# Leaking Heat Break - How often do you heat tighten your nozzle? **URL:** \ **Category:** Filament 3D Printer Technical Help\ **Created:** [April 15, 2024, 8:17pm UTC](https://3dprintingspace.com/t/leaking-heat-break-how-often-do-you-heat-tighten-your-nozzle/8258 "2024-04-15T20:17:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tiago](https://3dps-assets.b-cdn.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/f0a364/32.png) [@Tiago](https://3dprintingspace.com/u/Tiago)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2024, 8:17pm UTC](https://3dprintingspace.com/t/leaking-heat-break-how-often-do-you-heat-tighten-your-nozzle/8258/1 "2024-04-15T20:17:33Z")
Hi! I am one of the technicians at 3D Printing Canada. I often get customers’ printers with leaking heat breaks, which means that the heat breaker got loose at some point. I recommend checking the hotend every 200 hours or so, mainly the Micro Swiss ones. How often do you guys check your heater block for leaks? ![image](https://storage.3dprintingspace.com/original/2X/8/8ea8956217ecc3379725ab90767f7cd82bc4af96.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Loosenut](https://3dps-assets.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/3dprintingspace.com/loosenut/32/3612_2.png) [@Loosenut](https://3dprintingspace.com/u/Loosenut)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2024, 8:36pm UTC](https://3dprintingspace.com/t/leaking-heat-break-how-often-do-you-heat-tighten-your-nozzle/8258/2 "2024-04-15T20:36:52Z")
Never! I use the “Luke Hatfield” trick in the hotend (replaced once a year,) and I never have trouble with leakage or jams. He came up with a simple but brilliant fix for any boden tube printer. ---
**Author:** ![mykepredko](https://3dps-assets.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/3dprintingspace.com/mykepredko/32/4027_2.png) [@mykepredko](https://3dprintingspace.com/u/mykepredko)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2024, 5:05am UTC](https://3dprintingspace.com/t/leaking-heat-break-how-often-do-you-heat-tighten-your-nozzle/8258/3 "2024-04-16T05:05:45Z")
From my experience, Micro Swiss heater blocks are crap. ![image](https://storage.3dprintingspace.com/original/2X/8/8cb2948674437706ebeb43a4c28d2c4048535579.jpeg) I’ve spent more money than I would have expected on replacement blocks as they really don’t stand up to any kind of long term use. I’ve contacted Micro Swiss support numerous times on the issue and I have followed their instructions to the letter (leave the nozzle loose until heating to 225C) but after a few hours of use they start leaking as the nozzle and heat break loosen on their own. When I look at the heater block threads under a microscope, I can see that chips are coming off them even though I only tightened the nozzle once and only loosened it when it started leaking. To be fair, I print different materials, I go from PLA to ABS to PETg to Nylon and I think this exacerbates the problem. If you were to keep with PLA and keep it reasonably cool (200C to 210C) I think you would see better results and get longer life before they start leaking. In answer to the question @Tiago has posed, I’ve never had a Micro Swiss heater block more than 50 hours of printing. It’s unfortunate because their hot end replacement for my Zortrax M200 is amazing - worked much better and lasted much longer than the manufacturer’s product. I’ve gone to Revo nozzles and while they’re really expensive, I haven’t had any issues with them at all (they’re on two of my printers). I also use Chinese junk on two other printers and I’ve never seen a leakage problem at all - nothing like Micro Swiss. Of course, YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Tiago](https://3dps-assets.b-cdn.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/f0a364/32.png) [@Tiago](https://3dprintingspace.com/u/Tiago)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2024, 2:41pm UTC](https://3dprintingspace.com/t/leaking-heat-break-how-often-do-you-heat-tighten-your-nozzle/8258/4 "2024-04-16T14:41:00Z")
