Zip Ties Bad

[wfarid]

Are ZIP ties ok to use for securing the connection for ur tubing? Has anyone had problems using zipties?

[Ancient_1]

I feel if you are using a good and soft tubing like tygon zip ties are fine. For harder tubing like that from home depot stonger clamping will be pretty much needed to keep from leaking.

[wfarid]

what about clearflex 60?

[Senater_Cache]

cf60 should be an ok for zip-ties.

You do realize that a worm-drive clamp is ~50cents at Home depot, right?

SenC.

[mR|bUNgLe]

Zip ties are fine :)

[mata2974]

I use them on my clearflex in one bad area just to prevent kinks, nothing wrong with them.........

[wfarid]

yea i know, but i just dont like the look of em, they are all big and bulky... if i could get red ones, that'd be cool (but i've never seen em and i wouldnt be willing to pay a lot for em)....

[Ancient_1]

I personally dont care for the worm drive clamps. I have used zip ties on my airhose connector at the shop in which we run 150~175psi with less problems than I have had with the wormdrive clamps.

[Alacritan]

Zip ties are half as wide as worm clamps, maybe less, so you can exert much more force on a smaller area, effectively making a better seal. Of course, I made the mistake of switching over to plastic hose clamps (like the ones FrozenCPU and Danger Den sell) and they are the biggest pain in the ass to get off. I hate them, but I'm all out of zip ties now.

[Senater_Cache]

so you guys would recommend zip-ties over worm drives??

I am assembling a system right now, and am open to all suggestions

[Sean Lindstrom]

Daiso, the big Japanese chain dollar store, carries hose clamps with a (red or yellow) plastic thumb screw instead of the usual slotted bolt end. They're just as durable, and about a dollar each. Daiso stores are beginning to open in North America.

[thorilan]

i use zipties in almost all the rigs i build. BUT the zipties i use are military grade . so inspect the ratchet mechanism to make sure the tooth is long and thick enough and that its not a cheep plastic that will break.

[Alacritan]

You have a couple of choices. Zip ties are quick and easy and you can really get them tight on the hoses, but removal is a pain if you put them on too tight (you might cut the surface of the tubing) and you can't reuse them. Plastic hose clamps like the ones from Danger Den and FrozenCPU should be avoided at all costs. Sure they hold the hose plenty tight and they look nice, but they are the biggest bitch to get off the hose. Check 'em out to see what I'm talking about. Worm clamps are fine, they're easy to use though they take longer to put on, and they're reusable. They don't clamp as tight as zip ties, but you do have a mechanical advantage with a screwdriver and can clamp them down plenty tight. There's no real reason not to use worm clamps aside from the fact that zip ties are faster and cheaper. I didn't mean to discourage you from using them, but your main considerations should be that if you're going to take your tubing off more than once or twice a year, can you put up with unscrewing the worm clamps, or do you want quick and easy zip ties, that you cannot reuse and may damage the tubing (they do leave hellish marks on Tygon). If you're not going to be taking anything apart (I didn't plan on it but I do quite frequently), go with worm clamps.

[wfarid]

actually removal isnt a problem, i have these special shears (concave) that i use for my bonsai tree, so it'll cut the zip tie perfectly, without damaging the tubing :thup:

[Diggrr]

Zip ties will work fine. Mine have held for a year now.

However, on the next rig I'm building, I'm using the spring steel clamps that you squeeze the tabs together with pliers to install/remove. I found them in any size I need at Home Depot. A little primer/paint makes them a perfect match for my system colors.

I had problems with the worm screw clamps. I use silicone tubing, and the sticky surface likes to stick to the clamp and bunch up on one side actually causing leaks.
'Sides they're ugly. ;}

[glass19]

I use Bit thick heavy duty zip ties on my Tygon tubing. Works great and so far so good!

[jamie_bkc]

just thought i'd say this as no-ones mentioned it, I've been working on karts for the past four years and one of the gretest tools I've seen is a zip-tie gun. You loosly tie the zip tie around whatever then slot the gun over the excess, then just pull the trigger and it will tigten the tie. Gives a much stonger grip than you could get using your hands and is much easier for confined spaces (like pc cases) anothing thing to mention is that you can get re-usable ties that have a tab on them to release the ratchet, if you can't find any of these then you can wedge a pin between the little ratchet arm and the teeth to release them for re-use.

[Sean Lindstrom]

spring steel clamps that you squeeze the tabs together with pliers

Super. I'll look for those. The only spring clamps I've seen before have not tabs (loops in the wire, I presume) but just the two ends bent straight out; they slip maddeningly between plier jaws.

[Archer36]

I have had problems with the use of worm clamps, when you tighten them they squeeze the tube uneavenly and cause it to leak.

[wfarid]

dig any pics of spring steel clamps? i'm having trouble visualizing em

[Sean Lindstrom]

dig any pics of spring steel clamps? i'm having trouble visualizing em

Here's (http://www.pspring.com/constant_new.htm) a nicer one. A nasty is just a short coil of spring with the cut ends bent out. The diameter of a spring clamp at rest will be less than the fitting it's meant to compress. Thus, to apply it is held open, then released in place. That can mean a lot of manouvering with the pliers, the clamp fighting all the way.

