SS 300 hose leak, 1/2 capacity

[soakinader]

My dear SS 300 seems to have some problems.
The trigger valve is a bit iffy, but it usually works just fine and holds pressure without leaking. It hasn't broken yet, and I hope it doesn't.

But then there is the hose. It leaks at both ends, even when the valve is closed, and it annoys the heck out of me. It leaks out of the disc's four holes (opposite the ball valve handle) and from between the connector and the backpack that should be slightly easier to fix. Also, my hose has two grooves at each end, but only one o ring in each. Is that normal?



I was only able to fill the chambers half-way with water before it became very difficult, and I was afraid if I tried to pump any harder I would break something. The ranges were equal to my CPS 1000.

When pumping, the pump shaft only seems to only fill half way with water (unlike my XP 150). I was thinking that might be due to the kinks in the hose restricting flow or something, and I was going to stick the 300 in the bathtub and try pumping that way, but I didn't have the time. Now I am thinking this may not be the case?

Anyone deal with these problems before?

EDIT: Anyone have a method for un-kinking a hose that would be permanent, or wouldn't be ugly?

[Andrew]

At a guess I'd say the second groove is part of the mechanism that locks the hose into the back of the blaster. I don't actually have one of these so I can't confirm that (especially as the H piece looks more likely to be for that).

I'm not sure what the disc with the four holes is for. I can't see it being a PRV, as that are shouldn't have positive pressure. After all, it's before the pump! If you can't find any other way of fixing it's seal, you could cover the holes with epoxy putty (don't push it into the hole, it's opposite the ball valve and you don't want to jam that up). As for the backpack connector is it removable? Is there a washer that might need replacing?

If you can get it apart, you could fit a anti-kink (corrosion resistant metal) spring into the tubing (like a max-infusion backpack's connector) or get one of those external anti kink springs (the sort used in water cooling systems for desktop computers).

What exactly is the issue with the ball valve at the minute?

[marauder]

Your picture isn't loading for me, so I can't make big detailed recommendations, but I do have 2 small ones that will help you out:

When you can't pressurize your 300 anymore, and its only half full of water, turn the gun upside down and fire it. This will release excess air, and you can keep pumping. For some reason, my 300 fires further when the PCs are full of water, and not part air part water like most AP guns.

For the kink in the hose, get a thick stick or another piece of hose the same size as the 300's hose and tape it to the hose where the kink is. You have to pinch the 300's hose first to get the kink out, then you tape the other hose piece to it. It's ghetto, but it works. Wish I could show you a pic.

[soakinader]

Thanks for the advice on firing, marauder. I will try that.
I want to leave the 300 as nice as possible, I might layer a slightly larger hose overtop of the existing hose, that would remove the kinks. I could always remove the hose later. As for the backpack connection, it is nearly identical to the other end, I will try adding a second o ring and/or some teflon tape under the o ring to try and perfect the seal. And as far as the ball valve, I don't know. I will try and open that up, it might need a new gasket or something, and I might try temporarily blocking those holes, I just don't want to uglify it if I can help it.
Andrew, the four holes lead into the ball valve, which works in a similar way to the CPS 3000. I would try external springs, but the hose is kinked in three different places (which is supposedly how it came in the box)

[Andrew]

A long, tight fitting external anti-kink spring combined with an internal anti king spring at each end should still solve that. The idea is it keeps the pipe cross-section as circular as possible, whilst allowing it to flex. Another layer of hose over the top of the current hose may help, but you will lose some of the flex in the pipe, making it harder to manoeuvre the blaster itself.

From the pic I can't quite see how you can open up the valve (hence the suggestion of filling the holes) but if you can, and can fix the root problem that's even better. If you can disassemble it, but can't fix it, you could block the holes from the inside which won't look as bad. The holes must be there for something, but I can't get my head round why they would lead into the ball valve. That's just opportunity for leaks. You would be wise to cover the holes temporarily first to see if it has any adverse affect on the blaster's operation.

If the extra slot isn't for connecting the hose to the blaster/backpack then an extra o-ring will keep the connector straight, which in itself will help the seal. Teflon tape beneath the o-rings should help the seal, and PVC electrical tape will hold the Teflon tape down (I assumed the backpack connection was threaded before ).

I wasn't completely clear before, I meant do you know what's wrong with the ball valve used for firing the blaster? You mentioned it was a little iffy.

[soakinader]

Oh, the firing mech. When you pull the handle back to fire it, you sometimes need to push the handle slightly forwards to close the valve entirely. However, sometimes, even after that, it still leaks profusely, after which briefly firing it and releasing the handle closes it. I have a similar problem with my XP 150.

[Andrew]

Sounds like a worn valve-return spring. If you can't replace the spring, you'll have to improvise (the standard 'rubber-band mod' is designed specifically for pull valves) to close the ball valve fully after each shot. It may just be that all of the moving parts in the trigger mech need lubricating (there are a fair few rotating parts with the potential of adding a fair amount of friction) so I would try lubrication first (including inside the valve itself if possible).