what do you do when teflon tape won't cut it?

[striker85]

I have teflon tape on every fitting and barb on my cooling system and not one leak. I don't see any reason to not use teflon tape, it IS designed to be used with liquid systems. I think the only problem exists when you have many different materials in the loop. All of my fittings and barbs are brass, so teflon tape works just fine. For nylon/plastic an RTV liquid sealant would probably be the better choice.

 

[Electron Chaser]

I have teflon tape on every fitting and barb on my cooling system and not one leak. I don't see any reason to not use teflon tape, it IS designed to be used with liquid systems. I think the only problem exists when you have many different materials in the loop. All of my fittings and barbs are brass, so teflon tape works just fine. For nylon/plastic an RTV liquid sealant would probably be the better choice.

On my current WCing setup I also use nothing but brass barbs and teflon tape and as always I have not had to worry about a single issue with leaks.

As you can see here.

I also used stainless steel worm drive clamps and torqued the crap out of em. Ok so I am a bit paranoid now.

 

[-aDaM^]

do you want to keep the barbs removable? I'd say be safe and get brass barbs. then solder them in so you'll get no leaks whatsoever..so long an you 'sweat' them in nicely and don't over heat the rad.

if you don't go that route, then go with liquid teflon imo.

Well you cant solder Brass to acrylic

 

[veryhumid]

I just got back from the hardware store. They ran out of Blue RTV earlier when some people came in to fix their water cooled computer. how funny is that? The good thing is they will have more by 1:00 pm.

Any tips for applying the RTV silicone? Just apply liberally on dry threads?

 

[jamesavery22]

I gave up on teflon tape awhile ago. Too much mess when removing and unless you apply that crap perfectly you get bits in your loop...

RTV is easy to apply. I usually put a glob of it on some paper then paste it on the threads with a flat head screw driver.

RTV blue is easy to clean up, just rub it off while holding the part over a garbage can.


My only gripe about RTV is that the tube it comes it is hard to seal. The RTV at the tip of the tube tends to dry and you have to stab the tube somewhere to squeeze more out. I end up with tubes with 20 stabbing holes that looks like a child of the terminator and SID 6.7 shat it out.

 

[Electron Chaser]

I just got back from the hardware store. They ran out of Blue RTV earlier when some people came in to fix their water cooled computer. how funny is that? The good thing is they will have more by 1:00 pm.

Any tips for applying the RTV silicone? Just apply liberally on dry threads?

Put a little on your finger and apply around the bottom 1/3 of the threads on the barb make sure you get coverage all the way around the barb. You don't need a whole lot. As you insert the barb and tighten it down the excess will be trapped at the hole opening so you don't want to use too much. Once it is tightened down you should end up with a nice little ring of sealant around the base of the hole. If you use just the right amount it should look nice and not even need to be touched up or wiped off. Giving you a little extra bit of sealing as as well.

 

[veryhumid]

would it hurt to do like 2/3? the threads in the radiator are about 2/3 the length of the threads on the barb.

 

[Electron Chaser]

I wouldn't go more then say half. Otherwise you will end up with a big gob of silicone around the base of the barb. You could go 2/3 of the way up it is up to you but you will probably have to wipe off the excess around the hole and off of the barb threads. Which can get messy so just tape of the area around the hole. Wipe off the excess then remove the tape.

 

[veryhumid]

okay just picked up the stuff. I was about to start but I want to clear up a couple things.

EC,

which end is the "bottom"? The end with only threads on it? or the end with the nut and barb on it?

Also, should I let it set up a few hours before attaching the tubing, or attach the tubing while it is setting up?

Thanks again,

I hope this will straighten things out.

 

[Electron Chaser]

okay just picked up the stuff. I was about to start but I want to clear up a couple things.

EC,

which end is the "bottom"? The end with only threads on it? or the end with the nut and barb on it?

Also, should I let it set up a few hours before attaching the tubing, or attach the tubing while it is setting up?

Thanks again,

I hope this will straighten things out.

