The flexible braided hose between my compressor and air lines, the one that came with my Ingersoll Rand compressor, started leaking at the nut. I determined that the interior flared brass ferrule (JIC fitting) cracked. I had not adjusted the hose for months, and suddenly the leak occurred. Possibly the crack was due to my over-tightening it? At any rate, I need to replace the hose.
I found in McMaster-Carr a high pressure hose which you can build yourself: http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/119/267/=mco8so You basically order the hose length you want and the fittings and then, apparently, attach the fittings.
The web site provides:
Build-Your-Own High-Pressure Braided Chemical HoseI contacted McMaster-Carr asking if there are any assembly instructions for the fittings, their reply was:
- Use with ethylene glycol, mineral oil, and toluene; not for use with fuel oil or gasoline
- Temperature Range: -65° to +400° F
- Hose: PTFE
- Braid: Type 304 stainless steel
Hose and fittings are sold separately. Just cut the hose to length and attach the fittings—no special equipment required. Note: After attaching the fittings, hose should be tested for required pressure before use. [red emphasis added]
McMaster-Carr: All of the information we have on these items is listed on our website. If you find after ordering the items that they do not work in your application, you can return them for credit.When I asked again with:
Me: Are there instructions included with the fittings showing how to assemble them to the hose? I did not see such instructions on the web site.
McMaster-Carr: No additional information (other than what is on our website) is available for the products we sell.
I did not find their response to be helpful (I'm dismayed with McMaster-Carr, they're always really helpful and their web site is a model for others to mimic). If their policy is no additional information is available other than what is stated on the web site, they might warn people of this policy on their inquiry form, it could save some time and set realistic expectations.
So I come to this forum to inquire if anyone has ever assembled the build-your-own fittings for high pressure hoses? Do you simply insert the hose over a shaft and the screw tighten a threaded nut to create a seal between the hose and the fitting?
Given that my Ingersoll Rand fitting cracked, I'm a bit wary just to willy-nilly start tightening things without so much as a torque specification. I tired to find on the web the manufacturer or some other vendor which might offer insight on the assembly technique and I was unsuccessful.