What’s the deal with Oetiker style clamps? Are they better or do they just protect the hose frome the worm gear on the other hose clamp. They look like a PIA to remove if you need to take them off for some reason.
Cheers!!
Oetiker are a pain to remove, ( you usually destroy them), but they are less damaging on the hoses.
They are also less damaging on your hands and arms when you go reaching around in a kegerator or keezer , what with no free “tail” like on a worm gear clamp.
A worm gear clamp tail will open you up right iffn’ yo ain’t careful!
Oetiker clamps generally form a more uniform seal by maintaining their shape when installed. Worm clamps can distort somewhat. They are easier to find locally, though, and you don’t have to worry about getting a precise size.
I use Oetiker for long-term applications and worm clamps for short term, simply because Oetiker clamps have to be destroyed to be removed. They are easy to remove, though. Just use your Oetiker clamp tool to clip the part of the clamp that you crimp to install it.
That’s kind of what I was thinking. Oetiker clamps on the gas side of things, and worm clamps on the liquid side, or anything else I’ll be cleaning alot. Thanks for the feedback.
You don’t need to disassemble your liquid lines to clean them. Just run some BLC or even an OxiClean or PBW solution through through them. Whatever you use to clean your lines, just be sure to rinse well and then (of course) sanitize.
Some guys clean their lines only when the mood strikes. I always clean mine between kegs.
Oetiker clamps are great if you have the tool for them. Not so great if you do not and need to place or remove one. My LHBS uses them on any hose he makes up for you. He is very good at assembling stuff but after you get home and need to change a connection you need TNT to remove the darn things.
Worm gear or what we used to call radiator hose clamps do indeed distort and can become loose. You need to check tightness occasionally. The tails on them can be in the way so just tape them down.
My vote. Unless yo have the tool, only put them on hoses that you think will never need to have the ends changed. The hose will wear out way before the clamp and connection though.
[quote=“HD4Mark”]…you need TNT to remove the darn things.[/quote]If you don’t have an Oetiker tool, you can use a small wire-cutter to clip off the “hump” on the Oetiker and then the whole thing slides apart.
I will always use oetiker on every line in my system/s
The reason why is oetiker creates a round seal whereas worm type will always have a oval sealing relationship to the hose.
I learned that on a cold plate that was always foamy for no apparent reason. Well I replaced the 2 clamps on the line in question and it worked just fine. What was happening was the line was drawing air from the slight unsealed surface on the “open” end of the oval around the hose a worm gear creates where the worm housing sits.
Never had a gas/ liquid leak in my systems since.
I prefer worm, 100%. As long as you jam the hose all the way deep on the barb, there’s no way you’ll have a leak with a properly sized barb (i.e., slightly larger than the ID of your hose). Hose deformation is a non-issue; by the time you’d need to remove the clamp, you should probably do yourself a favor and replace the hose, too, anyhow.
If you really need to reuse the hose instead of replace it, it’s easiest just to clip the hose and lose an inch. After months and months and months on the barb, the hose will be “deformed” around the barb, anyhow, and even with an easy-to-use clamp, you’ll still never get the hose off.
The lines should replaced periodically anyway, so the ease of taking off the worm clamp is the way to go. This is of course my humble opinion.
