Hoses have a breakthrough time and people in charge of using them must be aware of the signs of an imminent injury, especially when the working conditions involve high operative pressure and / or transport of hazardous materials.
Safety instructions: If the measures for maintenance, installation and correct operations of hose cleaning recommended by the manufacturer are not met, a premature deterioration of the hose may happen with consequences of various types, from contamination of the transported fluid to danger situations for the users.
The general guidelines to handle properly the hoses are described below. Incorrect use can greatly reduce the life of our products.
Correct hose manipulation.
Avoid any abuse in hose manipulation. The hose must not be strongly dragged on angular or abrasive surfaces unless it is produced specifically for this kind of use.
The hoses must be used only until the approved maximum working pressure. Furthermore, any modification of the working pressure should be made gradually to avoid the hoses being exposed to abrupt pressure strokes. Hoses must not be smashed unless allowed by the kind of hose and indicated in the technical data. The use of reels or drums is recommended when manipulating big dimensions hoses. When working with heavy hoses in cantilever applications (such as loading and unloading of products from ships or tank cars), it is necessary to hold the hoses using suitable belts.
General Controls
Inspections and hydraulic testing must be performed at regular intervals to verify that the hose is still suitable for use. The hose must also be visually inspected to verify that there are no points in which the cover is detached or smashed or dented or there are some soft parts, or to verify that there are no broken or moved reinforcements. Fittings and flanges should be controlled to avoid a possible detachment from the hose; in this case they must be immediately replaced if necessary. A badly executed connection or the use of a connected hose to carry on fluids for which it is not suitable, can lead to a sudden extraction of the fitting or the flange from the hose.
Storage
As for the storage and stay of the hoses in a warehouse, it is necessary to consider the possible influence of temperature, air humidity, ozone, sunlight, oil, solvents, corrosive liquids and vapours, radioactive materials, insects and rodents.
The hoses delivered in rolls must be laid horizontally. If possible, it is recommended the storage of hoses in their original packagings especially if they are wooden crates or cardboard boxes. Some kind of packaging are meant to give the hose mechanical protection or protection from environmental influences such as rain of sunlight.
Hoses must not be stacked or piled up to avoid deformations to the hoses on the bottom due to the stack weight. Due to the great range of size, weight and length of the hoses, it is impossible to give general valid recommendations about stacking. A thin-wall hose is less resistant than a stronger wall or a steel wire hose.
