jabsco y-valve and white sanitation hose - loose fit leaks

[RichMason]

Finally finished up the replacement of all of my sanitation hose and installation of y-valve. Had to remove head from floor to get correct angle to get make 90 degree bend into the wet locker then crank it all back around. In any case, all of the connections required the heat and brute force installation except for the new jabsco y-valve, which is an easy slip fit with no heat. Much to my surprise and chagrin it leaks - even with two clamps - between the hose and the ends of the y-valve. The seals on the valve itself are fine. What can I do to make the hoses fit snugly? I bought a few feet of the black trident hose - should it be a better fit since the rubber will compress under the clamps? If so, I can just buy some double end barb fittings and put a piece of black hose on each of the three y-valve ends.

[Oswego John]

Rich,

Try wrapping a few turns of vinyl electricians tape or teflon tape as needed to the fitting. Vinyl tape might be the better choice as teflon tape will scrunch up when you slide the hose on.

Good luck,
O J

[RichMason]

What about permatex? I saw in another post that someone used it on all of their sanitation fittings? I may have some other issues as the pressure on the fittings when I pump the head seems high - water spurts out. With such a large hose the resistance should be fairly low with just water. Would a plugged vent line contribute to this? It is clear at the fitting coming from the bow but it may be clogged farther down...

[Oswego John]

Rich,

What I had in mind was that you said that the Jabsco Y valve was an easy fit with no heat.

That was telling me that the outside diameter (OD) of the pump male fitting was smaller than the inside diameter (ID) of the hose.

I suggested building up the OD of the fitting with tape to eliminate any void between the fitting and the hose. Then the two clamps will compress the hose in a better fashion, eliminating any voids for leakage.

Of course, any sealant like Permatex or other similar ones applied over the tape would insure a watertight fit. I can't imagine there would be any trouble but it wouldn't hurt to make sure everything you use is compatible with each other.

Good luck,
O J

[RichMason]

OJ - Yes, I understood your suggestions clearly and will try the vinyl tape if the rubber hose is not a tighter fit when I get back up to the boat this weekend. I am surprised that others have not run into this problem or that Jabsco does not make some sort of sleeve or make specific recommendations about hoses and materials. The jabsco fittings must be a full 1/16th to 1/8th smaller than all of the other fittings on the boat for the fit to be so easy.

[Steve Laume]

If the fit is close but not water tight you might try some sort of compound and then heating the hose before clamping. The heated hose will be more malleable and conform to the barbs on the fitting a bit better. The tape idea sounds good but then you have lost the barbs that make the joint water tight. When you use teflon tape to seal pipe threads; you still have the threads engaged to make the mechanical joint strong. All the tape is doing is tightening up the tollorances so it can not leak. I tried using tape to make up a very small difference in the diameter of a clamp for the Force 10 charcoal cooker on the pushpit. It worked pretty good until I mounted the cooker at the anchorage ready for a nice BBQ. After loading charcoal but before lighting the whole thing rolled over on the tape adhesive and dumped the works overboard, including the brand new stainless ash pan. After a quick cold swim all was well. With no hope of the tape tightened fitting holding up it's load we cooked on the stove. I know you are dealing with a different set of circumstances and tape seems like an easy solution but I would be wary of using it in such a critical application. That stuff (the tape) is slippery as is the inside of the hose so all you will have is a friction fit that can only be as tight as you can get the clamps around that evil white hose. I did the barb connector to black hose because I couldn't make the bend to the holding tank and then get the white hose on the fitting. To eliminate as many joints as possible you might just trash the short runs of white hose and switch to the black rubber which is much easier to work with. May all you joints be tight, Steve.

[RichMason]

I hear you. Unfortunately, the fittings on the Jabsco valve are smooth - no barbs - thus the problem I think.

[RichMason]

I spoke with Jabsco today and they were at a loss to explain the problem or recommend a solution. If the rubber hose doesn't work, I guess I'll return it and try something more traditional. What a waste of time and effort.