RO line keeps popping out of float switch

[asylumdown]

This is the third time it's happened, and the last time it happened, I siliconed them together. Since the Reservoir is in the utility room in my basement, I didn't notice until a pretty significant amount of water was on the floor.

This can't keep happening, I have to assume the problem is with my float switch. Does anyone know of better float switches that have john guest ends to them or something? This thing just holds on to the RO line with friction, which obviously isn't enough.

[lastlight]

I can't believe it's not John Guest. Which do you currently use?

[Seriak]

Mine are the standard ones from BRS. Yes it would be much handier of they were John Guest, but mine have never popped off. I am assuming you have shoved the tube in as far as it will go and tightened the cap sufficiently.

[Cal_stir]

good ones have a plastic sleeve that slides in the end of the line to prevent the line from collapsing when the ferrule nut is tightened.
I have been using a humidifier float valve for years without any problems.

[lastlight]

sorry i thought you were talking about the float switches associated with topoff sensors not the float valves that have that tightening nut.

I've never had issues with the nut but yeah mine have all had that inner piece of plastic too.

superglue would fix it permanently!

[asylumdown]

I just used a pair of pliers to tighten the nut as far as it would possibly go without breaking it. I had previously had it tightened as far as my fingers could tighten it, but it had another full turn and a half in it with the pliers. I can still pull the tube out relatively easily though, is that normal?

And I'm not sure what brand it is, it's whatever brand Rd Coral Calgary used to sell.

[asylumdown]

sorry i thought you were talking about the float switches associated with topoff sensors not the float valves that have that tightening nut.

I've never had issues with the nut but yeah mine have all had that inner piece of plastic too.

superglue would fix it permanently!

Yah I considered superglue last time but went with silicone because it's easier to get off if I ever needed to. The RO line comes in through one of the small screw cap holes on the top of the rain barrel I use to store water, but that hole it too small to fit the float switch through, so if I super glued it and I ever needed to take the lid off I'd have to cut the RO line and probably toss the float switch. However, I'm going to be tossing this float switch now anyway. Seriously it looks as though it was running unrestricted all weekend. Long enough to make the water in the 55 gallon barrel (which sits on a heated concrete floor) the temperature of Calgary tap water. That's 300 gallons of water that (thank god) mostly went down the floor drain in the utility room, and probably 900 gallons of total wasted water. Our utility bill is going to be nuts again this month.

I'm going to do some checking and try and find a better float switch. My tank has always rested on thin ice, and I don't need to give my better half any more excuses to want it gone.

[asylumdown]

Found the one I have, it's this one exactly:

http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/store_pages/searchpage.php?product_name=float+valve&all_keywords=product_name&manufacturer=&Submit.x=0&Submit.y=0&Submit=Submit

The other one that J&L sells will require me to drill a hole in the side of my barrel (it fits like a bulkhead), and the water line would attach on the outside of a barrel. It looks like it has the same style of compression fitting though. Not sure if that's even worse though, as if the water line popped out, the water would be going right on to the floor. When it pops off inside the barrel, sure it makes the barrel overflow, but at least some of that water ends up being used to top off the tank so it's not overflowing at the full rate of the RO unit.

ETA, sorry didn't copy that link right. I have the Eshopps valve

[Seriak]

I have the one you have to drill into the garbage can. You can definitely not pull it out once the nut is tightened and I only hand tighten it.

[Aquattro]

I use the Kent, have for 12 years and the line never popped off.

[The Codfather]

Not just the good ones use a insert, they just include it.
Any time that you use a plastic line in a compression fitting, you need an insert.
now JG fittings have a little safety factor, considering the bite.
In any pressure application, always use an insert fitting, they should be available at rona, home depot, etc....

[Madmak]

Not just the good ones use a insert, they just include it.
Any time that you use a plastic line in a compression fitting, you need an insert.
now JG fittings have a little safety factor, considering the bite.
In any pressure application, always use an insert fitting, they should be available at rona, home depot, etc....

+1

I have a spare Kent if you're in a pinch, not sure they are stocked locally. The Eshopps is available at a few Calgary shops.

I use an Eshopps in my sump and a Kent in my mixing barrel.

[kien]

I've been using that Kent float switch in my RO reservoir for 4 years without a problem.

[subman]

For my experience there is a sleeve that gets inserted into the ro line that keeps the line rigid enough to for a seal. I'm guessing the sleeve fell out the first time this happened. A quick stop at any hardware store should fix it.

[asylumdown]

I'll stop at Home Depot tomorrow, are they pretty straight forward pieces of equipment? Like if I ask the plumbing guy for RO line sleeves, will he know what I'm talking about, or do they have another name?

I'd never heard if them before now, so I've never looked for one.

[subman]

http://www.coleparmer.com/buy/product/57215-inserts-soft-tubing-compression-fittings-white-pp-1-4-od-x-yo-06391-10.html