Do the hoses, which come with Apeks regs have the "crystallisation" problem?
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Lost_Sasquatch
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I don't believe anyone in this thread has said there is anything bad about rubber hoses. Nobody has even said they preferred flex hoses.
Rubber hoses continue to work just fine, but there's no disputing that flex hoses have properties that rubber doesn't that some people would like to have.
Miflex hoses have in the past and continue to have a limited lifespan. If you buy a genuine miflex hose today you will get a piece of paper in the packaging that explains this to you. It's not a slight on the brand, they're up front about the fact themselves. If your hose came with the regulator then you might not have got the hose instructions I guess. Hopefully your reg tech will know that the hose must be replaced during your 5 year service in that case.
Personally, I like miflex hoses and use them for everything except a 6 foot "long hose" configuration. But I'm fully aware that they are a consumable item.
Now, a miflex hose MIGHT last a lot longer than 5 years. The problem is that there's no way to tell if it's about to fail aside from maybe using an endoscope to look inside.
Rubber hoses wear out too, but there is a warning mechanism you can see (pinhole bubbles along the hose). Therefore you can run a rubber hose until it's about to fail where you can only judge miflex based on time.
There is a "miflex pro" hose that's basically a miflex hose coated in a clear rubber. I bought one, can't say I'd recommend it. It's kind of a half measure that's "great" at nothing. It's flexier than rubber, but not nearly as much as standard miflex. It doesn't give you a wear warning, so has to be replaced based on age. It's smooth and slightly negative like rubber. I thought it was mediocre all around.
Kind of like deco, it depends on your risk aversion. I'm sure the 5 year recommendation is very conservative. When a miflex fails, it can clog the second stage. You've got another second stage, so if it does fail during a dive it's not likely to hurt you. At year 10 you might end up having to end a dive on your octo... or year 15. I generally am conservative in my diving and I avoid deco and replace stuff at the "recommended" replacement schedule.
Maybe tanks would be a better analogy than deco. I've heard of many people who don't VIP and some that don't even bother with hydro. Personally, I get my tanks vipped annually and hydroed every 5 years. Of course, a ruptured tank is a lot bigger problem than a clogged LP hose.
How about the all common group of people who don't bother with regulator service of any kind. Surely that must be a bigger risk than using a miflex beyond 5 years since a first stage could potentially fail in such a way that it dumps your gas or fails to deliver gas.
I just change them when they start to bubble and that's only happened with an Halcyon lp inflator hose, which I still like because the Halcyon ones seem to be thinner and more flexible. One thing I really like about my rubber HP hose is even if I forget to clip it to hip D-ring, the gauge stays in about the same place it would normally be.
rick flippin
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