Hose Clamps

I don't understand the big obsession with hose clamps. Surely they make you think everything is leak free, but from my experiences, a hose clamp has made things worse. If a hose doesn't fit on a barb snug enough to where it's hard to come off, a hose clamp sometimes just make it's bubble on one end. If that's not the case, you usually don't need one. Personally, I think they're somewhat ugly, so I've gone with my good ol friend PVC cement. It bonds with metal and plastic extroadinarily well, and it's waterproof. If you get on in there good, you have a perfect seal too. If operating on it is a problem, all you need to do to break the bond is a nice few twists, otherwise you can yank it all you want. Like to know any other experiences some of you experts out there have though. Also a good tip, use 3/8 ID hosing on 1/2" setup. It can be tough to get the hoses on, but chew on the ends for a good 30 seconds and get it soft.

~ben

I have never had a leak in my water cooling setups and i think that is due to patience and being extremely careful. If you do not like the normal silver looking hose clamps(the ones you tighten with a screwdriver) try the ones that you clamp together using a pair of pliers that are made out of plastic. Trust me it is not worth getting water on your 2000 dollars in computer components just because you dont like the way hose clamps look. I personally think both clamps look good as long as you dont buy the huge metal ones that leave a bunch of excess when you tighten them. Try to get ones that fit. I also know I like to bring my computer to lan parties and in doing so without clamps I would be extremely terrified to move my computer. But by having them there is like having added insurance. Plus just because you don't see any leaks, the hose that is connected to your inlet on your pump can have the tendency to suck in air or in any other parts of your water cooling loop where you are not using clamps and then you have air in your system.

Keep clocking

Trique said:

I don't understand the big obsession with hose clamps. Surely they make you think everything is leak free, but from my experiences, a hose clamp has made things worse. If a hose doesn't fit on a barb snug enough to where it's hard to come off, a hose clamp sometimes just make it's bubble on one end. If that's not the case, you usually don't need one. Personally, I think they're somewhat ugly, so I've gone with my good ol friend PVC cement. It bonds with metal and plastic extroadinarily well, and it's waterproof. If you get on in there good, you have a perfect seal too. If operating on it is a problem, all you need to do to break the bond is a nice few twists, otherwise you can yank it all you want. Like to know any other experiences some of you experts out there have though. Also a good tip, use 3/8 ID hosing on 1/2" setup. It can be tough to get the hoses on, but chew on the ends for a good 30 seconds and get it soft.

~ben

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lol, it depends on how u look at it. i see it as cheap insurance for my investment. Also, putting a hose clamp wrong will give u bad results. just like jkb2198 said.. "patience and being extremely careful"
besides that, using 3/8id on a 1/2" system is horrible. you'll be restrictic the whole system. and chewing on ur tubing is just gross . mine would taste like coolant

plastic hose clamps scare me... *shudder*

I use the metal hose clamps that screw tight, sold at hardware stores.

On my Dtek TC-4, the 1/2" tub goes on easily but unfortunately also comes off easily. I don't know if it would leak without the hose clamp but why risk it? Without the clamps, if the tubs are tugged down or anything it would definitely result in leaking.

I use the metal hose clamps on all connections and haven't had any problems with bubbles or anything else.

Using 1/2 ID tubing on 1/2 OD barbs. Hose clamps are not optional.

Well see, that's the thing. Surely you say it may be restrictive for flow rates, but the waterblocks that are 1/2" OD are really barely above 3/8" ID, so what's the big deal about putting 3/8" ID tubing on it? Also, I'd never chew it with a hose that already had fluid through it, but I'm talking about that PCV tubing you'd usually find in a hardware store. I have everything running on that 3/8" tubing right now, even though all the blocks and radiator are 1/2" (On the rig on running on right now) and with a 1.85vcore Barton XP2500 running at 2.34, I'm hitting a rock solid 39C, usually around 43C full load. Replacing the artic silver 2 with artic silver 5 (and also i used a razor blade to perfectly apply it,) I got a 2 degree drop. When i used to run 1/2" tubing, there wasn't any difference from when I decided to put 3/8" except for the new safety. Temperatures were still solid, so I suspect, if the flow was restricted like many of you say, it just added turbulance in front of the block. I hate to say it, but I honestly think a lot of online retailers for water cooling accesories made more hype than necessary about the whole water flow deal to get you to spend money on an expensive pump. Because if it was so true, why would koolance committ suicide with 1/4" hosing in their water ready cases, even more in all of their accesories. I've seen a koolance system run at solid temperatures for people before, so there must be a fluke.

