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Hose Clamps... which is best?


Levi900RR

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I'm getting close to ordering everything I need to plumb in my ballast bags. I've got the BOM pretty dialed in but I need to make a decision on the clamps. I really like the look and idea of the crimp clamps but I am a little worried about leaks.

Opinions? Should I go crimp clamps? Or traditional screw type?

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That is what I was thinking... You haven't had issues with leaks I take it?

Not yet, 2 seasons in. Honestly with the amount I had to heat the tubing to get the hose on the fittings, I imagine you need minimal tightness. Off the pumps I used traditional because I figured i would be taking them on and off more often. Over time I hope they hold up, but tough to say.

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I used crimps on my install on our VLX. They look much cleaner and were faster to install.

Since I don't know your plans I can't say for certain which you should use. However leaks would not concern me. The crimps get tighter than screw in my opinion. The screw clamps usually strip before they reach crimp clamp tightness.

Now if there is a particular place you foresee having to remove the hose then use the screw instead. For winterize, impeller change, etc.

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Those Oetiker ones (or that design anyhow) are available at home depot, at least in a 3/4" size. I never found ones that would work well on 1" hose, but the 3/4" ones are perfect. They are VERY tight/robust. Tighter than the WM crimp clamps in my experience.

As for worm drive "traditional" hose clamps the key is really to start with nice clamps. Cheap, narrow clamps won't get tight. But good wide heavy duty clamps will get every bit as tight as crimp clamps. The real benefits of the crimp clamps are (1) they are pretty fast to install, and (2) they don't leave a razor blade sharp "ear" hanging out of the clamp to cut you the next time you stick your hand down there.

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I have been debating between which clamps to use on my ballast re-design. I've decided to go with the traditional style and wrap them a couple times with electrical tape to avoid the sharp edge. I figure it's one less tool needed in the boat tool box and I wrapped all my previous ones with electrical tape, it's easy to remove and has helped with bloody knuckles when working on the boat.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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I went with the crimp clamps on my PNP install. Very easy to install and clean. Some did seem like they weren't that tight but haven't had any issues. You do destroy them when you have to take them off.

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Those Oetiker ones (or that design anyhow) are available at home depot, at least in a 3/4" size. I never found ones that would work well on 1" hose, but the 3/4" ones are perfect. They are VERY tight/robust. Tighter than the WM crimp clamps in my experience.

As for worm drive "traditional" hose clamps the key is really to start with nice clamps. Cheap, narrow clamps won't get tight. But good wide heavy duty clamps will get every bit as tight as crimp clamps. The real benefits of the crimp clamps are (1) they are pretty fast to install, and (2) they don't leave a razor blade sharp "ear" hanging out of the clamp to cut you the next time you stick your hand down there.

I used the Oetiker style on the areas that can be seen and where there is a fat sac nearby (to avoid the puncture risk). I did install 2 on each connection with the crimp area on opposite sides to avoid any possible leak issues. No leaks after 7 years.

I did find 1-1/2" at Lowes to use for the 1" connections.

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Oh man, no definitive answer on this one...

I think I'm going to give the crimp clamps a try, and use traditional clamps everywhere where I may need to remove them for winterization.

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Levi why would you need to remove for winterization? this is one area where you can definitely just use a couple of gallons of RV antifreeze in a bucket. Disconnect hose from bag, stick hose in bucket, hit "drain" on pump switch, and suck a little antifreeze in the hose and pump. If you are extra paranoid, then put the bucket back under the boat and drain all the antifreeze you just sucked in back out.

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Levi why would you need to remove for winterization? this is one area where you can definitely just use a couple of gallons of RV antifreeze in a bucket. Disconnect hose from bag, stick hose in bucket, hit "drain" on pump switch, and suck a little antifreeze in the hose and pump. If you are extra paranoid, then put the bucket back under the boat and drain all the antifreeze you just sucked in back out.

Good point, I hadn't though about the fact that I am getting REVERSIBLE pumps.

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