NITROUS OXIDE ( nos / n2o ) advice forum

This isn't funny anymore.
It appears that certain UK based nitrous system retailers are selling the wrong pipe fittings.
(You know who it's likely to be, and if you don't then it doesn't matter, please don't let this important subject descend into poking fun at them, besides they may not be the only ones)

Now the vast majority (all?) of nitrous systems use fittings and pipes in a standard AN type tapered fitting, this fitting type is widely available in the USA being as it was specified for their Airforce / Navy (hence AN)

While AN fittings are widely available in the USA, they're an utter bitch to get in the UK, only generally available through nitrous dealers importing the stuff then adding a vastly proffitable mark up for themselves.
So of course any UK based company trying to save a few pence a time is going to try and find an alternative, so off they trot to their local hydraulics shop.
Mr. friendly hydraulics man takes one look and says it's a JIC fitting, JIC being a commonly available standard of fitting, well he doesn't know nitrous is still 20 years out of date does he ?
(American industry uses a LOT of JIC fittings by the way)

So "cheap ass UK nitrous co" opts for the cheap ass plated steel JIC fittings, but to maintain appearances will often use AN type hoses with their cute red and blue ends and you end up with this;

Thats right, AN fittings (the brass one) are 37 degree taper and JIC fittings (the silver one) are 45 degree taper.
Great ! So you end up with a tiny ring of taper doing all the sealing, not so bad until its been tightened a couple of times, by which time its dug into the softer brass and made a pit and won't seal no matter how hard you swing on the spanners.
Since its the pipe that got destroyed (usually) the only cure is to replace the hose with a JIC standard hose, or change it for an AN hose and change the fittings too.
The BIG clue this is going on is if the joint feels spongy when you do it up, matching tapers practically go solid the moment the tapers meet and if you can manage to get more than a flat of the hex turn on the nut you're doing well.
People who should know what they're doing should realise this, but don't.
The instant give away will be gold / yellow steel fittings and the gold will turn silver where you used a spanner.
Long term, steel corrodes like you wouldn't believe with nitrous, fittings should be brass / alloy / stainless. NOT mild STEEL.
Here's an example of what to avoid;


So you thought you could cheat the system when you found it cheaper did you ?
Cheaper doesn't mean better value, cheaper often comes at a price, QUALITY.
How else did you lose out ?
Well performance for a start, just look at the step created by the mis-match. Lovely eh ?

You're bitter and twisted Loopy!!!!

Hey guys there's a clue in there as to who the culprits are!!!

Regards

I'm sick of people just trying to save a few quid getting screwed more like.
Besides, they aren't the only company doing this unfortunately

I've personally seen two in the last month, which considering i'm not a dealer or a shop is a lot !
It's not nice telling someone they got screwed and they'd have to rip their interior out AGAIN to fit a new pipe because someone saved 46p.
Its the crap like this that really annoys me.

There is a general lesson here

Well I didn't know much about braided line but I feel I have been educated tonight.

Well if "a picture is worth a thousand words" then that gives me several hours of free time in which to cut them open, take pictures, have a coffee, a quick nap, maybe watch a bit of TV and still have time to spare !
(Sometimes i actually use THREE Fingers !!!!!!!)

Cutting open fittings is easy, cutting open braided pipe axially, now thats a bitch !

loopy i belileve these bottle nuts were not to save money (although that still could be a factor) but to overcome the problem with us bottles not being pi mark approved. using one of these bottle nuts would allow the company selling them to be able to sell theyre us kits with uk spec bottles.

on the saving money front , theyre import packages would weigh 14lbs per kit less there for save alot on shipping however i still dont know if what they saved on shipping would be any greater than the price of a uk spec bottle with an adequate valve.

Mash,

Loopy's point is that anyone supplying such components should make sure they supply the right ones.

For example when we offer components to marry to US components we supply purpose made fittings in stainless steel, which we have designed to match perfectly to US components on one end and our components on the other. Now this costs £1,000s to have them made in the batch sizes required.

Regards

Mash > The issue isn't the making of bottle nuts or any other type of adaptor, i have no problems with that at all.
What i do have a problem with is then using JIC fittings to then adapt the adaptor when AN fittings should be used.
In the second example shown, i don't have a problem with the alloy part of the adaptor, my problem is with the 46p JIC yellow zinc passivate fitting used to make the adaptor compatable with AN fittings.
If they can't get USA AN fittings then they should be having stainless steel or alloy AN adaptors made.

I don't care how or what people do, as long as they do it right.
Using EU bottles is great, making adaptors is fine but using the wrong fittings isn't.
This is like custom matching paint, the wrong colour.

Is there anyone else confused over this issue ?

i wasnt confused but i am now what you on about lines for ?



i initially thought loopys point was to portray a certain companies ethics and that they are only in it for the money ,

all i was saying was that i didnt believe the companies had done it to save them selves cost , i believe they had done it to offer uk bottles , however theyre neglect to check suitability of the product for its purpose leaves alot to be desired

As long as it's clear now, then thats ok.

Basically, view yellow passivate mild steel ANYTHING with deep suspicion.
The chances are it's wrong.