Sailindawg, i dont know if the barbs are bolted or threadded, in either case, its not easy to remove the barbs... i scraped off the paint and tried with all my fource and they wouldnt move at all... so, sorry the barbs are probably not removeable, then again, knowing they are almost impossible to remove means there wont be any leaks caused by the barbs budging or coming off and again, its 1/2" barbs, what more could you want