This hose or that hose?

Jon Lawson

Industrial hose is capable of many uses. It conveys air, steam, water, beverages, chemicals and an almost unlimited assortment of other products from A to B. Sometimes transported substances move under great pressure and travel great distances. 

When industrial hose and couplings are properly specified for the task, these assemblies perform their function flawlessly.

However, the potential hazards of hose assemblies are very real. When we try to get them to do things they were never designed to do, such as running steam through a chemical hose or using cam and groove couplings for air, they fail miserably with sometimes catastrophic results.

To avoid potential harm to personnel, site and equipment, and to prevent product loss, Dixon stresses the importance of inspecting all hose assemblies prior to each use.

Hose failures, damaged end fittings and correct hose specification are just a few of the factors an onsite maintenance engineer might have to address on a day-to-day basis.

Whether it’s the correct hose required or the right type of coupling for the application, it is often a minefield when it comes to finding a solutions provider with the correct experience you can trust.

As a company with 100 years in the industry and with a current staff hose experience measured over half a millennium, Dixon is often asked the question, “Which hose? This hose or that hose?”

Believe it or not, these customers are the smart ones as they at least question which hose to procure. Many will continue to buy what they always bought without considering if it is the right hose for the application. Recently Dixon recommended a customer changed from using a hygienic rubber hose to a silicone hose. The result is that although the silicone hose was 50% more expensive, where the rubber hose needed to be changed every other month, the silicone hose has been in use for over eight months! This is a cost saving for the customer, both in terms of downtime and price over the period.

So, where to start with finding out if you need ‘this hose or that hose’?

Dixon uses an acronym, STAMPED, as the answer. Size: what size and length hose do you require? Temperature: what is the temperature of the media/process? Application: what industry is used in? (Is it used for suction and delivery). Media: what is the media going through the hose? Pressure: what is the pressure of the media? Ends: what end connections do you require?

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