Connector name needed.

Hi fellas. 1st post here so be nice to me.

I have no soft water and I think I have an air leak in the right angle connector where the brine hose joins the float valve tube.

I need the name of this connector - inner teeth and o-ring with a pull out collar that is held out with a red clip.

I can hear it sucking air and I can see bubbles at the head end of the clear tube. When I disconnect it and jam it down into the brine I don't get air bubbles at the head end.

I've tried re-seating the connections - on both the fill pipe and the float tube with no success. I can push with all my might, pry out the collar and push in the clip while doing my best not to let the brine tube move. But then I see air bubbles at the head end again.

Do I need a new connector or is there some fancy tip for making a good connection? Thanks!

It sounds to me as if it's a quick disconnect. Go to your local hardware store and buy a 3/8 90 deg compression connector and 3/8 plastic ferrules with 3/8 inserts.

Might be this:

http://www.softenerparts.com/3_8_x_3_8_inch_plastic_elbow_with_steel_grippers_p/jf506nsg.htm
or
http://www.softenerparts.com/1_2_x_1_2_inch_plastic_elbow_steel_grippers_p/jf508nsg.htm

Here is my connector. I think I'll be trying to get a fitting without this type of tube attachment. Something with a more positive connector - something along the lines of what Miali suggested.

I'm wondering about the red clips. Should they be in or out after installation?

Mikey said:

I'm wondering about the red clips. Should they be in or out after installation?

Click to expand...

Oh in for sure as they keep the collar pulled out which clamps the tube with its internal grippers.

By the way, after I posted last night I jammed the brine tube down into the brine, bypassing the connector and the float valve. Then I did a manual re-gen and this morning we have soft water. I had no air bubbles in the brine line which I did when I was using the connector. Of course my 40 gal hot water tank is still full of the hard stuff but a warm shower feels lots better than yesterday. I'm now off out to the hardware store to see what connectors I can find.

Mike T. said:

Oh in for sure as they keep the collar pulled out which clamps the tube with its internal grippers.

Click to expand...

Also, the end of the tubing has to be squarely cut and free from burrs, damage, etc., which would affect the seal.

The red clip is a locking clip. It makes accidental removal of the tube almost impossible. That is a John Guest 3/8" union elbow. It will work with or without the red clips. DMT, DMFit, GA Murdock, Legris, Parker and John Guest all make extremely high quality push to connect fittings. There are dozens of other companies that make junk versions of this style of fitting. The John Guest one you have should work perfectly. Be sure to cut the tube to remove any scratched areas. These use an o-ring to seal, so imperfections in the tubing will affect their performance.

ditttohead said:

The red clip is a locking clip. It makes accidental removal of the tube almost impossible. That is a John Guest 3/8" union elbow. It will work with or without the red clips. DMT, DMFit, GA Murdock, Legris, Parker and John Guest all make extremely high quality push to connect fittings. There are dozens of other companies that make junk versions of this style of fitting. The John Guest one you have should work perfectly. Be sure to cut the tube to remove any scratched areas. These use an o-ring to seal, so imperfections in the tubing will affect their performance.

Click to expand...

You might add just a little silcone on the end of the tube to help the seal.

ditttohead said:

The red clip is a locking clip. It makes accidental removal of the tube almost impossible. That is a John Guest 3/8" union elbow. It will work with or without the red clips. DMT, DMFit, GA Murdock, Legris, Parker and John Guest all make extremely high quality push to connect fittings. There are dozens of other companies that make junk versions of this style of fitting. The John Guest one you have should work perfectly. Be sure to cut the tube to remove any scratched areas. These use an o-ring to seal, so imperfections in the tubing will affect their performance.

Click to expand...

You nailed it Ditto. Thanks. It shows up on Google Image of "John Guest 3/8" union elbow".

The red clip stops the collar going inwards. Pushing the collar in allows the tube to be removed and with the clip in place that tube is going nowhere. It's impossible to pull out. I couldn't get it to stop leaking though and the tube looks 100% so I'll assume a bad o-ring. This morning I found a 3/8" brass elbow with compression nuts, olives and tube inserts at the hardware store. I'll bet that baby doesn't leak when I get it installed.

Thanks All.

Be sure if you use the brass compression elbow that you only use plastic sleeves, not brass sleeves. A tube insert is also necessary to prevent the tube from overcompressing.

You are correct, the o-ring can deform, dry out, etc, over time and can cause a leak.


Dow Corning release compund 7 works great sometimes on those o-rings. We stock thousands of the o-rings, though I do highly recommend replaing the whole fitting if they are old enough to have the o-ring wear out.