The end with only the threads on it. This is what gets threaded into the Rad so you want as many threads as possible with RTV on it. Once it is in and tightened down it is not going anywhere so you can start attaching tubing if you like.

 

[ƒÓÒl]

Yep, what he said^^

Hand tighten as far as you can get it, then use a wrench/pliers to give it another 1/4 turn or less...but don't go gonzo on it...it's just plastic.
Don't grip too tight with the pliers either or you can mar your purty barbs up.
Remove excess with a q-tip within an hour.

You can put your tubing on right afterwards, but if you've got to twist it to get the tube's curve facing the right direction, twist it clockwise (like tightening the threads) just to make sure it doesn't back out of the hole (it shouldn't, but it can).

You can fill it in an hour or two, according to the directions on the RTV you bought. Some set up in 2 hours, some set in 6. Don't need to wait until "full cure time" stated on the RTV tube because you're using it as a thread sealer, not a gasket.

 

[weapon]

Plumber's Goop and Marine Goop are brand names for a clear silicone based sealant. You can find them at Lowe's/Depot. The word Goop is in large white letters on the tube's label.
Stuff works great. I will say that it might hold a little too well with those semi-clear polypropylene barbs though...I've twisted a barb in half using a wrench to remove one, but it was truly watertight for months beforehand.
The Goop brand has two drawbacks, it's able to leave marks on plexiglass before it dries, powerfull solvent in there. And when the tube gets older, it's hard to work quickly enough before it starts to congeal because it dries so fast.

I just use clear CRC brand silicone sealant in the cheeze-whiz style can for threads. Watertight and removable. Works a treat on my barbs of the same type.

yep on the Plumber's Goop and Marine Goop. I have used both...as bragged on the tube "Clear, Waterproof, Paintable, Flexible. Hundreds of uses!"
It's good stuff to have around when you are dealing with fittings.

It contains toluene and petroleum distillates which is why it marks up plexi on contact (and will produce a good headache if you use in a confined room with no ventilation).

you should be able to find it at wal-m@rt, lowe's, home depot, etc. along with the other adhesives.

personal preference note -- I'd change out the fittings to brass ones.

 

[VballCoach]

Well you cant solder Brass to acrylic

oh really...didn't know that...

he said he had a drip from the inlet of is RAD not his RES. unless he's using an acrylic RAD...

 

[DickH]

I found that little O rings work nicely and dont require too much to use

 

[veryhumid]

oh really...didn't know that...

he said he had a drip from the inlet of is RAD not his RES. unless he's using an acrylic RAD...

hehe, which I'm not.

Okay, I'm done class, going to give it a shot! I'll let you know if this fixed my problem!

 

[veryhumid]

Just applied it. I used quite a bit, enough so that some parts of the thread were almost covered when i initially put it on. I wiped the excess off with a q-tip after I screwed it in. Overall the process was very painless, and not as messy as i thought it would be. It says it sets in 1 hour, cures in 24.

I'm going to fill it up in about 3 hours.

 

[veryhumid]

Okay, now i'm actually using it! After 22 hours at full pump pressure there was no water, so I reinstalled the components. I'll be keeping a close eye on it, but it seems the RTV did the trick. I'll definitely be using it in the future with plastic parts as opposed to teflon tape

 

[Electron Chaser]

Okay, now i'm actually using it! After 22 hours at full pump pressure there was no water, so I reinstalled the components. I'll be keeping a close eye on it, but it seems the RTV did the trick. I'll definitely be using it in the future with plastic parts as opposed to teflon tape

That is great news!! Job well done!!

 

[ƒÓÒl]

Shweet! Now you know there's a long tradition of making a pics post eh?

 

[veryhumid]

Haha will do. the funny thing is all of a sudden near death since I reinstalled it in the case. It only does about 3MB/s burst and hangs all over the place. I have a troubleshooting thread in the storage section, but it's no big deal. Already have windows going on another drive I had

I'll try to get a pic up tonight.