Dave Zimmerly
Contributor
Simple question...how long or how many dives till you change the HP hoses on your regs?
Regards,
Dave (aka "Squirt")
Regards,
Dave (aka "Squirt")
When to Change HP Hoses?
- Thread starter Dave Zimmerly
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For me, they have to start getting stiff or shows signs of cracking. The cracking will generally first appear near the ends at the crimp sleeve. If you have a hose protector, look under it by pulling it back and flex the hose.
R
redacted
Guest
Or when they start to shed tiny bubbles. The post dive soak is a great time to check closely.
Yes the aquarium air stone imitation thing is a good sign that you should have replaced them a dive or two ago. It is kind of cool looking though.
Weather checking is a good indicator as well. The inside is almost always in better shape, but the weather checking indicates things have been flexed a lot and have aged to the point where the inside is probably not far behind.
In really rare cases you get a very small leak inside the hose while the outside is still in tact. The result is a large ballooning of the exterior case.
Age itself is not much a great indicator. Some older hoses have bene in service 20 plus years and are still in great shape other than maybe being a bit stiff. Some newer hoses on the other hand wear out quickly and leak within 5 years. It may be a difference in production quality standards or it may be a downside of trying to make HP hoses thinner and more flexible.
How it is used and stored also makes a difference as a hose that is left sharply bent for any period of time will break down and weather check must faster than one that is left straight or loosely coiled.
Ozone is also a well known killer of rubber based scuba equipment so keep scuba equipment away from electric motors, generators, furnace rooms, etc.
Weather checking is a good indicator as well. The inside is almost always in better shape, but the weather checking indicates things have been flexed a lot and have aged to the point where the inside is probably not far behind.
In really rare cases you get a very small leak inside the hose while the outside is still in tact. The result is a large ballooning of the exterior case.
Age itself is not much a great indicator. Some older hoses have bene in service 20 plus years and are still in great shape other than maybe being a bit stiff. Some newer hoses on the other hand wear out quickly and leak within 5 years. It may be a difference in production quality standards or it may be a downside of trying to make HP hoses thinner and more flexible.
How it is used and stored also makes a difference as a hose that is left sharply bent for any period of time will break down and weather check must faster than one that is left straight or loosely coiled.
Ozone is also a well known killer of rubber based scuba equipment so keep scuba equipment away from electric motors, generators, furnace rooms, etc.
Watch out for a false alarm on this one. You are looking for air bubbles underwater.
One day last summer I aired up my system topside and saw my QD hose blow water bubbles along it's length for a period. As a precaution I swapped a spare QD hose in and made the dive.
When I stopped and thoguht it through and retested what I was seeing was water and air that was between the hose layers being squeezed out through the relief perforations. Once the hose stabilized it all stopped and nothing was wrong.
Pete
crpntr133
lost, even with a compass
Charge it underwater and really watch it bubble. I did the same thing with one of mine on a SI and said something to a buddy. He then told me about the bubbles and we just had to do it underwater.
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