I think they're somewhat ugly, so I've gone with my good ol friend PVC cement.

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im guessing youre more into the glamour and glitz of watercooling...how about performance? youre going to hear this a thousand times......clamps are for protecting your investment not for the glitz and the glamour...thats my 2 cents

Surely you say it may be restrictive for flow rates, but the waterblocks that are 1/2" OD are really barely above 3/8" ID, so what's the big deal about putting 3/8" ID tubing on it?

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Does a four lane highway that narrows to three lanes at the beginning and end carry more traffic than a 3 lane highway?

When i used to run 1/2" tubing, there wasn't any difference from when I decided to put 3/8" except for the new safety.

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This is probably due to your equipment. What kind of waterblock do you have, a maze? I have a WW, and it's very sensitive to restriction. I noticed a big temp rise when I added two blocks on the loop. I can only imagine what would happen if I would go to 3/8 tubing. Conversely, I have a Swiftech block in a 3/8 loop and I get 35C full load. But it's on a socket 423 P4 1.3 with a Hydor L30 and 3 feet combined tubing, so there's plenty of flow.

I honestly think a lot of online retailers for water cooling accesories made more hype than necessary about the whole water flow deal to get you to spend money on an expensive pump.

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You're just cynical. I've seen plenty of data that proves otherwise. One of the main objectives of setting up a WC system is to minimize restrictions, such as using 1/2 tubing. But I guess it's all relative. You could also be from the camp that lowering 5 degrees C by paying an extra $25 for a waterblock is a waste.

why would koolance committ suicide with 1/4" hosing in their water ready cases, even more in all of their accesories. I've seen a koolance system run at solid temperatures for people before, so there must be a fluke.

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Because koolance is for people who may not know how to put their own setup together, and hence wouldn't know the science behind it? Besides, 1/4" hosing looks sleek, which markets very well.

Trique said:

Well see, that's the thing. Surely you say it may be restrictive for flow rates, but the waterblocks that are 1/2" OD are really barely above 3/8" ID, so what's the big deal about putting 3/8" ID tubing on it? Also, I'd never chew it with a hose that already had fluid through it.

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theres a little more to it then that. pressure inside a water block (due to restriction) is something good. It causes more friction, and more turbulance which aids the convection process and absorbs more heat. Restricting it at the tubing though is not benificiary. It actually lowers resistance in your wanter block making it less effective.

as for chewing ur tubing, i was just kidding around. But it really isn't healthy, your dentist would be very disappointed. my own dentist yelled at me for splicing wires with my teeth, but now i have braces to do that.

Oh yea, the chewing the tubing thing. Don't do that. Tubing has been sitting in warehouses for months and who knows what probably happened to it. Heat some water up to near-boiling temperatures and dip the end in fast. Be sure not to melt the tubing.

Clamps are the way to go. However, if you overtighten a steel worm drive clamp, it may leak, because they are very easy to bend, and then would allow the tubing to stick out on one side. If you don't think hose clamps are necessary, then go ahead, don't use them. We don't care, but if a noob comes and sees this... You seem to be telling people that they aren't necessary, but you are very wrong about that. Also, your temp measuring isn't accurate, or, if it is, you are disproving your very point about large tubing. 39C? Yeah... Larger tubing is always better from a performance point of view, EVEN if you don't believe it.

You can get good performance using 3/8" tubing with 1/2" barbs. The tubing's easier to route without kinks, and it clings to the barbs like there's no tomorrow.
It helps to have a non-restrictive block, but that's not hard to find.

