7 Facts Edmonton Valve Knows about Hose!

Learn these tips, and you'll have the edge when your company needs hoses

	Swagelok hoses are available in a vast majority of series, sizes, and lengths. For more information, download the Hose and Flexible Tubing catalogue.

A hose is a lot more than just a long flexible tube, especially when it is designed for use in industrial applications. At Edmonton Valve & Fitting, we know what makes a particular kind of hose the right fit for a particular kind of job. In fact, we make Coreflex X series hoses right here in Edmonton. That means you can get exactly the size, length, and end connections that you need - plus any tags or other options. Your order will be ready the same day and with the same high quality you expect from all Swagelok products.

Here are a few things you might not have known about hoses.

1. To qualify as a hose rather than just flexible tubing, it must have some reinforcement around the core. That helps increase resistance to pressure, kinking and crushing, among other things.

2. The core can come in a variety of materials. Each type of core is good for some things and not so good for others. Metal cores, for example, work well under a wide range of temperatures. But they can suffer from flex fatigue if they are used in a setting where the hose needs to move around. PTFE cores, on the other hand, are flexible, but they are subject to outgassing, meaning they aren't always the ideal choice for small-molecule gasses such as helium and hydrogen. Those gasses can permeate the core.

3. Cores also can be either smooth or convoluted like the bendy part of a flexible drinking straw.

4. The tightest radius you can bend a hose is called, naturally, the bend radius. But there's another important measure, and that's the force needed to make such a tight bend. A hose bent under too much force shortens its life and puts extra stress on the equipment it is attached to.

5. Hoses that are over-bent will kink. That cuts down flow and can damage the hose itself. If the hose has a natural curvature and you try to bend it in the opposite direction, you can cause similar damage. We supply the correct fittings for those times when you need to attach a hose in a way that goes against its natural curvature.

6. When we measure a hose, it's typically end-to-end, including the fittings. That means the flexible part is a little shorter than the full length. We call that shorter portion the "live length."

7. Some hoses also have a cover. Covers are good to have in circumstances where the hose is likely to get scuffed, or if you are concerned about someone getting burned because the fluid inside the hose is really hot. But covers by themselves don't increase flexibility or increase the ability to handle pressure.

For more information about Swagelok hoses, and to find which one is best for your specific application, call us. Or, you can download the Swagelok Hose and Flexible Tubing catalogue here.