A quality rubber air hose is essential to ensuring you get stable air pressure and consistent power output. There are a few tips that those seeking air hoses for DIY and professional trades need to know about. The first reason you will need to replace the rubber air hose is when upgrading the air system. It will ensure that you can use different tools or maybe you need to get more out of the system. The second reason is that the existing rubber hose pipe is defective.
The length of Your Hose
The length of your hosepipe will affect usability and performance. You can buy a 50-meter hose that reaches everything. However, this is not a recommended option. It is usually bulky. Besides that, the more pressure will be lost on the way to the other end.
Think about what you will be doing with the air tool and the amount of movement. For instance, you will need a longer hose to spray cars compared to someone who uses the air tool to make toys on their workbench. The aim is to strike the perfect balance between usability and maneuverability. Most hoses come with couplers. Thus, if you feel you need more length, you can always get more length later.
The Internal Diameter
The internal diameter is usually between 6-10 mm. When picking your hose, the more the CFM requirement of your air tool, the bigger you need your hose to be, internally. For instance, a spray gun that needs CFM of 1-3 works with a 6mm hose. An impact wrench needs 6 CFM or more. Thus, you might need a 10mm hose.
Standard Vs. Recoil Hose
A standard rubber water hose will lie flat and recoil hose that coils on its own. The standard hose can be loosely wrapped into loops during storage. It can also be mounted on a hose reel, which is wound up using a crank handle that is mounted on the wall. The recoil hose features small twists like a telephone wire. It has a memory so that if you let go, it shrinks for easy storage.
Summary
There is no real advantage or disadvantage of picking between the two. For instance, most factories use recoil hoses that spring away when not in use. However, those in the spray paint business prefer a standard coil due to the slight resistance a recoil hose offers.
