[lee_dewing]

hi anyone got any good tips for protecting connectors for microbore (red handled taps)
got tennis balls on hose minibore but still breaking taps?
help
lee

[clean]

You need a tap holster,varitech sell them 

[cybersye]

or a shoe lace, tie that to it and hang it around your neck

[Davew]

Don't have a tap on your microbore. Have the tap on your pole hose.

[Londoner]

I have go rid of my tap now. I just unplug the pole when I want to stop the water.

[cybersye]

Don't have a tap on your microbore. Have the tap on your pole hose.

why?
and if you have 2 or 3 poles and wanted to control flow you would need to buy a tap for each of them

[Davew]

That is a downside but we're hardly talking a lot of money here. Your tap is breaking when you wind your microbore back in yes?

[cybersye]

No, mine does'nt. A pound shop carabina and a strap or bootlace will cost far less than 2 or 3 taps, my tap is on the microbore, wearing it around my neck means 1, its always easy to reach (better than a hip hoslter in my opinion that are expensive) 2, the tap never gets dragged along the ground and damaged  3, I walk the hose back to the reel remove it from the carabina and then wind it in thus preventing the tap from damage and the hose is less likely to get tangled. Idiot proof!
Only posting up my suggestion because it was asked and it has been asked before. Tap holsters and gizmos to attach taps to poles and the like may add to ease of use but part us with our cash for no reason, what I do costs pennies and works fine.

[Davew]

Good idea but i thought it was Lee who was breaking taps? Your right about the holster being expensive though. I tried to get my local cobbler to make one up but he wasn't interested. I might do my own if i can get hold of a popper tool for peanuts. A couple of times i've gone out without it and have had to try your method. I haven't found a good way of tying a loop that won't slip to my particular tap yet.

[cybersye]

Sorry davew it was lee who asked, I thought you'd got confused but it was me :
Another thing I noticed was that the airline style microbore connecters get jammed easy/dont last long for me anyhow. I put a hosetail adapter after the tap to bring the microbore hose up to a small length of 1/2 " hose. I now just use a hoselock connection on the end of micobore. Reason being the airline connection would always jam on me while working with no spare, having to order one online or fix it was frustrating, hoselocks are cheaper and readily available almost anywhere and if it breaks you can get one and be running again in no time, also cheaper! just a tip but may help someone
Simon

[Elginn]

hi anyone got any good tips for protecting connectors for microbore (red handled taps)
got tennis balls on hose minibore but still breaking taps?
help
lee

I replaced the broken cast handles on mine with metal one's I made myself, lasts way way longer than the cast.

[colinyates]

Also had problems with taps breaking and now have fitted Siroflex plastic ones.
Cost me here in SA about £2 
Dont know if you can get them there in the UK but they are Italian so shouldnt be a problem.

Colin

[Alex Gardiner]

We always have the EZ-Snap endstop on the end of the microbore, with a protecta-ball fitted. This means that when reeling back in the fitting never gets damaged and doesn't pick up dirt so stays in good working order. We then fit the male tail onto the pole hose with another protecta-ball, this means that all parts are protected and usually give a minimum of 6-8 months reliable use.

We then always have a separate flow control valve on the pole hose about 1.5m from the connector, this we hold in our hands (well actually a piece of hose just before the valve as it's easier to hold) whilst working. The valve lasts a long time and is always where you need it. One of the chaps that works with us puts the pole hose around his shoulders and has the valve resting on his chest for easy access. It does cost more to have a valve on each pole but as they last a lot longer than sticking them on the end of the reel, we don't mind.

[Davew]

Protecta ball on the end of the microbore? I hadn't thought of that. I have a short length of inner tube around mine (off a racing cycle). My endstop is very battered but still works after ten months.

[windowwashers]

hi anyone got any good tips for protecting connectors for microbore (red handled taps)
got tennis balls on hose minibore but still breaking taps?
help
lee

Lee, can you say how you are breaking the taps.

You have pulled out house round back of house, you have finished job.

What do you do then ?

[lee_dewing]

window washers
I use freedom trolley with 15 metres of minibore hose park trolley in 1 spot usually and move around house.

I try to pick up tap when moving around little bolt at top falls out and then knackered prap's i'm heavy handed, coil up hose around hand and elbow and stick ontop of van on ladder hook.

Davew, thought about tap on pole as well; cybersye thought about what you've done as well cheaper option.

got tennis balls on connectors use to protect hozlelock connectors well but not microbore.

Alex gardiner might be in touch soon.
thanks all
lee

[[GQC] Tim]

We always have the EZ-Snap endstop on the end of the microbore, with a protecta-ball fitted. This means that when reeling back in the fitting never gets damaged and doesn't pick up dirt so stays in good working order. We then fit the male tail onto the pole hose with another protecta-ball, this means that all parts are protected and usually give a minimum of 6-8 months reliable use.

We then always have a separate flow control valve on the pole hose about 1.5m from the connector, this we hold in our hands (well actually a piece of hose just before the valve as it's easier to hold) whilst working. The valve lasts a long time and is always where you need it. One of the chaps that works with us puts the pole hose around his shoulders and has the valve resting on his chest for easy access. It does cost more to have a valve on each pole but as they last a lot longer than sticking them on the end of the reel, we don't mind.

That's actually a good idea, Ball on Microbore aswell, need a bigger hole in it though haha.

[NWH]

Make sure it`s tight fit with the balls on hoses otherwise they won`t work they`ll keep getting pushed a couple of feet down the hoses.

[[GQC] Tim]

Yea, I had that too, I just put a ziptie behind it, did the trick.

[Davew]

Me and my big mouth - i just broke a tap today! :