How tight should Jubilie clips be?

[PhillM]

In a previous thread, I noticed that after filling the sea water side of the engine with anti-freeze I found a large puddle in the bilge. I dried this out but next week there was another, albeit smaller. This week there was a very small puddle.

All this led me to think that I had a leak.

I have been going round the pipes and found the clear pipe has a join onto flexible black rubber pipe just before the sea water pump. It looks there is a joiner bit of pipe inside both so cover the area of the join. There are 4 jubilee clips here holding all this together.

I checked these clips with my screwdriver and there were all loose, as in they turned easily. So I have tightened them up to the point that I would need to start to apply quite a lot of force to move them more.

Is this too tight? or not tight enough?

 

[vyv_cox]

I suggest you make it a single length of hose right to the pump, if possible. Short lengths of copper tube used as joiner pieces tend to buckle and cannot be sealed, which may be the source of your problem.

Personally, I do my jubilee clips up with a spanner, usually 7 or 8 mm, as a screwdriver rarely gets them tight enough.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

It depends because the worm type screw pulling the clamp together can be very stiff, so you think its tight bit it's really friction. However, I tighten mine until I can see the hose deform slightly all round and then pull/twist the hose. If it moves easily I tighten a bit more until it I feel the hose is firm. Compressing the hose two much can cause it to split under the clamp and/or crush the spigot that the hose is on. If the hoses are old they may have hardened into the compressed shape and further tightening may not really work. Take the clip off and if the hose more or less stays in the same shape, its too old and has lost its resilience, change out.

 

[PhillM]

Thanks guys, this is a new install by the engineer who put the engine in. I don't know why he added a join, but I plan to ask!

 

[JSYmartini]

Make sure they are actually genuine, i.e. have "Jubilee" written on them, 2 of for each joint and check them for tightness every year

 

[NormanS]

It is well worth while making or buying a special screwdriver for Jubilee clips. It is just a screwdriver with a 6 or 7mm socket on the end. IIRC ordinary Jubilee clips are 7mm, but those on Eberspacher ducting etc, are 6mm. Using a socket screwdriver makes it much easier to work in awkward corners, and probably more importantly, they don't slip off and skin your knuckles.

 

[Lakesailor]

I have used worm drive s/s clips for all the cooling hoses on my car. Jubillee doesn't confer any special properties, in fact sometimes I have found them to be less likely to create a good seal as the body is often longer and not quite the right radius compared to other worm drive clips. http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/Produ...n=Hose Clips&gclid=CPyejLiTsLsCFQn3wgodfQkA9Q
The hose material is also a variable. I used silicone hoses and wish I hadn't bothered. They are very difficult to get a decent seal with. I also use a 1/4" drive socket wrench with suitable-sized sockets to tighten them.

 

[macd]

Make sure they are actually genuine, i.e. have "Jubilee" written on them, 2 of for each joint and check them for tightness every year

A bit unfair on many other makers of quality hose clips. And simply bearing the legend 'Jubilee' is no guarantee of fitness for marine use: it doesn't necessarily mean it's stainless. The best general advice is to check any clamps of unknown provenance with a magnet. No part of it, screw included should be attracted. If it is, it's either non-stainless or a poorer than appropriate grade of stainless.

 

[CreakyDecks]

As others have said, use a socket on a long extension. Screwdrivers and hose clips are an accident waiting to happen!

 

[Leighb]

One tip for dealing with an old hose that it is impractical/too much hassle to replace, is to warm it up with a heat gun and then retighten. This worked for me when the tank breather hose was weeping slightly, I couldn't shorten it and replacing would have been a major hassle.

 

[sarabande]

lots and lots of data about tightening forces here.

http://www.jubileeclips.co.uk/products/original/ (See other pages for stainless, hi-torq, etc)

The hi-Torque ones seem to be able to take two or three times the tightening force.

 

[nigelmercier]

I use a screwdriver with a T-Bar and a socket:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B003BVMMF6/dolcetto-21

 

[David2452]

After a number of bad experiences I have stopped using Jubilee clips as the stainless is at best variable because they are now made in China. I now use JCS, a much nicer product proudly made in Suffolk, I use boxes of them on coolant based heating systems and they are really reliable. All clips have a specific torque which sometimes relates to the material being clipped. BTW, over tightening is not good practise, on most clips found on boats a proper flexi hose clip driver is all you should need to use to tighten, sometimes need a socket to remove though.

 

[lynall]

All jubilee style clips are a pain and will need retightening a good few times in any hot/cold application.
There are some good ones, with built in springs so you tighten them and the spring keeps the tension on.
The other type are good the spring ones that you use pliers to release, dont know if you can get them in stainless though?

 

[sarabande]

that link to JCS

http://www.jcshi-torque.co.uk/index.asp

is really useful for sourcing British products. I shall certainly use them as they have boxes of assorted types and sizes, which woudl be very useful on t'farm (and for being emigrated to the boat )

thanks

 

[Roberto]

Here some packages for replacement butane hose come with two jubilee clips whose nut breaks when the tightening torque is considered optimal.
I am very surprised at how little torque is needed, they break well before the maximum torque one might expect to "feel" at the wrist holding the screwdriver.



With regular non-breaking clips, I rememper having read somewhere that they should tightened at their maximum, then unscrewed by one half to one turn. Not sure about the source nor how valid the advice is, but FWIW I have done like that and had no unpleasant surprises. So far

 

[captainboo]

Be aware also that the 'lump' containing the screw gives rise to a hard point in the area gripped by the band.

I have had a couple of failures on plastic 'Tees' used to join the domestic water pipes together where the plastic has a step down section to accommodate different diameters. It resulted in the smaller section being sheared off and the bilge alarm going off in the middle of the night! On removing the others I found a number with 'flat spots' and the plastic starting to fail.

This was probably due to over tightening on my part but it is one to be aware of.

 

[Don107]

Have you considered using this type of clamp instead

The only disadvantage I see with this type is they are dearer, you need to disconnect the hose from the fitting to put it on, they are a bit wider than a worm drive clamp and you need to know the exact outside diameter of the hose as each size clamp will only cover about 3 to 4 mm in hose size
http://www.tridon.com.au/Products/Product.aspx?SG=8&S=35&G=480&P=68648

Regards Don

 

[seadog30]

Has anyone tried putting some sort of sealant i.e. loctite on the metal pipe before refitting the rubber pipe and Jub / worm clip ?

I have found that small diam clips on small diam pipe are not always reliable.

Regards

 

[Rigger Mortice]

I must be doing something wrong. I've only ever tightened my clips with a screwdriver, believing (rightly or wrongly) that over tightening is as bad as under tightening. I've never had a problem. I use stainless clips but I have no idea what brand they are.