OnGuard™ Hose Handling and Maintenance Tips

10 Hose Handling and Maintenance Tips

Check out the below 10 tips on proper hose handling and maintenance

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Never exceed the rated working pressure of a hose.

• • Never allow pressure spikes or surges above the maximum rated working pressure of the hose
  • Excessive pressure can shorten the life of the hose

• Never run over a hose with equipment or vehicles, such as forklifts.

  • Running over a hose can damage the tube, reinforcement, and cover
  • A buildup of pressure can cause damage at the coupling

•  Never pull a hose by its coupling

  • Pulling a hose at the coupling can kink the hose and weaken the coupling’s bond to the hose

•  Never lift a heavy, large-diameter hose by the middle with the ends hanging down.

  • The internal reinforcement can be damaged at the support point
  • Support large hose every ten feet with rope saddles or slings
  • When moving a hose, always lift the hose and coupling together
  • Use dollies, rollers, or derricks when moving large hoses

•  Never over-bend a hose to the point of kinking

  • Never bend the hose tighter than the recommended minimum bend radius
  • Never kink a hose to stop the flow of material
  • Kinking a hose can seriously damage the tube and reinforcement
  • If needed, install bend restrictors at the coupling to prevent the hose from being bent past its minimum bend radius

• A hose cover exposed to excessive wear can be protected with an extra cover, such as a nylon sleeve or pad.

  • Make the cover slightly longer than the hose to accommodate any change in the hose length when in use

• Remove kinked or crushed hose from service immediately

  • Inspect and test the hose before putting it back in service
  • An outside diameter of a hose which has been permanently reduced by more than 20% should be removed from service
  • An outside diameter of a hose which has been reduced by 20% or less should have a hydrostatic test done before being put back into service.

• Remove and test any hose assembly that has been subjected to abuse

  • This includes a hose that has been severely pulled at the coupling, flattened, crushed, kinked, cut, abraded or exposed to temperatures or pressures above noted maximums.

• Visually inspect and pressure test hose at regular intervals

  • This is extremely important for critical application hoses, such as acid/chemical, steam, LPG, and petroleum
  • Check for kinks, bulges, soft spots, loose areas, abrasions, and cuts
  • Cuts or abrasions which expose the reinforcement are signs that the hose should be immediately removed from service

• Always check for fluid seepage by pushing at the base of the coupling with your thumbs; a hose softened by fluid seepage must be replaced

  • Check for coupling slippage
  • Remove any hose that does not pass your visual inspection

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