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Pump outlet leaking at valve

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thatjonguy

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As requested:

My pump is leaking on the output side between the head and ball valve.

The input leak shows what is occuring on the output. I was able to tighten the input enough to stop the leak.

ForumRunner_20130912_232307.jpg

September 23, 201 UPDATE:

Received the new pump head compliments of Chugger on Friday, installed and ran a 30 minute water test over the weekend.

No leaks. I brushed the new head with a brush first and soaked it in PBW for 1 hour prior to install. 4 wraps of pink teflon tape.

Works awesome now!
 
This thread confuses me - who requested this?
But to stop your leak, use more (or sometimes less) thread tape
 
Someone took exception to drift in another thread...

Have you tried removing the valve and the existing tape, and doing it over?

Cheers!
 
Someone took exception to drift in another thread...

Have you tried removing the valve and the existing tape, and doing it over?

Cheers!

hahaha, yeah I just caught up. One more thing I thoght of, which direction did you wrap the tape. You want to wrap it so that when you screw the valve on it "tightens" the tape and doesn't "pull" it off... if that made sense :D
 
Righty-tighty! ;)

Also, there may have been some residual machining oil left in the threads, which could also encourage the tape to spin. And given that there was a problem on the other side of the pump head as well, it seems likely the whole thing should be broken down, cleaned and retaped.

One really shouldn't have to crank down on the fittings to get a seal...

Cheers!
 
I have removed and rewraped about 10 times with the thread. I washed all the fittings with a beer glass detergent to remove any oils. The threads appear to be fine (no obvious burrs). I used a wrench to tighten the valve down.

Not sure what else to try.
 
I have removed and rewraped about 10 times with the thread. I washed all the fittings with a beer glass detergent to remove any oils. The threads appear to be fine (no obvious burrs). I used a wrench to tighten the valve down.

Not sure what else to try.

Looking at your picture, the tape looks kinda "thick."
Not all teflon tape is the same. Maybe you got a bad one. Some tape (from China, IIRC) is very thick and seals like crap. You want the thin stuff. Try to obtain some from a different source, if yours is suspect. Although not my preferential store, I'm using Home Depot's and that works fine. Get the big rolls, 540" per roll, you'll use them.

To clean the threads I use a brass (not steel) brush, and brush "leftwise," counterclockwise to remove old remnants. Acetone (nail polish remover, if in a pinch) is best for degreasing.

5-6 turns of teflon tape, wound tightly in the same direction as you would screw a fitting on, usually seals fine. The threads are tapered, so the more you screw it on, the tighter it gets.* I think you need to screw the fittings five or six turns together, on average, to seal tapered threads. The tape is a lubricant and a sealer at the same time. Using too much tape, does not provide a better seal as you can't screw enough threads on. Using not enough, the threads may bind which causes big problems later (galling), apart from leaks. So you need to find the golden mean.

* I'm not sure if the pump head threads are tapered (NPT), they maybe straight (NPS). The camlock and valve ends are definitely tapered.

You could try to screw the fittings together just by hand, without tape, and check if there is excessive play. If there is, that may be a cause of leaks.

I would not use liquid pipe dope if you can prevent it. First, it's messy. And you got to be careful how you apply it. Some of it could squeeze out on the inside of the fitting which will get in your wort. Tape should be all you need. That said, In my previous home I've repaired the old boiler/heating system and tape PLUS pipe dope creates a better seal than either of them alone. Plus it was way easier to screw 2" pipes together. The liquid really lubricates the threads well. The new dope is supposed to stay pliable forever, unlike the old fashioned kind.

Last but not least, be careful when putting force on that pump head. You don't want to break it or snap the stubs off.

Hope this helps.
 
I have tried both pink and white teflon tape, using different numbers of wraps. Now it leaks very slowly. The pump is an inline stainless Chugger.

I worked through the issue with Wayne from Bargainfittings.com and we got it to the point where it is just a minor annoyance.

