Compression fittings help

Damob9k

Damob9k

Damob9k

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Joined
4 May 2015
Posts
47
Hi All,

I have just put together my fist custom loop, and have some questions about the connections.

I purchased the XSPC V2 7/16 5/8 compression fittings and Primochill PrimoFlex LRT Advanced hose 16/11

I found screwing the collar onto the compression fitting really difficult, the collar seemed to struggle to get past the bulge created by the barb on the fitting and this made it really difficult to get the collar to even start to thread.
And once it started on the thread, it was incredibly hard to tighten it up (no it wasn't threaded)
In the end I had to resort to using a small mole-grip to be able to turn them enough to be sure they were clamping properly.

And the second problem I then found was that when I tried to undo one because I wasn’t happy with the tube length, I basically couldn't, it just undid the G1/4 thread on the fitting, and once it was off there was no way to separate the two parts as I couldn't grip the barbed side as there was no way to do so without damaging it.

So as it stands if I want to replace or modify the loop (which I already do as I have just bought a pre water cooled GTX Titan X) I will have to replace all of the connections.

Am I missing something fundamental here in the way you put these things together or have I bought the wrong connection / tube size (I just went on what Overclockers were selling in their kits)

Your help and advice as always is greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Damob
 
I had exactly this with mine, i just cut the tube close to the fitting and then unscrewed it, i've got thread clamps so i just done that and undone it. It's a right pain I agree. I'll be interested to see what people say about this.
 
I have noticed that the primoflex tubing is somewhat hard to work with regardless of fittings.

I use a small Tongue-and-groove plier with some tubing pieces on the jaws (to protect the fittings as you WILL damage the finish of them if you use the bare metal of the pliers) when my hand strength fail me.
 
Yeah i found XSPC compressions a nightmare to screw tight, hurt my fingers and thumbs lol in the end just bought some EK compressions a lot easier to use.
 
Yeah, I cut the tube off where the coin slot is and used a grip on the coin and a mole-grip with some cloth to protect the fitting, but all i managed to do was to destroy the coin !

So do you guys A) use any type of thread lock on the G1/4 side to stop it from undoing and B) recommend other tubing ?

Cheers all.

Ahh just missed your post BriT, so your saying this is an issue with the XSPC fittings ?
 
I had exactly the same problem with the 7/16 " XSPC compression fittings and 7/16" Primochill tubing yet cheap no name compression fittings were fine.
 
I cant say without actually seeing what you've got.

I've always thought that 7/16 - 5/8 was an odd size for some reason.

I use 3/8 - 5/8 and have never looked back; never had any problems. :confused:
 
I ran into the second problem with monsoon fittings,what i do now is when tightening them i don't full tighten them,only to about 80%.Last time i had to use pliers to seperate the collar from the barb

Edit: I run 7/16 - 5/8 Primochill tubing,some times it takes a few attempts for the collar to catch the thread to tighten,but nothing major,just a little finicky
 
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OK, so basically I'm not doing anything wrong ... ?
But might find things easier with other makes of connectors ?

I need to buy some more anyway as I'm going put in a W\C GFX card and now that I've put it all together, i think some 45 degree connections would make the tube sit better.
LOL it's only been up n running for 24hrs and I'm already upgrading :)
 
For those that are interested, my setup is:

1x Hardware Labs Black ICE Radiator GTX-Lite 360
3x Corsair PWM SP120 Fan - Quiet Edition
1x XSPC Dual 5.25 Bay Reservoir for Laing D5 V2
1x XSPC D5 Vario
1x EK-Supremacy EVO - Acetal

All sat in a Coolermaster ATCS 840 case, cooling a Xeon W3690 currently clocked to 4.2 Ghz (but I've only just started playing with it !) in a Asus P6T Mobo with 12Gb of corsair Dominator RAM.

And soon to add a GTX Titan SC Black edition :D
 
Perhaps. But if your going to buy a whole new set of fittings and tubing, I'd go 3/8 5/8 ;) :p . If your not, then don't It'll be a waste of money. :)

EDIT: I'de also recommend Monsoon's fittings, as they come with a tightening tool to make your life easier. :)
 
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Hi Leon,

So would the 3/8 5/8 be stiffer tubing seeming as it has slightly more side wall thickness ?

And what connectors would you recommend ?
Scratch that, I just saw your edit :rolleyes:

Cheers
 
Damob9k said:
Hi Leon,

So would the 3/8 5/8 be stiffer tubing seeming as it has slightly more side wall thickness ?

And what connectors would you recommend ?
Scratch that, I just saw your edit :rolleyes:

Cheers
Click to expand...

Yeah the 6 pack of Monsoon fittings come with a tool. :) https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=WC-030-MO&groupid=962&catid=1529

3/8 5/8 has a good bend radii, and as I've said in the post's above; from personal experience, I've had no problems with 3/8 tubing. :)

I would go for Primochill's advanced LRT - https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=WC-102-PM&groupid=962&catid=1530

(pick your colour)
:D
 
Thanks Leon + everyone else for your comments.

Just to go back to one of my earlier questions .. are you supposed to install the fittings just as they are, or do you use PTFE or anything similar to lock em in ?
 
I have had trouble with some tubing were its a good 1mm thicker then most other tubing i'v used before all I did was to strip off a small amount around the tubing where the compression fitting goes with a sharp knife it would go on fine then
 
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