Best hose clamp for water pump fitting

[Sagecoachdriver]

I had issues with my Shurflow water pump and removed it and changed the head. I reinstalled it and now on my first trip out find the elbow fitting coming off the water pump is leaking at the base of the hose. It has a crimped clamp and I tried placing a small regular screw to tighten hose clamp above the crimped clamp. It only made it worse. Do you think if I remove the crimped clamp and move the screw to tighten clamp down it would work or try something else?

[Bama Rambler]

Is the hose pex piping or the braided hose?
At any rate, the best clamp is to replace or re-crimp the clamp/ferrule.

Since I assume you don't have the proper crimper, remove the clamp/ferrule and get the proper sized screw clamp and clamp it. By the proper size clamp, get the smallest one that will fit around the hose. If it's too big it will distort the hose and barb and cause it to leak worse.

I also like to double clamp those connections and position the clamps 180 degrees from each other.

[jeff64]

Trim back end of hose just enough to have a smooth bore and you'll get much better results than if you just stuff it back on the barb and clamp it no matter what type of clamp you use. I like the ear, band or oetiker clamp best, you get 360 degrees of clamping force unlike screw clamps. But like Bama Rambler said most don't have the tool. Follow the 2x clamp suggestion and trim the hose, cross your fingers. If you have to take the band clamps off, try a Dremel and an abrasive cut-off disc.

[Sagecoachdriver]

Originally Posted by Bama Rambler

Is the hose pex piping or the braided hose?
At any rate, the best clamp is to replace or re-crimp the clamp/ferrule.

Since I assume you don't have the proper crimper, remove the clamp/ferrule and get the proper sized screw clamp and clamp it. By the proper size clamp, get the smallest one that will fit around the hose. If it's too big it will distort the hose and barb and cause it to leak worse.

I also like to double clamp those connections and position the clamps 180 degrees from each other.

It's the braided hose in the photos

[Scrapper]

You have to remove the old band clamp and place the screw clamp in it's place. The hose barb is not more than inch long and the way you have it in the picture the screw clamp is just barely on the hose barb, if at all, causing distortion of the hose.

[Cypressloser]

Only pex clamp rings or cinch are reliable, many hardware stores and big box stores rent crimpers out for a day if you dont have a pair. Gear clamps are a gamble at best for this. If it's too cold warm the hose ends in hot water to make them pliable and apply the clamp before it cools.

[Sagecoachdriver]

Originally Posted by Cypressloser

Only pex clamp rings or cinch are reliable, many hardware stores and big box stores rent crimpers out for a day if you dont have a pair. Gear clamps are a gamble at best for this. If it's too cold warm the hose ends in hot water to make them pliable and apply the clamp before it cools.

Thanks, I am was up in Yosemite when this happened, now back home in warmer climate but will take your advice and warm it up. Thinking of getting some Oetiker clamps, does anyone know if the Harbor Freight end nipper tool will work or do I need a more expensive ones.

[Cypressloser]

No problem, the snippers work just fine. Oetiker clamps, cinch clamps, ear clamps - same clamp different name.

[Scrapper]

Originally Posted by Cypressloser

Only pex clamp rings or cinch are reliable, many hardware stores and big box stores rent crimpers out for a day if you dont have a pair. Gear clamps are a gamble at best for this. If it's too cold warm the hose ends in hot water to make them pliable and apply the clamp before it cools.

What do you think was used for years with success before pex clamp rings or cinch rings were available. Stick the end of the hose in hot water to soften like you say and the gear clamp will be fine.

I have used gear clamps on steel braid reinforced hoses without a problem on the water hoses for a car shredder where the pressure ranges from 30psi to 100psi in a 1/2" nozzle and vibration is a 500 times worse than a RV. Take my word, it works as long as you don't tighten the gear clamp so much it strips the band.

[Cypressloser]

Originally Posted by Scrapper

What do you think was used for years with success before pex clamp rings or cinch rings were available. Stick the end of the hose in hot water to soften like you say and the gear clamp will be fine.