Now I wonder what will happen once hot wort gets in there. Will I ever be able to get the pieces back apart?
 
Big 'ol crescent wrench. The handle is 14". Probably 1.5 past hand tight. I tried to get it to seat all the way back.
 
Big 'ol crescent wrench. The handle is 14". Probably 1.5 past hand tight. I tried to get it to seat all the way back.

The tapered threads do not seal on the face, but on the thread so getting it all the way back is not what you should aim for.
Most of he time I wrap about 5 wraps of Teflon, do up hand tight and then nip up another 1/2 turn or so.
Give it a shot, what's the worst that could happen... :D
 
Looking at the picture tells me that there are thread issues. The left side fitting goes on much more then the right side. Do you have another vavle to try? Sometimes you can deform a ball valve if you wrench too hard.

Take the tape off and screw it on my hand. It should still tighten on the pump further then it is now.
 
I have tried both pink and white teflon tape, using different numbers of wraps. Now it leaks very slowly. The pump is an inline stainless Chugger.

I worked through the issue with Wayne from Bargainfittings.com and we got it to the point where it is just a minor annoyance.

Now I wonder what will happen once hot wort gets in there. Will I ever be able to get the pieces back apart?

If it leaks only slowly, give it an extra 2 layers of tape. I see a lot of tape coming out the back. It will do no good there. The idea is to have the tape overlaps in the area where the threads seal, about 1/2 inch wide.

I have the feeling the fittings are a bit loose. The pump threads must be straight, judging by how far the camlock goes on that nipple. Use more tape!

They sure will come apart with all that teflon. Even if some wort cakes on, but a potential problem is sanitation right there where a drop of wort remains in the threads between. Now it has been boiled and I'm sure you circulate boiling wort through the system before you chill, again to sanitize. May never be an issue.
 
I put this on the 'parent' thread for this as well. Ditch the teflon tape. Use Rectorseal. It is totally safe for potable water, it can handle pressure and high temps, and goes on as a paste so it fills in all the microscopic leaks better than tape.

And it costs about twice the tape for a lifetime supply. It is in a yellow tube in the plumbing section. I've used this on boil kettles then hit boil temp right after applied and no leaks.
 
I suppose using goop might work, but roughly 99.999% of people manage to seal such fittings just fine with tape, which makes me think there's something going on here that goop may not fix...

Cheers!
 
I suppose using goop might work, but roughly 99.999% of people manage to seal such fittings just fine with tape, which makes me think there's something going on here that goop may not fix...

Cheers!

Any thoughts where to start? I have cleaned, rewraped and tightened and it still leaking. I even tried the other side of the valve since it is a 3 piece.

Still slowly leaking. One drop every 10 to 20 seconds.
 
Are you absolutely certain you don't have a crack in the valve that's expanding when you crank it down?

[edit] Ok, didn't see that you tried swapping ends with the valve. In that case I got nothing...
 
Are you absolutely certain you don't have a crack in the valve that's expanding when you crank it down?

I suppose there could be. What is the best way to check?

Should I contact Chugger to see if they have any advice?
 
I suppose there could be. What is the best way to check?

Should I contact Chugger to see if they have any advice?

I think you already tried the easiest way - reversing the valve. It wouldn't hurt to give the Chugger folks a call, the prevailing opinion around here is they are very responsive, and the odds are they'll offer to swap heads if not the whole pump...

Cheers - and good luck
 
Emailed Chugger some photos and a run down of the problem. No questions from them in the response. Instead, they are sending me a new pump head to see if that fixes the problem. Those guys are awesome.

Hopefully this will take care of it.
 
Received the pump head on Friday, installed and ran a 30 minute water test over the weekend.

No leaks. I brushed the new head with a brush first and soaked it in PBW for 1 hour prior to install. 4 wraps of pink teflon tape.

Works awesome now!
 

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