Seeking quality in the world of flexible hoses clear about quality

• 1 February 2017
• Local News
• 2774 Views

Perhaps you have never been to Yuyao city, Cixi region, located in Zhejiang Province, China.

This area specialises in flexible hose, metal hose and shower hose production. When you go there for the first time, you think it is one big factory because these products are everywhere.

We have produced reliable and high-quality flexible hoses for many years and export them around the world. We have got exceptional experience in this area and want to give you some advice to get knowledge in this field.

How do you check flexible hoses and get the maximum information from the producer from the outset to be clear about the quality and cost of the hose?

First of all, you should know the main components of a typical flexible hose, such as comparing its specifications and spare parts:

– nut/ insert

– nipple

– rubber hose

– steel wire

– steel sleeve

Many producers want to earn more money on one order and sometimes use a manual production style or buy the cheapest raw materials, deceiving the customer by saying it is a high quality product.

According to high quality product standards, flexible hoses should be made with:

– Fullrust-proof 304 stainless steel

– Nickel plated 57 brasses

– Non crumble 25% EPDM rubber hose

– Hose maximum pressure limit 165 bar

– Maximum working temperature (+5 ̊C) – (+95 ̊C)

Usability period – 10 years.

This type of flexible hose is one high quality product, but the price is a little bit high, which is not suitable for all markets. So you need to find the best combination of components according to your market’s requirements.

Hose:

Good hoses are more flexible, can’t be crusted after time and don’t stink.

Low quality hoses are made from a mixture with a low EPDM percentage; they can be easily detected by a lack of flexibility, white color blanks and also by the hose starting to crust after time.

Nipple:

Good nipples are one of the most important parts of a good flexible hose; its quality depends not only on material, but also on its construction. Bad quality nipples are lighter and can be easily broken under pressure.

Usually a good nipple weight is around 7.4 grams and it is made with 57 type brass. A lot of producers use plastic nipples but colour it like a brass one, so it is very difficult to differentiate, which material was used in flexible hoses. So don’t just look at a hose, without taking out the nipple.

There are a lot of suppliers who make one-body steel nipples for flexible hoses.

The main advantage of this type of nipples that it doesn’t have two parts as is usual for brass nipples. Instead, it is a full body nipple, so it is impossible to break it while using high water pressure.

Please pay attention and don’t make a mistake because aluminium and stainless steel nipples are the same from outside and it is not so easy to understand the differences between them simply by looking. You should take out the nipple from a hose and press it using some instrument and to try to break it. You can be sure that after that you can see real materials.

Nut/Insert:

A good nut/insert has a wide side wall to allow a deeper thread so the nut will sit tight and will not get broken. Low quality nuts have thin sidewalls and can be broken.

Nuts can be made from brass, steel, plastic, iron, etc.

The most expensive and best nuts are made from brass and SS 304. These materials protect goods from corrosive influences and can be used for a long time.

Sometimes producers use iron nuts, but chrome-plate the outside to make the products shiny.

Well, now you can analyse flexible hoses by yourself and be sure about their quality. Good luck in Cixi!