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Spower001 · 04-14-2025, 10:40 AM

I have water leak. It's coming from where the arrow is pointing in the picture. It is the cold water to outside shower. I tried tightening it, didn't work.
Is there a way to turn it off? Drain it? Or does it constantly have water going to those faucets? If so, not sure how to fix this one.

PS this picture is an older one from a previous leak that I fixed.

Guessing I need to replace the clamp......
Some ideas?....first a question....the pex clamps don't open completely do they? Meaning you have to slide them onto the pex hose, is this correct? If so, that is a problem, I am not going to disconnect hoses/pipes to slide them on. I want/need to replace a few of them. The space is just too small and cluttered, I think removing the hoses would not be an easy feat.

I like the T-Bolt idea but they are nowhere to be found!
I don't like the idea of a regular hose screw clamp, doesn't seem like it would work well.

I did get a clamp set but the tool is too big to work in this area!

I'm at my wits end! Any other ideas, tools, anything else I can do to replace these leaking clamps?

Paul_D · 04-14-2025, 11:01 AM

Are you sure it's the clamp and not the cone washer in the connection?

Spower001 · 04-14-2025, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul_D

Are you sure it's the clamp and not the cone washer in the connection?

No, I will check that

Just trying to see what else is advised if it isn't that.

Spower001 · 04-14-2025, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul_D

Are you sure it's the clamp and not the cone washer in the connection?

Is the cone washer in where the arrow is pointing? How do I get to it?

Paul_D · 04-14-2025, 11:55 AM

The cone washer is inside the swivel fitting (black nut) that holds the pipe to the other fitting.

You can try tightening the black nut and see if that stops the leak.

Paul_D · 04-14-2025, 12:07 PM

If it is leaking at the clamp, you can try using a worm gear clamp.
Just unscrew it until it comes out of the gear, wrap it around the pipe and feed it back into the worm gear. Put the clamp right next to the crimp clamp, there is a little bit of the connector barb that is past the crimp connector.

Spower001 · 04-14-2025, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul_D

The cone washer is inside the swivel fitting (black nut) that holds the pipe to the other fitting.

You can try tightening the black nut and see if that stops the leak.

Great thank you! I will check that tomorrow. I did try tightening the black nut, didn't help.

Spower001 · 04-14-2025, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul_D

If it is leaking at the clamp, you can try using a worm gear clamp.
Just unscrew it until it comes out of the gear, wrap it around the pipe and feed it back into the worm gear. Put the clamp right next to the crimp clamp, there is a little bit of the connector barb that is past the crimp connector.

I don't think this is a good option for pex.

Mudfrog · 04-14-2025, 04:58 PM

It's very possible the plastic female fitting itself
is cracked.

Eman85 · 04-14-2025, 06:47 PM

If you are removing those clamps you can try lifting the tag end of the clamp over the parts that lock it, not easy. A real good compound cutting pliers can cut the clamp at the pinch part and another method I've used in tight quarters is a cutter wheel on a dremel. No matter how you cut it off I would replace the piece of pipe and not try reclamping. If you own a home or vehicle with PEX you need the correct tools or at the least a friend with the tools, only reason I have friends is I have tools.

Paul_D · 04-15-2025, 07:54 AM

The PEX tools I consier essential are pipe cutter, clamp ring cutter, crimp tool and crimp gauge.

Looking at the photo, I'm guessing those assemblies were made on a bench.

Even with a swivel head crimper, there is no way to get to some of those crimp rings.

Learn from my PEX crimping mistakes - always use the gauge tool to verify you have fully crimped the clamp.

Spower001 · 04-15-2025, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul_D

The cone washer is inside the swivel fitting (black nut) that holds the pipe to the other fitting.

You can try tightening the black nut and see if that stops the leak.

So yesterday I jiggled the faucet. Didn't have time to troubleshoot the issue. Today went out was going to check the washer. It stopped leaking. It did this once before. So now I am leaning towards it being the washer. Can the temperature be causing it to leak and then stop? The weather here has been fluctuating a lot!

Eman85 · 04-15-2025, 10:15 AM

Everything shrinks in the cold and expands in the heat. It will only leak when you're not looking at it.

Skip426 · 04-15-2025, 11:01 AM

Once you're sure the pex clamp is the leak and not the cone washer , you could consider replacing that section of pex with the reinforced flexible water hose and gear clamps .

My fresh system has several sections of the hose that are now 25 years old and ( knock on wood ) no leaks.

Cone washers ( swivel seal ) are a good addition to your tool box.

I replace them any time I have a connection apart .