Failing fittings

[mol1jb]

Hey all,

This year I have had way too many Leader union fittings fail. The T fittings are fine. After a night freeze, I have to almost every morning replace one blown apart union fitting connection. Normal amount of tension on the tubing. All 3/16 tubing What gives?

[Ultimatetreehugger]

Are there 1 or 2 barbs on the fittings?

[blissville maples]

You mean straight connectors? Never have been a fan of leader tubing, try CDL or d And g. Go with semi rigid not the rigid. Also leader connectors are all garbage, get yourself some maxflow fitting from CDL.

[Sugarmaker]

Sounds like a problem all right, I would call them and ask some questions. Might be interesting answers??? We will be waiting to hear what they say too.
Regards,
Chris

[raptorfan85]

I second the cdl tubing and fittings. Never had a problem with any of them. That's all I use. Tried leader the first year and had several issues.

[Z/MAN]

I had problems with leader 3/16 fittings also. I think it is because they only have 1 barb on them. I switched to CDL and have had no problems since.

[Ultimatetreehugger]

Leader does make a double barbed fitting. Cdl's is still better but it's way better than the single barbed. Leaders double barbed is cheaper than Cdl's as well.

[wnybassman]

The T's will fail also, it's just a matter of time. I had one T come apart the other night after a single digit night. It's gotten to the point anytime after a real cold night like that I better go check because I know something came apart somewhere. I will not be using Leader fittings the next time.....

[30AcreWoods]

I've used semi-rigid tubing with CDL fittings on 3/16" and not had any issues in the past 4-years.

[tcross]

i don't use 3/16 tubing or fitting... all 5/16 but mostly all my fittings are leader (double barb) and i haven't had any issues with it. most of it is 6-8 years old...

[maple flats]

Are you saying Unions (made to twist 1/4 turn to take apart) or couplings to stay permanently together? I used unions a few places but always found it necessary to put a fuel line size screw band clamp over the part made to come apart. If this is a barb issue I would just use another brand.

[Z/MAN]

The T's will fail also, it's just a matter of time. I had one T come apart the other night after a single digit night. It's gotten to the point anytime after a real cold night like that I better go check because I know something came apart somewhere. I will not be using Leader fittings the next time.....

Went down to my woods today and found my lines on the ground. One of the leader tees broke.

[wnybassman]

Went down to my woods today and found my lines on the ground. One of the leader tees broke.

Cant say I have ever had a T break, they just come apart on me.

[maple flats]

Do you have large critters like Elk or such that might be just walking or running into the tubing?

[ennismaple]

How did you put the fittings into the tubing? Hot water or with a tubing tool? If you used hot water you might have "loosened" the tubing too much and it won't grip the barbs well anymore.

[30AcreWoods]

That seems like more than just a random issue. How long have your fittings been in the field? Can you get a closeup image of the failure(s) and post it here? Do they all fail in the same way?

[DrTimPerkins]

With rigid 5/16" tubing, we start to see failures at about 8-10 yrs. Often we'll just cut out a fitting and an inch of the tubing and put a new fitting on. The tubing itself will last a long time. Anytime a fitting starts to spin on a fitting, it is time to replace it. With semi-rigid tubing, the fittings don't fail, but sometimes the tubing itself will become brittle and subject to breakage. Much depends upon the quality of the tubing you buy and the associated warrantee that comes with it. Another factor is the size of the tubing and the size of the fitting. Tubing is extruded, and isn't always exactly the same size....there is some variation. And finally, fittings from some companies are smaller/larger than others. Larger fittings don't work as well with rigid tubing, but work great with the semi-rigid (flex) tubing. Smaller fittings don't hold well with tubing that is slightly oversized.

[30AcreWoods]

I have a ton of experience with plastic in extreme cold environs that also have high UV loads (Antarctica, Greenland, etc.). The combination of thermal cycling, UV, and the fact that the fittings and tubes are different plastics with different carbon chain structures mean they flex and deform at different rates in response to all of these conditions. Some tubing and fitting combos may work together better than others. For what it is worth, the darker plastics last longer under UV loads - they don't become as brittle as fast as the lighter colors.

[Z/MAN]

Found another 3/16 line on the ground today. Leader T came apart. I was going to replace all of them this year but got lazy and now I'm paying the price. Will change all of them to CDL next season. Only one has broke the others are coming apart. Very few deer on our property and no elk or moose here. Tubing is Leader 30P and everything is only 4 years old. I had no problem when putting them up or the second year but last year and this year they are giving me trouble. Fittings were all installed with a tubing tool. This is the only section I have on 3/16 and I do have to take it down each year as it is on a neighbors property near his house.

[30AcreWoods]

Interesting, and good to know. I'm using the CDLs and so far have not had any fail - either through breakage or lines pulling off - even with a few downed trees the past couple of summers.