SS Quick Connects Vs Brass....?

[Mikey P]

You guys with the fire breathers, how much longer do the guts last on the SS compared to the Brass?


The female end in particular.

 

[Ron Lippold]

im just ready to change mine now i will be going with ss

 

[Rex Tyus]

I never notice the difference as far as the heat. The sand is what kills the brass for me. The heat only damages the o rings. Lisa and Greenie hooked me up with some O ring replacements for that. MUCH cheaper to pop in a new o ring than replace the connector. I can't remember when I actually had to replace a stainless housing.

 

[Dolly Llama]

we tried SS year ago.

I really can't recall if they lasted all that much longer or not.

it's not leaky QDs that we have a probs with.
It the beating they take while reeling in.
It doesn't take long before they're a PITA to connect and disconnect.

also, the wand end of sol line is the QD that gets changed the most often.
The TM QD outlasts them 2 or 3 to 1.
So I've determined it's not the heat, it's the abuse of being drug across drives, dirt and gravel

SIDE NOTE...those "safety" QDs with the big chunk of blue plastic on them are JUNK and don't last us 3 weeks

..L.T.A.

 

[Rex Tyus]

I will say the SS seems to fuction better for me when attaching and unattaching the HF after it has been heated up compared to the brass.

I agree with Larry completely on the beating they take when rolling up. That is why I recently began rolling them in reverse to the way I was before. I attach the female end to the reel first. Leaving the male exposed at the end of the reel.

 

[The Great Oz]

It's the seal on the nipple inside the QD that kills them, and they're the same whether brass or stainless, so a stainless socket won't last any longer than a brass one. O-rings are a quick and easy repair but they're also the same.

Unless you're very hard on brass or are willing to get the tool and rebuild kits to repair the stainless ones (I'm not sure that's a real good use of your time, unless you stock up and rebuild them in your down time) there isn't any advantage to stainless.

PS: Clean up a beat up plug by gently gripping it with pliers, perpendicular to the line, and rotating the pliers. All of the rough brass gets cleaned off and the plug will no longer shred O-rings.

 

[Mountain View Carpet Care]

I think I paid $50 for the stainless. They are about the same.

 

[Jim Martin]

I am about a year and 3 or 4 months on the male ss quick connect on the end of my wand.........

as soon as I find on I am going to switch to a female ss.........

 

[John Watson]

Jim, The male is the secret, Keep it deburred and it won'y eat your O rings.
Don't know if anything can be done about the heat damage to the O rings in the females for you with high heat, I just don't seem to have that problem..

 

[Jimmy L]

SS males on the end of my hose.

Go to a carwash supllier and get those "Donut" rings they put on the end of hoses.

Or drill out a super ball and slip those on the end of the hose so the hose bounces off the concrete.

 

[Shane T]

For the most part I don't drag the connectors while winding up the hose. I will carry the connectors to the truck and then start winding. It saves a lot of wear & tear.

 

[Jeff]

Shane... I thought I was the only one that did that.

 

[Jim Martin]

that's just good common since on how to take care of your equipment...........

 

[LeeCory]

When reeling the solution line you should toss the hose behind the van while holding onto both connectors. Connect the male into the female on the reel and set the female on the floor of the van and then reel in the hose. By doing this you are not dragging any connectors on the ground while reeling in.

There shouldn't be any reason to be dragging connectors around whether they are stainless or brass. Kinda like taking my wand back out to the van.... I don't drag it, I carry it.

 

[Blue Monarch]

I beat the hell out of them when I'm winding up the hose. Never had a problem with brass. I must be lucky....

Never maintain pump-up
Never maintain HF
Never change out fittings
Never a problem...


Somethings gonna happen soon I bet.

 

[Greenie]

I will go against the majority, and say the SS do indeed last longer, especially with high heat guys.

While I agree there doesn't "appear" to be much logic to it, as they posess the same poppets and o-rings (soft goods) as the brass, so my theory is thermal expansion and just overall durability of the 303 stainless. All things being equal SS won't expand as much as brass and won't wear as fast, this might be the difference on a marginal seal giving way in a brass housing or lasting a few months more in a SS housing.

In general SS cost 2X as much as brass if not more, so you have to balance the purchase of a Female, but the Males are a no brainer, nicked o-rings are a pita.

 

[Kevin]

All SS here. They last longer, both Male and Female.

 

[Larry Cobb]

...

I like SS on more TM parts, as I see the long-term results.

They never rust, and continue to look good for many years

We just went to SS open QD's on our TM's for better durability.

Some of the SS "60" series QD's come standard with Viton(r) seals & o'rings.

Larry Cobb

 

[Doug Cox]

I would prefer to go with the way that is fastest which I would guess is swapping out a QD. I pick brass, but with a double O-ring. I'm not that big of a cheap ass. Actually , I spend way too much on fixing my equipment.

The best thing I ever did (Greenies suggestion) was to eliminate the 2- 50 footers and go with a single 100 footer. Half as many couplers and less chance of doing damage inside of someones house.