Sipper valves in rat rack. what causes leaks?

....and what is the cure?
I just finished a 18 tub rack for rats with auto water system and most of the sippers leak.
Other than reurning them what is the cure. I have taken some of them apart and they are clean on the inside.
Can someone help?
thank you
Bill :salute:

I dont breed rats but my guess would just be

Dirty or old worn out sippers

I know some of those "type" valves need a vacuum behind them to work properly, is that the type you have?

Might not be a bad idea to just order new ones...

They might just need to be adjusted. If you tighten the actual sipper part untill the leak stops it should be fine. Just turn the sipper part with a needle nose pliers as you hold the part that looks like a nut with either a cresent wrench or pliers. Give that a try.

As said above,likely not tight enough,but not my choice of tools..:salute:
If their the vari flow model, that is how the vari flow works..

I have the automatic water system hooked up to a water valve control...I also have some racks hooked to a bucket system (I don't consider that automatic)...none of mine leak unless they are old and worn our or have been jammed by *@#$ing rats. :8: After a few tubs of that..they don't do that anymore.:D

Unless they're completely brand new, replace the rubber gaskets, and clean them thoroughly. Clean the water lines, they can get a bacterial slime in them. Tighten the valves properly. If they still leak, they're junk.
Also, if you have them hooked up to a pressurized water system rather than gravity feed, most valves aren't designed for that.