I have used gear clamps on steel braid reinforced hoses without a problem on the water hoses for a car shredder where the vibration and pressure (30 to 100psi in a 1/2" nozzle) is a 100x worse than a RV. Take my word, it works as long as you don't tighten the gear clamp so much it strips the band.

So have I for decades, I even used baling wire on air hose fittings, but what they sell nowadays at the hardware store is cheap chinese junk.

[Sagecoachdriver]

I went ahead and ordered a Oetiker kit with clamps and tool. I had to use Seafoam to stop slight surging on my Onan generator. I cut off the crimp clamp for the fuel line and stuck a new fuel line on to a gas can with Seafoam. I used the worm clamp. so it will come in handy I'm sure.
Any idea of the braided hose size incase I decide to replace the hose too? And should I use the tool and try to tighten the existing clamps as when I removed the pump, some of the hoses turned on the fittings slightly?

[67L48]

Originally Posted by Sagecoachdriver

Thanks, I am was up in Yosemite when this happened, now back home in warmer climate but will take your advice and warm it up. Thinking of getting some Oetiker clamps, does anyone know if the Harbor Freight end nipper tool will work or do I need a more expensive ones.

I have a tool like the one you have posted. They work great for water lines in sprinkler systems. The screw-drive clamps are much easier to work with, but they cannot be clamped as tight as the permanent one-time-use clamps, such as these:


The tool you noted is designed to work with those shown in the pic above.

I recently tried to remove my water filter by replacing the housing with a short run of PEX. I got the PEX clamps and tried to use that same tool that you posted a picture of. Yikes! I made it work, but those PEX clamps really require the special geared version of that tool because the PEX clamps require a lot more force, because they are built with a lot more tension. They're called "cinch clamps" and are designed to clamp down the thick, rigid plastic structure of PEX:


The tool required to exert the proper force is going to look something like this:




You can see that this tools is much more complex, as it requires mechanical advantage to seat those cinch clamps onto PEX. The simple tool can make it work, but you have to have a coal miner's forearm to do it.

For the braided hose, I think normal rings would work, as the hose material is softer and easier to clamp than the rigid PEX material.

Good luck.

[Cypressloser]

If you're speaking of the braided PVC hose on the water pump, that is standard 1/2" ID and available in bulk at every hardware store. And yes, it is normal for them to still turn a bit with force, I never had one come loose, rv, residential or farm.
If you find the clamps are a bit tight to slide over the hose ends they can be stretched a bit over a punch.

[Cypressloser]

I should also mention it is a good idea to carry the crimpers, tubing cutter, clamps and a small collection of common fittings in the camper, bec. s..t happens.

[Sagecoachdriver]

This is the one I bought from Amazon

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by Cypressloser

I should also mention it is a good idea to carry the crimpers, tubing cutter, clamps and a small collection of common fittings in the camper, bec. s..t happens.

Don't forget to toss in a "length" of hose too. Either a piece as long as the longest run in your setup or a 3' piece and an inline splice fitting.


Sometimes the "repair" isn't at the end of a line and you can't just cut off the end and re-clamp.


As for clamps, I recently added a Transmission Oil Cooler and on the advice of many used "Fuel Injection Line" clamps rather than the usual "worm drive" clamps. Unlike the worm drive type the fuel injection line clamps use an overlapping band system with a machine screw and square nut to clamp it down. Edges of the clamp has a formed radius so it doesn't cut into the hose as it compresses it.

[AZ Pete]

the fuel injection hose clamps are excellent, and require no special tools to install or remove.

[ejohnson1144]

Amazon

[Gidyupgo]

..... another vote for the fuel injection line style clamps. Can be installed in tight quarters where it's tough to get a crimper in for regular PEX clamps.

[NMWildcat]

Gear hose clamps for braided hose used for water.

For pex, use shark bite push to connect fittings. Don't know why anybody would use the old style crimp band clamp on pex any more.