discussion Bitspower 12mm Fitting / Hard Tubing

[bjcsoln]

Okay, so now that I sorted out 1/2" (from my old build) does not work with 12mm fittings (thanks to science and math) I bought some 12mm tubing from Daz (along with more fittings) to start building.

I also bought some Bitspower PETG and Crystal 12mm tubing, and what I wanted to know from folks is are your connections tight as all crazy? I noticed when I was working with 1/2 fittings the tubing slipped in a lot easier. On the 12mm ones I have to apply a lot of pressure. I noticed that the one o-ring (for the outer piece) has to stretch a bit to get on the tube, so I guess that is what I am forcing for the inner o-ring?

I also tried lubing it up a bit, just to see if that helped.

Anyway just wanted to see if I was the only one with this issue?

B

 

[JD]

Did you cut the tubes? If so, did you chamfer the edges (making them smooth and rounded)? It still takes some force, but nothing too crazy. You want it to be water tight...

 

[10e]

As long as the end of my tube is cut straight enough, and then tapered, I've found some resistance while inserting the tube into the fitting, but never anything that was requiring excessive force.

Do you have something like this? --> https://www.dazmode.com/store/product/hard-tubing-internal-and-external-reamer-deburring-tool/

This tapers the end of the tube and also helps smooth it out, though with PETG I found it doesn't give as smooth of a taper as it does with acrylic tubing, so I'd use some 400-600 grit sandpaper to achieve this after tapering.. This helps make sure you can get your tube in without scratching or ripping up the internal o-rings on the fittings.

I highly advise getting one as it is a great help, and will keep your fittings from getting damaged.

Monsoon has their new EV2 fittings which come with multiple thickness o-rings and can work with anything from tubes that are 11.6mm to 13.2mm in thickness. This is another option, albeit a fair bit more expensive (for new fittings) than a $10.00 (plus shipping and taxes) reamer.

 

[KaptCrunch]

is it just one fitting or all fittings

may be the 0-ring thickness or the tube variance

causing the tight feel

 

[bjcsoln]

Thanks for the feedback all - couple of comments/feedback:
- I have tried multiple BP fittings, with a bunch of different tube ends (both the clean one that came from the factory, plus the deburred ones that I made), using BP PETG tubing and some of their "Crystal" (acrylic?) tubing from Daz.

For now I will just have to mark the tubes once they are in (to make sure they have gone in all the way), and also use a little bit of saliva for now to help slip it in.

Maybe its just really tight (which is good as JD mentioned as I don't want it to leak) - a little tough to work with but will be patient. I will also have to work closely with my glass guy (which I don't have yet) to see if they will be able to recreate this in glass (which is where I want to ultimately go). Good times, and the curse/joy/addiction of w/c'ing.