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Thread: Home Made Air Hose Leaks

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    DeKalb, IL
    Posts
    215

    Home Made Air Hose Leaks

    This weekend I was checking the air compressor (I have been slowly assembling rigid line) and I noticed that from Tuesday to Saturday I went from 135 to just under 90 and I thought that was a big drop in 4 days. I turned the compressor on so it could gain full pressure. It was then that I noticed the flex line I had contructed between the tank and the rigid line was leaking.

    As of now I am air comes out the compressor to a ball valve followed by a 3/8" hose barb. I bought 5/8" OD / 3/8" ID High Pressure hose (for sprayers) that I found on clearance. I'm using about 3 ft (max) of this running to another hose barb which is connected to the inlet on the regulator. The hose is fastened to the hose barbs with standard hose clamps.

    I guess my problem is that the high pressure of the air is leaking through the hose clamp. Is their any better way to fasten these lines down to the barb?
    Almost 10 years of WWing and something tells me I'm going to stay a Newbie the rest of my life, but still having all kinds of fun doing it.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Puget Sound area in Washington
    Posts
    353
    Rather than guess where your leak is (however you are probably right) you should swab it with a soap solution. If the leak is where you think it is, I would expect you are using worm gear clamps. These are almost never completely round enough at the location of the worm.

    You could try double clamping and using a sealer, but air is tough to seal. If I had this problem, I would check with an outfit that makes up hydraulic hose ends. Another place to check would be a welding supply company.

    Good luck

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Near saw dust
    Posts
    980
    Any way to change to a smaller diameter hose or larger barbs and just soap em up and push em on? Double clamps is all I can think of otherwise.
    Strive for perfection...Settle for completion

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Monroe, MI
    Posts
    11,896
    I agree on checking for leaks using soapy water. However, if it is the hose, you might want to consider using a hydraulic hose. I bought one fairly inexpensively at Tractor Supply that works great for connecting my compressor to the wall plumbing. I don't expect it to fail anytime in the near future either since they are made to take MUCH higher pressure and abraision.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    DeKalb, IL
    Posts
    215
    I know for a fact that the hose is leaking at the barbs cause I can move it and hear a change in pitch.

    I was thinking larger barbs and pushing the hose on harder. Since it is the high pressure sprayer hose it has the thicker rubber walls that may flex a bit more without tearing.
    Almost 10 years of WWing and something tells me I'm going to stay a Newbie the rest of my life, but still having all kinds of fun doing it.

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