I've got a small drip drip drip coming out of a T-fitting in my fresh water system. If I leave the power to the pump on, it cycles every few seconds to get the pressure back up. I started looking around, and found it leaking at the T-fitting to the transom shower. I pushed on it and it snapped back into place. That was on the last time we were on the boat. I was doing some work on the boat today here at the house, and it was leaking yet again. How do I get this fitting apart, and what do I need to do to stop it from leaking?

Those fittings are similar to the fittings you can buy at most Lowes. The brand name they carry is Watts/Sea Tech CTS Quick Connect, and I have used them in plumbing jobs to replace other fittings in my boat.

http://www.watts.com/pro/_productsFull_tree.asp?catId=71&parCat=434&pid=3651&ref=2

To remove, you push in the grey collar while pulling out the tube.

Your leak might be because that when installed, they did not cut the end of the tube straight, or possibly the o-ring has deterioated.

I don't think the Watts fittings are exactly the same brand or at least model as the ones Four Winns uses, but I gonna guess that they will work.

For comparison, here is a photo of the plumbing I did with the Watts/Sea Tech fittings:



You can see that the collar is a bit different tot he ones you have, but otherwise I think they are about the same thing. And there are about a half-dozen other brand names for basically the same fitting. So I am sure that the only difference with the ones used in your Four Winns is the brand.

I have found the Watts/Sea Tech fittingsat some Ace hardware stores as well.

Here is a YouTube from Watts showing how to connect and disconnect the fittings.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIXEgr_HSjo&feature=related

The video also shows how to fix a leak.

I am amazed at these fittings as they usually work quite well - which is amazing enough seeing how simple they attach.

By the way, if you can find the brand name stamped on the fittings in your Four Winns, I would appreciate it, as I have been trying to identify the brand.

Thanks Al. I will remove the pipe from the fitting, and clean up the cut and reinstall. If that doesn't work, I'll just purchase a new fitting.

I'll let you know what name is stamped on the fitting.

If you can, cut the tubing off so that "new" tubing goes in the fitting. Keep it square with no hickerdoo's on the end of the tubing. Also, the straighter the tubing is in the fitting the better.

hickerdoo's...

That's a technical term, like puppydog ears.

There is a tool for "dressing' up the end of the pipe before it is inserted in the fitting. It has a little blade in it that trims off burrs and puts a slight bevel on the outter edge. I don't know what it is called. My friend has one and I usually just borrow it. I am sure it is a Home Depot item.

Would Lowe's sell that type of piping?

The fittings are from Whale Water Systems, and the piping is 15mm. Not sure I'll be able to pickup some fittings or extra tubing from Lowes, so hopefully I have enough there to trim some off and reseat it. That info is straight from FW.

Thanks for the info about the brand. Metric, huh?

The Sea Tech fittings I used were 1/2", so they may not work.

The other option, if you have to replace a fitting and cannot find a metric one, is to use a flair-it type fitting.

Flair-It

I have found these at ACE Hardware.

How to install Flair-it Fittings

It will stretch the tubing somewhat, so it might work for metric tubing (but I won't guarantee it). But it will deform the ends so that you won't be able to use those Whale fittings again unless you cut the end of the tubing off.

But I think I would try to re-seat or re-cut the tubing first. That might be all it takes.

Do a search for 15 mm tubing. I bought some a while ago to "help" change a faucet on a 44' carver. I can't find my receipt right now...

15mm and 1/2" are real close, but close only counts in horse shoes, hand grenades and parkin' with your girlfriend. if you need ftgs, get the correct ones.

I'm hoping the fitting is fine, and I just have to recut the hose. If I push the hose back in there, it is fine, but it starts leaking a while later.

West Marine carries both the tubing and the fitting, and can have it shipped to the store in town if I want to avoid the shipping charges.

I'll be attacking this and a few other projects tomorrow, and if the weather holds out I'll be on the boat this weekend.

Easy fix. Just had to remove, and reinstall the pipe, and no more leak

Those are neat connectors, aren't they?

Yeah they are. Just wish FW would have used stuff I could pick up at Lowe's instead of having to order them online if I need them.