1/2" ID tubing leaking everywhere over 1/2" barb?

Dominic-Toretto

Dominic-Toretto

Dominic-Toretto

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My tubing is mayhems 19/13mm. I have compression fittings on the way.

In the meantime I thought I would flush my rads and loop with barbs that I had. I was not using clamps, anyhow it was just leaking over the barbs in so many places! Does 1/2" tubing need clamps to be leak free.

Is this what I can expect with 1/2" tubing and compression fittings?

Should I just go back to 7/16 over 1/2" barbs lol
 
I've not used basic barb fittings on any of my loops, I wouldn't trust them. You could try zip tying the tubes onto the barbs to make a makeshift compression fitting but it will not be as secure as a proper fitting.
 
Vidar said:
I've not used basic barb fittings on any of my loops, I wouldn't trust them. You could try zip tying the tubes onto the barbs to make a makeshift compression fitting but it will not be as secure as a proper fitting.
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Thanks for the help, I will just leave it for now, managed to flush despite the minor leaks lol. Will wait for the compression fittings to arrive and then re-test :)
 
13mm tubing is not 1/2"

1/2" = 12.7mm

So your tubing was .3mm too big for the barb.

Only a fractional difference, but add in machining tolerances etc things can go wrong

Be careful not to mix imperial and metric to avoid issues like this
 
Brizzles said:
13mm tubing is not 1/2"

1/2" = 12.7mm

So your tubing was .3mm too big for the barb.

Only a fractional difference, but add in machining tolerances etc things can go wrong

Be careful not to mix imperial and metric to avoid issues like this
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Im so confused here. The tubing I bought is labeled as so: Mayhems Ultra Clear Tubing (1/2 - 3/4) 13/19mm Tubing

So mayhems tubing isn't actually 1/2 - 3/4? Why does it have two different measurements. And I'm guessing this means the Barrow fittings I ordered won't fit then.

What size should I be looking for?

Edit: just had a look on the oc uk store and the xspc tubing that is listed as 1/2 to 3/4 is also 19mm/13mm. It states designed for 1/2" barbs. Is that not the right one either? That would also imply 13mm over 12.7mm

Are you saying that 19/13mm is a different size to 1/2" 3/4" fittings and that I need to find 19/13mm compression fittings rather than 1/2 3/4?
 
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Its become common practice ( wrongly ) to label them in both Metric and Imperial because in 99% of cases it wont matter, the difference is marginal.

This has come about as the vast majority of people now use compression fittings which are far more 'forgiving' for very slight tolerance differences - They grip far better than bare barbs.

You will be fine with compression fittings, its only in extreme cases ( as you've found out ) that the slight difference matters especailly on bare barbs.

Imperial is still used iirc by Thermaltake ( American Company ) the majority of other manufactures use metric
 
Flush your loop once everything has arrived. If you want to, you can clean and flush each part individually, but if you're going to run the pump, wait for the fittings, it will save any mishaps.
 
It sounds like you've already got some more parts on order, but I've heard of people using a hairdryer/heat gun to shrink wrap tubing around fittings to get extra compression and a better fit. Not sure if it's still a thing but if you're in the mood to try something a bit different you could give it a shot :p
 
Use hoseclips or compressions! Even if it's leak free at the beginning soon as you get some heat in the loop it won't be. I killed my first wc loop not using a clip because I was impatient. Dripped into the PCIe slot and sparks, flames etc. That was 15yrs back mind you but buying a new GPU and motherboard for want of a £1 part still stings.
 
1/2" tubing on 1/2 barbs needs some type of clamping to prevent leak or worse, the hose popping off. I always used jubilee clips on barbs before compression fittings were a thing.

Its been a long time but I think 7/16" tubing is what you need if you want to run half inche barbs without hose clamps
 
Brizzles said:
Its become common practice ( wrongly ) to label them in both Metric and Imperial because in 99% of cases it wont matter, the difference is marginal.

This has come about as the vast majority of people now use compression fittings which are far more 'forgiving' for very slight tolerance differences - They grip far better than bare barbs.

You will be fine with compression fittings, its only in extreme cases ( as you've found out ) that the slight difference matters especailly on bare barbs.

Imperial is still used iirc by Thermaltake ( American Company ) the majority of other manufactures use metric
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Thank you for this. Makes sense now. The compression fittings I bought were also imperial and my tubing metric. I have cancelled the fittings and ordered some that are metric now :)
 
Hakanese said:
Flush your loop once everything has arrived. If you want to, you can clean and flush each part individually, but if you're going to run the pump, wait for the fittings, it will save any mishaps.
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Flushed with my 7/16 tubing, got it all flushed and mounted in the case now ready for the compression fittings and hooking up :)
 
back in the day when barbs were all you could get, we use to buy tubing one size smaller than the barb, heat the end of tubing in boiling water and force it onto the barb. only way to get that off was to cut it off :D
 
Squidward said:
Is this what I can expect with 1/2" tubing and compression fittings?
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I know this issue has been mostly answered but I just thought I would add some information nobody seems to have pointed out. Compression fittings ARE barb fittings, just barb fittings that include screw on hose clips.

What you were doing by running barbs without hose clips (or slightly undersized tubing as many have recommended) is the same in practicality as running compressions without the rings on.
 
ubersonic said:
I know this issue has been mostly answered but I just thought I would add some information nobody seems to have pointed out. Compression fittings ARE barb fittings, just barb fittings that include screw on hose clips.

What you were doing by running barbs without hose clips (or slightly undersized tubing as many have recommended) is the same in practicality as running compressions without the rings on.
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yes and no. I see where you're going with this but a compression fitting without its ring is a very short barb where traditional barbs tend to be around twice the length at least. either way, not using something to hold the tubing tight is "ill-advised"
 
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