Is this considered a Leak

[day_trippr]

Regulators don't normally come sized with 3/8" barbs. I'm not saying they don't exist but I went to Taprite's site to see and didn't find a replacement valve with that barb size.

You looked in the wrong place I have a Micromatic Premium primary reg on my beergas tank and they come with a 3/8" barb.

https://www.beveragecraft.com/primary-co2-regulator-micromatic/
Lemme tell ya getting 5mm ID EVAbarrier tubing over that bastard was a pita but I got it done with heat and a swaging spike...

Cheers!

 

[Deadalus]

You looked in the wrong place I have a Micromatic Premium primary reg on my beergas tank and they come with a 3/8" barb.

https://www.beveragecraft.com/primary-co2-regulator-micromatic/
Lemme tell ya getting 5mm ID EVAbarrier tubing over that bastard was a pita but I got it done with heat and a swaging spike...

View attachment 812684

Cheers!

Aw man put a disclaimer on that, that's hideous with the worm gear! And you shrink wrapped it too. Duct tape would have been classier. No doubt it must have been a PITA, I'm guessing but that's probably Evabarrier and the biggest common size for that is 9.5mmOD x 6.5mm ID making that a 1/4" on a 3/8".

Ok Micromatic does it. In fact, looking at their site, they do tell you to size down the tubing to 5/16" on their 3/8" barbs. I don't have any Micromatics, but I happen to have five primary regulators currently and none of them are or were 3/8" barbs(Taprite (2), Komos, Cornelius, unknown). Nor was the four-way manifold I just gave away or the one I have in my parts bin. I didn't say you wouldn't find any that are 3/8" barbs but 5/16" barbs are a lot more common for HB CO2 regulators. If all you know about a new regulator is that it takes 5/16" ID gas line, then the barb on it is 5/16" as that's the convention, unless it's a Micromatic and it tells you that in the parantheses of the description as that caveat is needed since they don't want you to follow convention. Could potentially be another company but that would just illustrate how that advice will waste time.

 

[day_trippr]

Well, I bet they didn't burn as many words discussing barbs as all that
Hells, I'm not defending anyone, just pointing out the reality.

[edit] Also, fwiw, the 6.5mm ID EVA wasn't made back in 2019. It would be somewhat easier to get that over a 3/8" barb than the 5mm ID, though I bet it would still take some heat...

Cheers!

 

[Deadalus]

Short

X ID tube→X barb (-Micromatic).
1/4 3/16≠ 5/16≠ 3/8.

 

[Bobby_M]

Like sometimes it's a pain in the ass to get the now oversized barb into the tubing.

Pushing 1/4 PVC over a 5/16 barb is trivial. I generally recommend this when someone doesn't want to invest in an oetiker pinching tool. With Oetikers, a size matched barb is fine. With generic worm drive clamps, which do no apply even force, an oversized barb helps a lot at avoiding leaks. Long story short, everyone should own an oetiker tool.

long rant

 

[BAF]

Can get by with a pair of diagonal cutters if you don't want to buy an oetiker tool as well. Not that they're very expensive though.

 

[Deadalus]

Pushing 1/4 PVC over a 5/16 barb is trivial. I generally recommend this when someone doesn't want to invest in an oetiker pinching tool. With Oetikers, a size matched barb is fine. With generic worm drive clamps, which do no apply even force, an oversized barb helps a lot at avoiding leaks. Long story short, everyone should own an oetiker tool.

BS, sometimes it's a PITA to work with the thick-walled tubing even with the properly sized barbs. Reducing the tubing size would just make it harder, particularly if somone is new. I agree, the correct answer is owning an oetiker tool, not mismatching your tubing and barb sizes because you don't. Or skip the barbs when you can use Evabarrier and the correct ptc fittings. The clamping tool and fittings are inexpensive. Hobbies do require equipment and supplies.

 

[A1sportsdad]

Okay. Redid all the metal to metal flair fittings to install flair washers. That worked for sure. Now just redid all my ultra barrier gas tubing connections to eliminate the hose clamps and replace with Oetiker clamps. Now I’ve pressurized it, turned off at the tank and will see if it holds pressure. Still not checking downstream of the manifolds. That will be next.

 

[A1sportsdad]

Okay. Redid all the metal to metal flair fittings to install flair washers. That worked for sure. Now just redid all my ultra barrier gas tubing connections to eliminate the hose clamps and replace with Oetiker clamps. Now I’ve pressurized it, turned off at the tank and will see if it holds pressure. Still not checking downstream of the manifolds. That will be next.

Looks like I missed a couple. Doh.

 

[tracer bullet]

Where each of your valves goes into a manifold, as well as those brass pieces, do you have any pipe dope in there? I'm guessing those aren't using any kind of gasket. I'd put some pipe dope in there or there's a chance it'll leak slowly past those threads. Maybe you used some tape and I'm not noticing it.

Also, pipe dope > teflon tape.

 

[ITV]

... and get rid of the teflon tape on the MFL fittings.

 

[day_trippr]

^definitely yes^

 

[PCABrewing]

I'm guessing those aren't using any kind of gasket. I'd put some pipe dope in there or there's a chance it'll leak slowly past those threads.

Just a minor point; Teflon tape and Pipe-dope are Designed to act as a lubricant on threaded fittings. They are NOT intended to be used to affect a seal themselves.
Lubrication works by reducing the friction (and/or galling) of the threaded joint thereby allowing the joint to be tightened enough that the Tapered threads (NPT) achieve a mechanical seal.
Both products are commonly (mis-)used as a sealant, with varying success, but that doesn't make it right.

Flare fitting are also designed to achieve a mechanical seal at the faces of the flare. The threads do nothing to seal other than applying clamping pressure. The flare fittings that require the little washer have one or both faces that are too hard to conform to each other, thus the washer is required to provide the sealing surface. They actually achieve two seals, one on each side of the washer.

Understanding what the design result is supposed to be, should help in correcting minor leaks like these.

 

[tracer bullet]

Just a minor point; Teflon tape and Pipe-dope are Designed to act as a lubricant on threaded fittings. They are NOT intended to be used to affect a seal themselves.

We'll agree to disagree, or maybe agree that "it depends". PTFE tape, yes, is a lubricant to get the threads to go even further, and you do rely on the thread mate-up to do the sealing. Pipe dope, at least what I am thinking of, though it sometimes contains PTFE, it is (sometimes, at least) indeed intended as a sealant. I worked with these and other chemicals at an engine assembly plant and sat through the Loctite rep's annual class for our builders where this was explained each time.

Either way, it will help, and yes you should use the right things at the right times and know why things seal when they do. I too hate people putting straight and NPT fittings together with a boatload of tape and say "it works", I always tell them they have gotten lucky. In this case I just mean to say that - if those threads are bare metal to metal - they'll have a better seal if some pipe dope is used.

 

[PCABrewing]

I too hate people putting straight and NPT fittings together with a boatload of tape and say "it works", I always tell them they have gotten lucky. In this case I just mean to say that - if those threads are bare metal to metal - they'll have a better seal if some pipe dope is used.

That is one of the biggest problems, I agree.

 

[A1sportsdad]

... and get rid of the teflon tape on the MFL fittings.

I have added in the Flare washers and it's all good. Though the Teflon tape did nothing for me to create the seal, I don't think leaving it on is an issue. The Flare washer is there for the seal. If I have to remove the fitting again for some reason, I can remove the tape at that time. Don't see a reason to remove it now. Thanks for the input.