Rodent water valve leak issue...

[SnakeDoc]

Hey guys I have a water valve(s) issue...they are leaking and flooding my rat tubs! Some of these valves are only a few months old too! The only thing that has changed from this Fall and last Fall is they are in a building that may get cooler so do you think the O-rings are contracting and during the day expanding as the day warms up? I can't figure it out!!! What can I do to fix this issue?



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[WmHrbst]

What type of valves?

[rascal_rascal_99]

Are you on gravity feed or lined it through a regulator? This just sounds weird for them all to be leaking, if you're on a lined in water source, check to make sure you don't have too much pressure causing it.

I have a mix of variflow and reptile basics valves and have never had to do anything with either of them because of a change in temps.

Are you sure it's not just a top cage somewhere that's faulty and water is running down to the others making them look like they're leaking too?

[Southern_Breeder]

I would try pressure regulators if you don't have them.
i have thousands of rats and I myself use o-rings.
plus being in virginia, I see a vast temperature difference all year long.
From high 90's to low 30-40's and I've never had a problem with o-rings.

[ironpython]

Bleed your hose out and check the valves in question bits of bedding can get in and cause leaks Ive had this problem before myself and found it to be trash in the valve and also make sure the valve is tightened

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[SlitherinSisters]

I'm wondering what you are using too. I've had issues with the new style from Reptile Basics

Sorry, I'm totally copy/pasting here:

I have tried both kinds of nozzles from Reptile Basics, but I really prefer the vari-flow valves, these: http://www.reptilebasics.com/vari-flow-drinking-valve I do not like the rodent valves, these: http://www.reptilebasics.com/rodent-...rinking-valve/ I've had nothing but trouble with them. I contacted Rich and he was great, sent me new parts which fixed the problem, but as soon as they get dirty again they leak. You have to take them apart fairly often to clean them, and I'm just too lazy for that. The Vari-Flow valves don't have that problem. I've had maybe one of those leak in the 4 years I've been using them.


Rhasputin has a great idea for the 'just in case' stuff. http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...atering-system

For people worried about drowning, i drilled holes in the bottom of my plastic bins, and then glued metal washers on both sides of the hole to prevent chewing, and put a small bit of mesh wire in between the washers to prevent babies from falling through or anything like that. So if it ever did leak, it would be able to drain quickly and I'd just have some very sad wet rodents, instead of a bunch of very dead rodents.

[rascal_rascal_99]

I don't know which valve (vari-flow or the new rb style) that I like best, I have both and don't normally have trouble out of either.

What I do find, is the RB valves are typically more plug and play, where the VF does require some adjusting to get the drip amount correct normally. I've had one out of about twenty RB valves that dripped way too much from the start, I took it apart and stretched out the spring just a touch (probably less than 1/8 of an inch) and it worked great after that.

Trash inside them can make both valves either stop up completely or leak out more depending on how/where the trash is in them, it does seem like if it's causing it to leak extra when they get a drink, that the RB valves are more likely to leak out a whole lot more extra. ...and I have no clue what possesses them to do it, but I've seen rats on more than one occasion jamming bedding into a water nozzle that's working fine, causing it to leak.