Best way to get leak free return and drain line?

[darkiss]

Hello, I have just put the plumbing on my tank that has two return lines drilled into the top side of the glass, and then it has a cost-to-cost overflow box that has another drain box on the back that has the drain line hooked into it. Everything is working for the most part and is very quite.

The issue that I am having right now, is there is a slow drip out of my return lines and my drain lines. The plumbing is set up with barb fittings going into the bulkheads where I made sure to use plumbers tape around the treads.

I have put hose clamps around each of the barb fittings where I connect my tubing. Do I just need to tighten my hose clamps even more? ( they are already very tight ) or is there something that I am missing.

Any help I would be thankful for, since I am not going to fill it with salt until this issue is figured out.

[Fizz71]

Not really following here so I have to check before I go too far.....barb fittings means plastic tubing and clamps so there would be no plumber's tape. Plumber's tape is used to create less friction and a tighter seal on a THREADED fitting. You would use plumber's tape if you were screwing a threaded to barb adapter into a female threaded bulk head, but the tape would only be on the threaded parts, not the barbed part.

Is that what you're doing? Or did you tape the barb fitting?

[thegrun]

Are you sure the leak is from the barb fitting to the tubing or could it be from the threaded connection or even the bulkhead? You could be overstretching the tube when you shove it on the barb. Soaking the tube in very hot water for 10 minutes before you assemble it helps to soften and expand the tubing and makes for a better connection once it cools. I haven’t ever had a barb joint leak on me even when the tube doesn’t extend all the way onto all the barbs. Any chance the tubing is bad (oversized)?

[leveldrummer]

pictures please, so we can get a good idea of exactly what your dealing with here.

[darkiss]

Not really following here so I have to check before I go too far.....barb fittings means plastic tubing and clamps so there would be no plumber's tape. Plumber's tape is used to create less friction and a tighter seal on a THREADED fitting. You would use plumber's tape if you were screwing a threaded to barb adapter into a female threaded bulk head, but the tape would only be on the threaded parts, not the barbed part.

Is that what you're doing? Or did you tape the barb fitting?

Yes, I have threaded bulkheads where I have one end of my barbfitting is threaded, I know that I have used the plumbers tape correctly.

[darkiss]

pictures please, so we can get a good idea of exactly what your dealing with here.

Okay, I can run home and take pictures around noon, currently it is 8am

[darkiss]

Are you sure the leak is from the barb fitting to the tubing or could it be from the threaded connection or even the bulkhead? You could be overstretching the tube when you shove it on the barb. Soaking the tube in very hot water for 10 minutes before you assemble it helps to soften and expand the tubing and makes for a better connection once it cools. I haven’t ever had a barb joint leak on me even when the tube doesn’t extend all the way onto all the barbs. Any chance the tubing is bad (oversized)?

Well, the tubing was very tight to get on, and I know it is 3/4 tubing for my 3/4 barbed fitting. I am positive one of the leaking part is leaking right out of the top of the barbed fitting where the tubing ends on the barbed fitting and I have a hose clamp. Since when I look at the hose clamp I see a small drip off of the clamp.

[spieszak]

Well, the tubing was very tight to get on, and I know it is 3/4 tubing for my 3/4 barbed fitting. I am positive one of the leaking part is leaking right out of the top of the barbed fitting where the tubing ends on the barbed fitting and I have a hose clamp. Since when I look at the hose clamp I see a small drip off of the clamp.
I'm only partly following how you know where the leak is, maybe its just early and I'm not reading well, but just because its dripping off the clamp doesn't mean its coming from the just above the clamp, just that the clamp is giving it a good position to pool up and drip. When I've chased leaks, I've dried everything in the area, and then wrapped a paper towel around the pipe/hose, whatever. Sometimes its necessary to tape or secure in some way, but not always. Regardless, the paper towel will usually show the source of the leak much easier than trying to view it without, since it absorbs the water at the source, not where it drips to.
I agree with the above, I've not had a problem with barbs, but threaded fittings, o-rings and washers always seem to be the source of the problem for me.

[darkiss]

Are you sure the leak is from the barb fitting to the tubing or could it be from the threaded connection or even the bulkhead? You could be overstretching the tube when you shove it on the barb. Soaking the tube in very hot water for 10 minutes before you assemble it helps to soften and expand the tubing and makes for a better connection once it cools. I haven’t ever had a barb joint leak on me even when the tube doesn’t extend all the way onto all the barbs. Any chance the tubing is bad (oversized)?

Ya, the funny thing is, that the barbed fittings where I split the hose off into a T do not leak and where I have my check valve connected with barbed fittings does also not leak.

Perhaps it is because I am using Loc-Line with a Flare Nozzle and that is creating back pressure on the barbed fitting, that it is closest to, in order to have this slow drip just on that one barbed fitting?