I am surely going to check the trick. Here is the approach I have taken with Micro Swiss heater blocks: 1. I start by disassembling the heater block, heat break, and nozzle. 2. I clean all parts using a brass brush and a heat gun until they shine. 3. I heat the block to 220C. 4. Then I screw back the heat break and tight as much as I can with a plier, caution not to break the neck. 5. Now, I can screw the nozzle using a torque wrench (3N.m). To check, I extruded 200mm of 1.75 PLA at 240C and \>25 mm3/s. The latest Micro Swiss heater blocks have a slightly improved design. I know some people are sanding down the heater block to improve contact between the heat break and the nozzle. ---
**Author:** ![mykepredko](https://3dps-assets.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/3dprintingspace.com/mykepredko/32/4027_2.png) [@mykepredko](https://3dprintingspace.com/u/mykepredko)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2024, 4:39pm UTC](https://3dprintingspace.com/t/leaking-heat-break-how-often-do-you-heat-tighten-your-nozzle/8258/5 "2024-04-16T16:39:14Z")
@Tiago Everything you’ve listed here can be summarized as “Don’t buy Micro Swiss.” ---
**Author:** ![kitedemon](https://3dps-assets.b-cdn.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/ecae2f/32.png) [@kitedemon](https://3dprintingspace.com/u/kitedemon)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2024, 5:45pm UTC](https://3dprintingspace.com/t/leaking-heat-break-how-often-do-you-heat-tighten-your-nozzle/8258/6 "2024-04-16T17:45:00Z")
I don’t use Micro swiss myself, never I have never needed to tighten a heat break or nozzle once installed. I went through Brass ones fast so I was forever swapping them now I am using XNozzles I have had it in the printer for ages, years now. ---
**Author:** ![MicroFarmModels](https://3dps-assets.b-cdn.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/9fc348/32.png) [@MicroFarmModels](https://3dprintingspace.com/u/MicroFarmModels)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 7:18am UTC](https://3dprintingspace.com/t/leaking-heat-break-how-often-do-you-heat-tighten-your-nozzle/8258/7 "2024-04-18T07:18:51Z")
I have found this discussion interesting, and sort of validating. 😀 I am still running obsolete MK8 creality hotends, and they are serving me well. I have occasionally looked at Micro Swiss(and other likely better quality) hotends in the past, but really didn’t feel like spending that amount of money on replacing components that cost a fraction of that and are functioning fine. Now I hear that my obsolete hotends likely work better for me than a Micro Swiss would anyway. I find that strangely comforting. ---
**Author:** ![Tiago](https://3dps-assets.b-cdn.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/f0a364/32.png) [@Tiago](https://3dprintingspace.com/u/Tiago)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 3:38pm UTC](https://3dprintingspace.com/t/leaking-heat-break-how-often-do-you-heat-tighten-your-nozzle/8258/8 "2024-04-18T15:38:40Z")
If you want to upgrade the hotend, I recommend integrated nozzles like the Revo’s or Microswiss Flowtech. ---
**Author:** ![kitedemon](https://3dps-assets.b-cdn.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/ecae2f/32.png) [@kitedemon](https://3dprintingspace.com/u/kitedemon)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 7:26pm UTC](https://3dprintingspace.com/t/leaking-heat-break-how-often-do-you-heat-tighten-your-nozzle/8258/9 "2024-04-18T19:26:31Z")
I must admit the Prusa xl nozzle is so easy to change. I have an Obsidian 0.6 and a brass. it is 2 seconds to change one screw and a plug. ---
**Author:** ![Loosenut](https://3dps-assets.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/3dprintingspace.com/loosenut/32/3612_2.png) [@Loosenut](https://3dprintingspace.com/u/Loosenut)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 9:50pm UTC](https://3dprintingspace.com/t/leaking-heat-break-how-often-do-you-heat-tighten-your-nozzle/8258/10 "2024-04-18T21:50:21Z")
> [@MicroFarmModels](#): > > am still running obsolete MK8 creality hotends, and they are serving me well. There is nothing wrong with the stock hot ends from Creality for general printing of PLA. ---
**Author:** ![MicroFarmModels](https://3dps-assets.b-cdn.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/9fc348/32.png) [@MicroFarmModels](https://3dprintingspace.com/u/MicroFarmModels)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2024, 2:59am UTC](https://3dprintingspace.com/t/leaking-heat-break-how-often-do-you-heat-tighten-your-nozzle/8258/11 "2024-04-20T02:59:31Z")
I agree. As long as high volumetric rates are not the goal. Most exotic things I print is a little TPU and PETG.