[Diggrr]

No problemo.

http://home.wmis.net/~jberg/TubingClamps.jpg

Here's a pair of 5/8" ones, with the package they come in. You'll find them in the same section that the barbs are at.
The olive drab color is an oxide finish, which makes them take paint pretty well.
I thought a silver basecoat with the green clearcoat metalcast paint would make them look nice....mmmmm.

Those Peterson ones are nice, but I like these better as they are wide enough to cover two ribs of a hose barb for better protection. Painting them is a nice detailed touch too.

[Sean Lindstrom]

Best I've seen yet, Diggrr. Not much metal surface rubbing so you won't lose swathes of paint.

[SnowRider]

They have those spring clamps @ mcmaster also in packs of 10 for ~$5, just search "wide band spring clamps" and scroll down. I've gone back and forth between using some of those or zip ties. The nice thing about these spring clamps is looks like there is zero gaps between the clamp and the tubing so it has 100% coverage around the tube without pressure points.

How's the holding power on those Diggrr? Do they get tight enough? They don't loosen up after awhile or anything? I've always liked the look of those over every other clamp out there but haven't been sure of how good their clamping power is.

[Archer36]

I looked at those at Lowes one time, but i did not have the time to try them out, but they look nice.

[Cyrix_2k]

I have had problems with the use of worm clamps, when you tighten them they squeeze the tube uneavenly and cause it to leak.
That's how I killed an AIW 9800 PRO... Stupid Worm Clamps :bang head

[Diggrr]

How's the holding power on those Diggrr? Do they get tight enough? They don't loosen up after awhile or anything? I've always liked the look of those over every other clamp out there but haven't been sure of how good their clamping power is.

Holding power doesn't need to be great for a hose clamp IMHO, their job is to keep persistent pressure on the tube to make it conform to the shape of the barb's ribs, which these do very well. I'd fear breaking apart my poly top or cracking the mobo before the tube let loose.

Most people overuse clamps anyway. The barbs are designed slightly larger than the tubing ID, and the clamp is mearly to keep it from leaking under pressure and shock, of which a computer has negligable ammounts. If tubing doesn't fit snug, it should be replaced.

They don't weaken over time either, my 1990 pickup (that my brother now owns) uses the same ones judging from appearances, and it still runs fine...no leaks. That's why automakers often use them.

They are quite stiff though, and will work forever.

[SnowRider]

Thanks Diggrr, that helps me out alot and makes my decision easier:D. I guess I'll pick some of these up but another question. Which size would you recommend getting for 3/4" OD tubing...... ones that are rated for 3/4" OD tubing or the next size down which is rated for 21/32" OD tubing to ensure a good fit? Do you think the 21/32" would be to tight?

[Surreal]

wow, and all this time I have been using dozens of worm clamps.

[Diggrr]

3/4" should be fine. My 5/8" ones measure 1/16" smaller diameter when not on a tube, so when it is on a tube of the right size, it's clamping. A smaller one might also run out of room for pinching the tabs together to release it easily.

And yeah Surreal, the worm clamps aren't really total junk, just a bit extreme for the job. It is nice to be able to add a clamp to postpone a leak problem, but only for the time it takes UPS to deliver the new hose...
On a side note, I was stationed at Fort Dix for two years while in the Army, and six months at Cape May while in the Coast Guard. Not a bad place to live.

[CandymanCan]

I tried zip ties, thier good at first but over time they suck, i use those metal clamps that u tighten with a screw driver now and thier the best so far.

[Sean Lindstrom]

They (spring clamps) don't loosen up after awhile or anything?

They're also called "constant pressure clamps" because, being springs, they don't just draw down to a point and stop like a zip tie, collar, or worm gear - they keep squeezing. Those other types rely on elasticity of the hose to maintain pressure, so if the hose grows inflexible over time the clamp is just an ornament on the hose, doing nothing.

[SnowRider]

Thanks for the help Diggrr & Sean :beer:

I'm suprised after hearing all these positive things about the spring clamps that more people don't use them. I've seen them mentioned a few times before but I've never seen pictures of them on a rig. Zip ties and worm drives always seem to be more popular for some reason. This is kinda a stupid question :rolleyes: but why aren't these things more common in watercooling rigs if there's all these upsides to them? I mean, they're small (compared to worm drives), cheap, clean looking, and they clamp well....... what more can you ask for :confused:

[Sean Lindstrom]

You need pliers with an adjustable jaw to mount and dismount spring clamps, and it's a delicate operation. The clamp can accidentally, well, spring free. So there's the con of possibly dropping a heavy, recoiling hand tool inside a computer case or watching the powerful spring whip off the hose end and meet the new memory.

Also there's little satisfaction in just releasing a spring clamp. It doesn't feel right. One likes to tighten something down by hand and feel resistance.

[SureFoot]

I have used all kinds of clamps (metal, plastic and so on) and got no benefit apart from a headache for fastening / removing them, and dead spots (-->microleaks). Now i'm using twin zip-ties mounted opposite ways (on each barb), they have not moved at all, even brought the case to LAN parties this way.. Using thick walled Tygon. They key is to:
* fasten the zip ties using flat head pliers for added strength
* mount 2 zip ties in opposite directions on each barb to prevent dead spot formation
They are *very* cheap (each is worth a few cents only) and very strong. It's not like we have high pressure systems anyway...