strange think with my quick connects

[gimmeagig]

I wonder if this is a thing that happens to some of you as well.
I have standard brass quick connects for my pressure line and I usually start out my jobs doing the prespray with my hydroforce. After that I switch the pressure line over to my wand. Here's the strange thing that happens on almost every job. When the pressure line is hot and I want to switch to my stair tool for example sometimes I have to fiddle with it forever to get it connected.For some reason the lock will not engage.Other times I can't get the line back onto my wand or onto the hydroforce. I changed out all my male and female connectors on the tools to ones made by the same manufacturer, thinking it might solve the problem, but it doesn't. Sometimes I get through a job without this happening, but usually I don't.
Is there an explanation and possibly a solution for this? I would hate to not be able to finish a job because I cannot connect my pressure line. That would be embarrassing and a real drag.

 

[Jim Martin]

your shut off is leaking threw and the pressure is building at the poppet on the quick connect..change the shut off valve.....

 

[Lee Stockwell]

yep. Surprising that many don't use ball shutoffs on every connection.

 

[mirf]

I agree that your shut off valve is leaking. Also make sure to release pressure by triggering wand after closing valve

 

[gimmeagig]

LPM, my local shop set me up with a shutoff valve on the end of my pressure line where it connects to my tools. I imagine it is a ball valve but I'm not sure. So if this shutoff valve leaks then I would have trouble reconnecting a tool once the line has seen pressure?
Would the same thing happen if I leave the shutoff valve accidentally in the ON position when I disconnect the tool?
Do I understand it right, that I need to shut off the valve and then pull the trigger of the tool that is connected at that time before I switch it out to the next one?
So if I forget to do that then I will always have trouble connecting the next tool?
Is there some kind of trick to relieve that pressure so I can easily reconnect the next tool?

 

[Royal Man]

You have to release the back pressure. Sut off pump and hit the trigger and shut the valve and then the trigger.

Connecting quick connects with back pressure is a bitch.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

It will usually connect to the wand easier than to the HF if left under pressure. Do that, release the pressure, and then immediately attempt to switch it back to the HF.

$6 ball valves from Lowes outperform many others. We install them at both machine connections and on every solution line. Buy a spare for your plumbing toolbox on the truck.

 

[Jim Martin]

LPM, my local shop set me up with a shutoff valve on the end of my pressure line where it connects to my tools. I imagine it is a ball valve but I'm not sure. So if this shutoff valve leaks then I would have trouble reconnecting a tool once the line has seen pressure?
Would the same thing happen if I leave the shutoff valve accidentally in the ON position when I disconnect the tool?
Do I understand it right, that I need to shut off the valve and then pull the trigger of the tool that is connected at that time before I switch it out to the next one?
So if I forget to do that then I will always have trouble connecting the next tool?
Is there some kind of trick to relieve that pressure so I can easily reconnect the next tool?

The shut off kills the pressure to the quick connect.....once you are done with your wand..turn off the shut off valve and key the trigger on the wand..this will let off the water pressure on the quick connect....then you should be able to re-connect to another tool...if you are still having problems when you do all that ..then the shut off valve is leaking as I described above....

 

[daniel@procarpet]

After you are done spraying with the hf or cleaning with a certain tool, close the ball valve and either trigger the wand or pull the handle on the hf. This releases pressure making it easier to get the line on the next tool. If you just close the ball valve, disconnect the tool, and attempt to hook up to another tool without first releasing the pressure, you will have a harder time.

If you forget, just go ahead and open the valve. Hold the trigger down or the spray handle while pushing the quick connect on. If the pressure is too high, you will have to unhook at the tm, turn the pump off, bleed the pressure in the line, hook to the tool or sprayer, reconnect to the tm, and then turn the pump back on.

 

[Jim Martin]

another thing that helps...is I always burr my poppet on the female Q/C so that it just barley drips....that way if for some reason it does not seat and I turn on the valve.....I can just shut it back off and then re-connect.......it will save you a trip or 2 back to the truck.....

 

[daniel@procarpet]

another thing that helps...is I always burr my poppet on the female Q/C so that it just barley drips....that way if for some reason it does not seat and I turn on the valve.....I can just shut it back off and then re-connect.......it will save you a trip or 2 back to the truck.....

Or you can just keep a spare male quick connect to pop in and let the pressure off. Works like a charm.

Also you can hold the wand trigger down and push HARD. I can get it on most times.

 

[gimmeagig]

I always burr my poppet on the female Q/C so that it just barley drips....that way if for some reason it does not seat and I turn on the valve.....I can just shut it back off and then re-connect.......it will save you a trip or 2 back to the truck.....

Maybe it's because I'm German but I didn't understand that at all. shiteatinggrin but I think I understand the cause of the problem now.
Still, what is not clear to me is why I need to shut off my machine if I can just disconnect the pressure line. If that pressure line is not connected to the machine anymore then I would just have the pressure in the line itself to contend with, right?
And if I understand it correctly, what is causing the problem with reconnecting to the tool, is the residual water pressure from the shutoff valve to the female quick connect, that connects to the male end at the tool which is only about two inches long. So if the shutoff valve is closed then disconnecting the pressure line should not have any effect, unless I open the shutoff valve so that the built up pressure can get back into the line?
Am I right on that one?

 

[Jim Martin]

And if I understand it correctly, what is causing the problem with reconnecting to the tool, is the residual water pressure from the shutoff valve to the female quick connect, that connects to the male end at the tool which is only about two inches long. So if the shutoff valve is closed then disconnecting the pressure line should not have any effect, unless I open the shutoff valve so that the built up pressure can get back into the line?
Am I right on that one?

correct...

 

[gimmeagig]

another thing that helps...is I always burr my poppet on the female Q/C so that it just barley drips....that way if for some reason it does not seat and I turn on the valve.....I can just shut it back off and then re-connect.......it will save you a trip or 2 back to the truck.....

Or you can just keep a spare male quick connect to pop in and let the pressure off. Works like a charm.

Also you can hold the wand trigger down and push HARD. I can get it on most times.

Great, that's very simple,I'll do that. I was afraid that it had to do with the expansion of metal at different temperatures.I'm glad that wasn't it.
Thanks for your help guys!!!