Barb question..

[absynthe]

I have seen many people say that ek barbs are the best. They look like this...

http://ekwaterblocks.com/shop/images/fitting13.jpg

Why wouldnt industry standard barbs work better? They have more lips and seem easy enough to get in any thread size. Is it that they are harder to get tubing off of? That doesnt seem like a problem since they are metal. Are they lower flow? Here is an example...

http://www.dtekcustoms.com/ProductImages/fittings/brass_barb.jpg

[SiGfever]

Most barbs used in water cooling use an o-ring seal with short threads. The standard barbs are made for teflon/pipe dope and the length of the threads could be an issue.

[y2jed_2000]

I use both. With the ek barbs, I still use teflon tape and the o-ring because I dont trust the o-ring by themselves.

[Scuddles]

I'm completly new to the W/C world. But I do have experience with plumbing. Also with air compressor tubing.

I would say that either barb is the best, depending on what you are doing with it. Just from the looks, the ek barbs look great. Like SiGfever said the o ring and short threads are just what is needed in standard systems meant for computing. They look like they will seal great and hold the tube, just what is needed. I would say the standard barbs would be more for some custom mod's.

The standard barbs are really meant for a more permanent and heavy duty job. The length they stick into the tube is not to seal air/water. Just one good seal on one ring is all that is needed. The length is to make a good strong connection for tubes that are pulled all over the place on construction sites or whatever.

On the standard barbs, the drawback of removing them is not that it is difficult, it is that they are so sharp they cut into the tube, and subsuquent installations will tend to leak because the tube is damaged.

Hope that helps.

[Captain Slug]

I use both. With the ek barbs, I still use teflon tape and the o-ring because I dont trust the o-ring by themselves.
Um, the O-Ring will only work if the fitting is screwed in far enough that it will compress the O-Ring. And Teflon tape might make that impossible to accomplish. Use one or the other, but not both.

[wun911]

I think the barb on the bottom is for Air compressors??? like the ones you use for spray guns it has multiple ridges....

[davidk21770]

Um, the O-Ring will only work if the fitting is screwed in far enough that it will compress the O-Ring. And Teflon tape might make that impossible to accomplish. Use one or the other, but not both.If the teflon tape makes it impossible to screw in far enough to seat the oring, it has sealed the opening and the oring is not needed.

[frostmeister]

Well, I use the bottom ones. the top ones do look the part, and I think I might have a play with my mill and see if I can machine an O-ring groove into the ones I've got. I've never experienced leaks so far, although that's because mine have been soldered in to a copper top. My present block is the first one I've made with a polycarbonate top, so I'll see how it fares. I also drill out the internal diameter to 10mm. I did try 10.5, but then you start losing screw threads when it comes out the bottom. If it was in a lathe, I could probably bore it to that, but my lathe is yet to be put back together... I need "johnny 5" - "re-assemble!"