I'd suggest too, boiling a pan of water, dip the tube for a couple of seconds, then place on the barb. You'd have to slice the tube with a knife to remove it later.

Hoseclamps are butt ugly little monsters too. I use the plastic clamps myself, but intend to switch to the other kind, the spring sleeve ones that just need a pinch from your pliers to open them. They can be painted too to match your scheme. It's not that I really need them, but I think it dresses the system a bit.

If you don't use the 3/8" to 1/2" type system, then clamps might be necessary to keep from leaking while transporting to a lan and such.

I guess it's performance would depend on the other items in your system...pump, res, blocks etc...one restriction in your system is a restriction in the entire system, but a larger tubing can reduce the overall backpressure alot if you have a long way to pump your water, like I do with my HC in the basement.... 1/2" or even 5/8" tubing if you have an external setup like mine. If it's all in the case, I can't see where 2.5 feet of tubing would make a critical difference being 3/8".

I'd have to admit, you're pretty wise about it, and you can see where I am coming from. The whole dipping in hot water is a good plan, I never thought about it, I was just old school and chewwed it. As for the pump, I went from a 125gph to a 320gph pump, and really, saw absolutely no difference. There was one other thing that made a difference though. Back in the old days, when i was so excited when I built my first one, for some god awful reason I used just distilled water, aluminum and copper don't get along well. Some obvious corrosion was building up on my pump, and most definitetly in the blocks and radiator. After replacing the hosing, I wanted to start just from scratch so I got some drain-o (the foaming kind) and ran it through all blocks and radiators. After all that nonsense, flushed it a good 4 or 5 times make sure none of it was still in there, and then used about a 30/70 radiator fluid/water mix. I actually just went to Advanced Auto Parts and got that green stuff, because I was really only cared about corrosion. After all of that goodness, and painstaking work of taking the watercooler apart, I reworked the system a little. With my fancy shmancy dremel tool, cut out a 120mm block in the front for the radiator intake. I figure that's the last place i want to restrict flow. All that in place, I actually lost 5 full degrees in full load, and 4 when it is just idle.

i use both worm clamps and the kind you squeez together
and tighten by themselves when you let them go (i like them better)

Xymurgy said:

Using 1/2 ID tubing on 1/2 OD barbs. Hose clamps are not optional.

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AMEN BROTHER!

just lost 2 vid cards due to those damn herby clips.....I tried all to save them now I am on a savage4 till tax man pays up!

life is hell

There are many, many ways to set up a water cooling system, and like most things, one is not necessarily "rright" and another "wrong."
They are just choosing different compromises.

A good system can be done using 1/4" ID tubing: they tend to look much cleaner and less cluttered than systems with larger tubing, but they can not acieve the same performance levels that larger tubing allows.

3/8" tube can be a good compromise between performance and visual appeal/ease of installation- right in the middle ground between 1/4" and 1/2".

1/2" is the choice of most who want to get top performance with commonly available parts, but the tubing can be a pain to route inside a case, especially if it is a small one. Performance IS better though, as long as tight radius bends are avoided, etc. (Restriction and so on.)

Larger sizes of tube have also been used and do provide more performance at the cost of sometimes MASSIVE amounts of work to install the system.....and the added performance really starts hitting the point of diminishing returns. Just not worth it for most.

Back to the original (and related- bear with me!) topic:
Tubing and barbs should be properly sized to mate with each other: if the tube slips over the barb with no effort then a clamp may still leak. If the tube is just snug, a hose clamp is probably needed. If the tube is TIGHT then you may be okay without clamps- 3/8" ID over 1/2" OD barbs, 1/2" over 5/8" barbs, etc.

But even in these cases, clamps can provide insurance, and I find it worth the effort. I use worm drive clamps and I care not about the detriment to a smooth appearance.

Note also: I have often tested systems without clamps with no trouble when using 150gph or so pumps, but when I moved to 300 or more gph I started having small leaks even when using very tight tube and fittings.