20 years ago I installed a pressure water system using Shields 148 VAC hose, 3/4". Over the weekend a pinhole leak developed under the galley sink. I went to the True Value and got a 3/4" x 3/4" PVC repair barb and then the fun started. Cut the hose and even with some water soluble lube, could not slip the barb onto the hose it was so stiff. So I go the wife's hair blower and tried to warm it up. Still too stiff. Finally I took my propane torch and warmed it up after wrapping several layers of alu foil around the last 2". That did the trick but you can see that the hose has expanded a fair bit, so now I am wondering if I used the right fitting in the first place and of course wondering how well the repair will hold up. Seems to me it should have been much easier....or does this hose just become brick-hard with age?
Pressure water hose leak - so hard to patch?
- Thread starter odaydokay
- Start date
Sounds like you have made a good attempt to patch the old hose. Gotta say, that is one huge size hose for the pressure water system on a 28 footer. We have half inch or 5/16 on the whole two-fawcet system on our larger boat.
Trivia note: when I redid the whole layout over a decade ago, I replaced almost all of the '88 factory Qest-brand gray plastic tubing with more-flexible "air breather hose" from the local hose and fittings store. It has an FDA approved food-grade liner and is reinforced for about 300 psi (or maybe 150, can't recall after the passage of time). Anyhow it is really tough and can be clamped easily onto regular barb fittings. The cover layer is a vivid yellow color, too!
Regards,
Loren
Trivia note: when I redid the whole layout over a decade ago, I replaced almost all of the '88 factory Qest-brand gray plastic tubing with more-flexible "air breather hose" from the local hose and fittings store. It has an FDA approved food-grade liner and is reinforced for about 300 psi (or maybe 150, can't recall after the passage of time). Anyhow it is really tough and can be clamped easily onto regular barb fittings. The cover layer is a vivid yellow color, too!
Regards,
Loren
Thanks, Loren. You are right, I probably overdid it. If I keep getting leaks, I may borrow your idea which sounds smart....and go down a size also.
That type if hose is a bear with barbed fittings.
Any larger than 3/4 and it can be near impossible. Also good luck getting it off.
Irrelevant side note: 1 1/2" IS impossible. Especially in tight quarters, and with the hose bent around through bulkheads.
You might switch to reinforced non-tox for future hose replacements. It'll stretch easier.
Try slip-fit connectors for heavy duty hose. You can double clamp them, and they're dead easy to use.
Any larger than 3/4 and it can be near impossible. Also good luck getting it off.
Irrelevant side note: 1 1/2" IS impossible. Especially in tight quarters, and with the hose bent around through bulkheads.
You might switch to reinforced non-tox for future hose replacements. It'll stretch easier.
Try slip-fit connectors for heavy duty hose. You can double clamp them, and they're dead easy to use.
I think you got your money's worth after 20 years. If the leak was due to deterioration and hardening of the hose it is bound to continue happening in other locations. I would replace the hoses and yes downsize to 1/2 inch. I like your backwoods engineering approach with the propane torch.
Well after some web searching and an experiment I found a good answer for this. Last night I took a scrap piece of the stuff, boiled up a small pot of water and put the piece into to it for 30 seconds. PRESTO, it became very pliable and easy to slip on the barb, which again expands the hose a good 1/8"+. So, forget the torch idea as you cannot use that in tight places anyway and you probably don't have one on your boat...Just carry a spare repair barb and boil up some water. I was right in thinking it should not have been so hard, but like a lot of things there is a trick....Thanks to all who weighed in.
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Over the years, my winterizing may not have been perfect, causing frost damage. I would empty the water tank as best I could, add in the glycol and wait until the 2 faucets showed a decent shade of pink, but this was not perfect as there was still water in the blend and the freeze point was probably too high. A couple of years back I put a port in the top of the tank and now I can really get it empty and my new trick is that instead of dumping the glycol into the tank itself, I hook a hose into the outlet of the tank and use the pump to suck the glycol directly out of the jug (you could say I "mainline" it). Very quickly the two sink faucets show a deep pink color. Saves glycol too.
I guess the reason for the 3/4" was that was the port size into and out of the 1 gal Groco diaphragm tank I use and 23 years ago I did not know better. If I have one more leak, I will probably replace all the hose and yes, at least 1 size down if not 2.