Herms coil sealing

[cheeseyfeet]

Hi,

I've just got myself a shiny new brew builder HERMS coil for my HLT and some stainless compression fittings. Try as I might I just can't get it to seal without a slight drip into the pot when testing by running water through the coil.

On a real brewday I'm not wanting wort to run into the HLT whilst recirculating, so does anyone have any tips on getting a good seal?

The compression fittings are tight on, could I run a small bead of food safe silicon sealant round them too?

Any ideas gratefully received!


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[Clint]

Hot or cold? Hot might expand and seal....not the solution I know!

 

[cheeseyfeet]

Good point all my tests have been done cold, some more tinkering over the weekend required!


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[mgkpancake]

Had the same problem when I noticed my HLT water was getting a slight tan tightened it but eventually just had cut the pipe back slightly and replace the brass compression nut and tighten the hell out of it. Is the coil big? Mine was 50ft and required support on the back side to keep it from drooping too much. I think if you measured it out right you could just support it at the bottom.

 

[cheeseyfeet]

It's 50ft and all fittings are stainless, I think I may have to trim one end of the coil too, the fitting doesn't seem to sit right on it.

I'm tempted to just forget about it and brew on, when the hlt is full it may not matter!

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[Dutto]

I'm fastidious when it comes to cleaning and polishing the pipe and the fitting before tightening up a compression fitting; but I still get the occasional leak!

When that happens, I dismantle the fitting, check that the distance between the end of the pipe and the collar is not too long (this is a frequent cause of leaks on compression fittings) and then smear on a small amount of this paste ...

http://www.screwfix.com/p/fernox-ls-x-leak-sealer-50ml/23614

It works extremely well. :thumb:

 

[Fil]

I'm fastidious when it comes to cleaning and polishing the pipe and the fitting before tightening up a compression fitting; but I still get the occasional leak!

When that happens, I dismantle the fitting, check that the distance between the end of the pipe and the collar is not too long (this is a frequent cause of leaks on compression fittings) and then smear on a small amount of this paste ...

http://www.screwfix.com/p/fernox-ls-x-leak-sealer-50ml/23614

It works extremely well. :thumb:

hope you leave it a good few hours preferably overnight to cure in a well ventilated spot, while when cured lsx is virtually a pure silicone, while it cures its giving off noxous vapours that warrant all the dire health warnings and advice on gloves and eye protection in the accompanying tiny print sheet.

Also be mindful of not storing in damp conditions as an almost pure silicone its not got the anti fungal properties that your kitchen or bathroom silicone sealants contain.. It can harbour the black mould older bathroom sealant can suffer from..

ps ptfe.. :whistle:

just noticed you say the ferrules slip on your tube?? grab a couple of at least 300mm long wrenches and give the tightening up all the oomph and torque you can muster, the 2 part SS ferrules should lock together with the tube to crate a permenant anchor/seal point, just like the brass olive on a copper plumbing tube. you can minimise the force needed to seal/fix the ferrules if when first fitting if you prewarp the tube with some ptfe at the point you intend to sit the ferrules to minimise the gap to pinch closed. .

If you want a temporary seal replace the SS ferrules with orings, for 1/2" tube something like 19mm id with a 1-2mm wall perhaps? try 1 and if no seal try adding a wrap of ptfe, still no seal pull and start with 2 orings, and again if no seal wrap ptfe again.. tbh thats the most ive needed to do, tho ive only sealed on 3/8" ss tube with a 10mm compression fittings..

 

[peebee]

Beware, you can over-tighten compression fittings and end up making them leak. But this requires a fair amount of force such that the olive (ferrule for SS, olive is for copper) seriously deforms the pipe. And on SS I think the force will have to be enormous! The ferrule design for SS probably makes over-tightening less of a problem but you could still mess up the threads if over-enthusiastic.

I wouldn't worry about the LSX turning black, you'd only have the minutest trace of the stuff, and everything (wort-wise) is destined for the boiler. But as Fil says, there is always PTFE tape. My HLT harbours far worse than a trace of black silicon with no ill effect - if I prep the water and leave it standing in the HLT for a few days it will take on a strange slight whiff! Doesn't taste though.

 

[cheeseyfeet]

Application of copious PTFE tape and brute force seems to have done the trick!

Thanks all for your advice, can't wait for brewday next weekend!

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