[Fizz71]

When I used flexible hose I always used 2 clamps or 2 zip ties. If it's high pressure I've even gone with 3 large zip ties. I'm assuming this leak is on a high pressure return? The drains should not leak (at the barbs) if the tubing is correct even WITHOUT clamps...not that I'd recommend it. :)

And don't put the clamp all the way at the end (either end). Put them right in the middle or slightly more towards the adapter side to make sure your pressing the full length of the clamp(s) across one or more of the barbs underneath.

And don't underestimate the sneakiness of a leak. You could be leaking super slow from the bulkhead but it doesn't pool until the barb fitting so you think it's there. Use paper towels and dry everything off, then check every few minutes with another paper towel starting at the highest point to see where the leak starts. Or wait 2 months and look for the salt creep. :)

Lastly..consider learning how to work with PVC...I will never go back to flexible hoses. I'm not saying they can't be leak free because I ran them for years, including a closed loop on all tubing, but it was a pain to service and eventually got rigid and crimped.

I still use tubing today, but only for portable service pumps (water changes, etc) or things completely over water and low pressure like my carbon reactor.

Photos will help so we'll look at those when you get them up...

[sleepydoc]

Yes, I have threaded bulkheads where I have one end of my barbfitting is threaded, I know that I have used the plumbers tape correctly.

Did you use tape on the bulkheads and where do you have the gasket for the bulkheads? The gasket should be on the flange side, not the nut side, and you shouldn't need to use any tape at all on bulkheads; the gasket is what creates the seal, not the threads.

[Adamw327]

Isn't there also food grade pvc cement?

Newbie here

[darkiss]

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hUDzllHyPrg/UbDBno2N-_I/AAAAAAAAAjg/NNRtKtyVf_g/w787-h1049-no/13+-+1

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-KfsIE1kC-dg/UbDB8ZH8VKI/AAAAAAAAAi0/rsWfpfxYtPA/w787-h1049-no/13+-+1

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-tgdBFVWRA9Q/UbDCG5RdaOI/AAAAAAAAAjI/YP6_eiUzoJ4/w787-h1049-no/13+-+1

[darkiss]

So I went home and looked at it some more, and tried to tighten up the hose clamps even more. However, they are as tight as I can manually get so I am charging my drill.

Also I have a feeling now that it is not leaking out of the barbed fittings and it just looked that way due to the way that the water was being built up, and I think that it is leaking out of the bottom of the bulkhead where I screwed in the barbed fittings ( with plumber's tape around the threads ).

[darkiss]

Then I think this is where the leak is now coming from, and just in this section

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lXQFUrHOgAk/UbDExOhR_NI/AAAAAAAAAj4/-pnm5DnWR0Q/w755-h1006-no/leak.jpg

[jimmyj7090]

Metal hose clamps tend to create a little pinch where the screw part is, that might be causing a slight leak, especially if they are super tight. Second to the idea of using two zip ties insted of clamps, just orient them so the connecting ends are opposed 180 degrees (so if they pinch a little you won't have the two pinches lined up with each other).

For threaded fittings it's very common to get a slight drip even with teflon tape. This drip often stops after a little salt creep accumulates and plugs up the leak. Teflon paste is supposed to work a lot better (but I have never gotten around to trying it myself).

Double check since you didn't comment on it; where are the gaskets on the bulkheads? I can't tell for sure from the pics, but if they are aginst the nuts then that WILL cause a leak.

[darkiss]

gaskets are on the other side of the tank..

[Fizz71]

I TOLD you leaks are sneaky. :)

If I can make a recommendation...toss the bulk head and buy a new one that is slip on the outside connection. Then use PVC (w/ primer and cement) to put in your own PVC 90 dergre turn:

So it would be: Bulkhead (Slip) - pvc 45 - pvc 45 - pvc to threaded adapter - threaded to barb adapter (which you already have). You'll also probably need short pieces of pvc to connect them unless you can find everything street (not likely).

Also make sure your bulkhead gasket is on the wet side, clean of debris and in good shape.

Here's why I prefer PVC bulkheads:
If you try to over-tighten that elbow you have threaded into the bulkhead you may crack it (I know this from experience). I've never cracked a threaded bulkhead on the inside connection, just the outside one. Although I will admit that bulkhead looks much sturdier than the ones I dealt with, I just find the PVC threaded fitting to lock in tighter and take more abuse so I use those to connect to barb adapter and use PVC cement everywhere else.

I'm not a plumber, but I was once told that the MPT and FPT threads on PVC are tapered so they lock more...and my bulkheads were not. Do you know if yours is?

Also using 2x45s instead of a 90 will help with head loss..considering barb fittings are killer on head loss you need all the help you can get. :)

[darkiss]

Well I used plumbers putty and two of the leaks went away.

The third leak is down a bit and hope over time it will just calicify and go away?

[darkiss]

Just figured I make a follow up post since I often read other ppls posts and hate when they are incomplete


So the plumers putty did not work long term. What did work was using the blue Teflon tape on the threads. that cheap white stuff just tears when you screw it in.

I also no longer have any hose clamps on any of the barbed fittings since they are not needed.