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Worm drive hose clamps...

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torin3

Member
Joined
Dec 25, 2004
The other day somebody mentioned that they liked the 430 stainless hose clamps that aren't perforated on the inner diameter. Since I'm going to be be redoing my loop(s) in the next few days I thought I would get some. However, I was wondering with 3/4" OD tygon if I should get the 1/2"-3/4" range or if it would be better to get the 5/8" to 1 1/16" range ones?

Thanks!
 
1/2-3/4


why?


because once you start having to tighten it a lot it start to turn into more of an oval. so if you barely have to do 2 turns i think it'll be better.
 
darkcow said:
1/2-3/4


why?


because once you start having to tighten it a lot it start to turn into more of an oval. so if you barely have to do 2 turns i think it'll be better.

Thanks. I wasn't quite sure if there would be enough room from the swell of going over the barbs for the 3/4" ones.

And I know what you mean about turning oval. It makes sense.
 
yes, get the 1/2-3/4" (5076K13, p 229 on mcmaster.com). I found these over a year ago and they are wonderful. You can tighten the fire out of them. I use a ratchet on mine.
 
I ordered a set of these and was very disappointed to find that they are not smooth on the inner diameter at all, but very similar to the junk you'd find at Home Depot, etc. I suppose if they were tightened down a great deal you might get past the perforated part, but for 5/8" OD or larger it isn't going to happen. I thought Mcmaster sent me the wrong thing but they claimed I received part no. 5076K13 when I called (even though it did not say that anywhere on the bag they came in.

Worse, the bracket that holds the screw assembly was so sharp that I cut my finger on the first one I picked up. I can't imagine what this would do to a soft hose.

Given the comments here, I still feel like I got the wrong ones from Mcmaster. Are they actually supposed to be completely smooth on the inside, with ribs only on the outer diameter?
 
Nope, those are the right ones. The difference is that while there are grooves, they aren't punched all the way through, so they don't scrape off material as they are being screwed down. Sorry you got cut on the screw bracket, but I just used 20 of them on my new plumbing setup and didn't have any problem with them. (Ok, the motherboard died, but I'm pretty sure that didn't have anything to do with the hose clamps)
 
I am using this same model from mcmaster and have had no problems. I found the quality to be much higher than what I found at the hardware store.
 
torin3 said:
The difference is that while there are grooves, they aren't punched all the way through, so they don't scrape off material as they are being screwed down.

I guess my confusion is over the definition of "non-perforated". These are certainly perforated. When you refer to "grooves", it sounds like you are describing ribs punched into the band, as opposed to sections of the band actually being punched out completely as they are here.

My biggest concern is that despite being leak free with several setups over the past 5 years or so, I have a strange leak at my CPU waterblock that I have only been able to blame on a hose clamp that I believe is actually breaking the seal by forming the end of the hose into an oval, as described above. It only leaks when I move the attached hose in a certain way and did not stop even after recutting the end of the hose twice.
 
Last edited:
I love constant-tension spring hose clamps.
5324kp1s.gif

Alot.
No need to tighten them because you install them by using vice-grip pliers to open them up, then move them into place and unlock the vice-grips and they clamp down where you leave them. They won't cut anything, are easy to reposition, and are sold for $10 for 100. Just buy the size with an OD measure rating that matches the OD of your tubing.
 
Ian Cherubino said:
I guess my confusion is over the definition of "non-perforated". These are certainly perforated. When you refer to "grooves", it sounds like you are describing ribs punched into the band, as opposed to sections of the band actually being punched out completely as they are here.

If you can see through holes in the band, then no, they aren't what you ordered. If there is a profile like |\|, but no holes where the screw contacts the band, then you got the right ones. There is a lot more profile than shown on the Mcmaster page, but no holes.


My biggest concern is that despite being leak free with several setups over the past 5 years or so, I have a strange leak at my CPU waterblock that I have only been able to blame on a hose clamp that I believe is actually breaking the seal by forming the end of the hose into an oval, as described above. It only leaks when I move the attached hose in a certain way and did not stop even after recutting the end of the hose twice.


I'd go a step down in size on the hose clamp to avoid the oval then. If that doesn't work, I'm not sure what to suggest, other than the constant tension ones mentioned by Captain Slug
 
torin3 said:
If you can see through holes in the band, then no, they aren't what you ordered. If there is a profile like |\|, but no holes where the screw contacts the band, then you got the right ones. There is a lot more profile than shown on the Mcmaster page, but no holes.

I knew it! I did get the wrong ones! Dammit, no I'll need to wait until next week to redo my setup. I was really hoping to get it done before the weekend...

Thanks for the help. I'm glad I did use the wrong ones in my rush to finish it.
 
Captain Slug said:
I love constant-tension spring hose clamps.
5324kp1s.gif

Alot.
No need to tighten them because you install them by using vice-grip pliers to open them up, then move them into place and unlock the vice-grips and they clamp down where you leave them. They won't cut anything, are easy to reposition, and are sold for $10 for 100. Just buy the size with an OD measure rating that matches the OD of your tubing.
I have never used these on a WC setup but I have worked with them on engines and they are very easy. They don't get oval like worm drive either so they are less likely to leak.
 
Ian Cherubino said:
I knew it! I did get the wrong ones! Dammit, no I'll need to wait until next week to redo my setup. I was really hoping to get it done before the weekend...

Thanks for the help. I'm glad I did use the wrong ones in my rush to finish it.

Btw, I just got more in, ordered the exact same part number you listed. Here is a picture:
screw1.jpg
 
torin3 said:
Btw, I just got more in, ordered the exact same part number you listed. Here is a picture.

Thanks for the pic. Would it be possible for you to show the opposite view, showing the inner diameter of the ribbed side?
 
Ian Cherubino said:
Thanks for the pic. Would it be possible for you to show the opposite view, showing the inner diameter of the ribbed side?

screw2.jpg


Good enough?
 
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