Leaky Weldless Fittings.. please help!

[aekdbbop]

Just put a sight glass on my keggle, and it has a slow leak, a drip every 3 seconds or so.

What can I do? everything is as tight as it can get, and the orings are good.

It looks as if it is dripping from between the washer and the elbow.

 

[WortMonger]

I had the same thing happen. It finally quit after a couple of brews. Mine was leaking from where the site glass fits into the brass weldless fitting also.

 

[Spyk'd]

This may sound painfully obvious, but did you use teflon tape on your threaded connections?



If not, teflon tape with fix it.

 

[The Pol]

teflon rocckks

 

[adx]

It's probably too tight. Loosen it by 1/8th or 1/4th of a turn. If you make them too tight you screw up the O rings and make it leak.

 

[WortMonger]

Teflon tape wouldn't work on this to stop leaking since the o-ring is on the outside of the HLT and the brass nut smashes it down from the inside. It probably is because the nut is too tight. I just redid mine because of a project and it isn't leaking thank God, but I still need to do a hot test.

 

[cowgo]

I bought my weldless thermometer sight glass fixture from Williams Brewing.

I pulled the thermometer out and when I put it back in, the seals inside got all discombobulated. There was water getting inside the thermometer it leaked so bad. Not bad enough to throw off the temp readings, lose significant amounts of water or cause any trouble (just a few drips EVERY second) but it was just too irritating. I had to take the entire thing apart and put it back together one piece at a time (using the plumbers tape!) to get it to work again.

 

[WortMonger]

I think weld-less is a nice idea, but I won't ever do it again. There is just too much comfort in knowing a coupler isn't going to leak on you (mind you do use teflon tape and get a good seal - easy). The little threads on the inside of the keg of my sight glass aren't even wide enough for teflon tape, and they are worn from just two installs and removals. I really wish the whole fitting would have been SS. I am kicking myself for not just tapping my union between my ball valve and keg coupler and just putting the sight glass there. Would have been so easy to do at the time and wouldn't have added another welded coupler on my keg, but oh well, live and learn.

 

[aekdbbop]

Well, it is just confusing to me because i had to use another washer as a spacer on the outside of the keg, and between the two washers is where it is leaking. Im pretty sure i did ok on the tape.

Not sure how over tightening it would make it leak.

 

[WortMonger]

Wow, there is no way I would have had enough thread if I added anything to mine. One o-ring is about as much room as I have.

 

[Spyk'd]

Well, it is just confusing to me because i had to use another washer as a spacer on the outside of the keg, and between the two washers is where it is leaking. Im pretty sure i did ok on the tape.

Not sure how over tightening it would make it leak.

The way it leaks is if you overcompress the o-ring or stretch it out to allow liquid to pass through. It can happen, as I actually did it one time and tweaked the o-rings so much, I had to replace them.

Tighten until you can feel them seat, then give them another 1/4 turn only. Don't crank it down until you can't crank anymore.

 

[aekdbbop]

The way it leaks is if you overcompress the o-ring or stretch it out to allow liquid to pass through. It can happen, as I actually did it one time and tweaked the o-rings so much, I had to replace them.

Tighten until you can feel them seat, then give them another 1/4 turn only. Don't crank it down until you can't crank anymore.

wow didnt know this.. thanks!

I guess the good thing about these weldless fittings is that if you dont like them, just widen the hole and weld in the coupler that came with it:cross:

 

[aekdbbop]

figured it out..

i removed the two washers on the outside of the keggle, and moved them inside, dont worry they are ss.

so it is now just the oring and the elbow on the outside, and no leaks!

thanks for your help guys.