pressure rating of LP hoses

[headtohead]

Hi guys,
hope this is not a daft question. posted this on another newsboard, but did not get a reply. Hope i have better luck here.

Basically i got to know a guy who does hoses (diving ones among them). He could do some diving hoses (he is a diver himself) for me at a resonable price.

He informed me that the typical rating for a LP hose is 250 PSI. however he has only 350psi hoses. He also mentioned that 350psi hoses has been used for almost a decade already by people diving !
So,
a) are LP hoses typically rated at 250 PSI ?
b) can i use the 350 PSI LP hoses ?
c) are 350 hoses actually being used at all !?

is there anything i should look out for ? anyone has any expereince in such things ? the only difference i have seen so far is that the 350 hose is slightly (very slightly) thicker than the normal LP hoses.

thanks !

 

[scubasean]

The hose would certainly be safe from the explosion standpoint...

Flexibility in the 350PSI hose would likely be diminished from that of the 250PSI hose.

A 7' reg hose at the LDS is only 40 bux or so as I recall....This person must be cutting the price in half....True?

 

[headtohead]

yup, hoses are actually relatively cheap !

so other than flexibility, the hoses are ok ?

 

[Big-t-2538]

There's nothing wrong with it....you don't need 350psi, but it isn;t going to hurt anything....

If you have a chance, check out what the difference in flexibility is between the two hoses....if it is significant, then I'd be concerned...you certainly don't want the hose to be too stiff...but other than that, I don't see an issue.

 

[Charlie99]

headtohead once bubbled...
a) are LP hoses typically rated at 250 PSI ?
b) can i use the 350 PSI LP hoses ?
c) are 350 hoses actually being used at all !?

Being curious, I looked at my gear:

Atomics 2nd stage hose: 27bar (about 390psi)

Dacor Viper LP hose: 35 bar/510psi

hose on the remnants of Aqualung LPO that I destroyed in frustration at its poor performance: 400psi

LPI hose that came with SeaQuest BCD: 20bar/300psi

no-name LPI hose with better grip quick disconnect: markings worn off.

At least in my gear, neither 250 nor 350psi rating appears.

Actual IP setting on most firsts is around 130 to 150psi, but a slightly leaking HP seat will allow the IP to creep up until one of the 2nd stages opens up a bit to bleed off the excess pressure --- so it's good to have a nice large safety margin on the hose ratings.

You just need sufficiently high rating. Then look at things like flexibility, how durable, and particularly for the LP inflator hose -- how easily can you grasp and operate the quick disconnect in case of a stuck BCD inflator button.

Charlie