pulling tubing off of a fitting by hand, while even a plastic ratcheting clamp as referenced earlier in the thread, definitely can be. Zip ties are designed for bundling wires, not for clamping plumbing or anything else.

Not true. They have zip ties with a hook and work great with soft thin wall hose. Of coarse good fitting hose won’t pull of easily to begin with. They are used on outboard motors for decades.
If a fuel line falls off 1 cup of fuel is equal to several sticks of dynamite.


It all comes down to how much line pressure and hose there is.
You have zip ties,plastic ratcheting clamp, Oetiker clamps, squeeze clamps and a big list of worm gear bolt style clamps. They all have there purposes and place

I won’t use normal worm gear hose clamps because the slots are rough on the hose and the ends are too. I use the smooth ones and the ends roll up. But the a gain I never had a hose just come off a fitting with out cutting or using a hose pick

 

[CC13]

I honestly can't believe this thread has gone this far over parts that cost mere cents.