Automotive Refrigerant Hose
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PParish@delanet.com
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- HOSE REPLACEMENT
-
The after market and the OEM manufactures recommend that you don't need to
change the hoses unless they show signs of leaks.
If you replace the hoses, it should be with Barrier style hose and
Beadlock fittings.
Barrier hose has a thin inner layer of neoprene rubber for sealing to
fittings then a thin Nylon liner (Barrier) to provide
a barrier to refrigerant permeation.
I have asked Atco, Dayco & Goodyear direct whether you can use hose barb
style fittings with Barrier hose.
They say that they know people are doing it, but they do not recommend it.
They state that the beadlock fitting is the only fitting that is
recommended for use with barier hose.
They state that the problem with hose barb fittings and Barrier hose is
that the inner layer of rubber gets cut by the barbs of the fitting.
This is because the barbs extend out from the O.D. of the tube and are
a little sharp.
There are companies that send out hose barb fittings
with Barrier hose with their air conditiong kits.
I questioned one of them and was told that they are having no problems
with using the two togeather.
The Atco bubble crimper model 3700 provides excellent crimps.
With it you crimp until the two haves of the body of the crimper comes to
within 1/32" (.031") of each other.
Each die has a number on it that represents the outside diameter of a
crimped shell at its minimum demension.
I am going to use beadlock fittings with barrier hose but am going to
experiment with other combinations.
I have thousands of dollars of hose barb fittings in stock and also know
some fittings will not be available in beadlock.
In the past I have used hose barb fittings along with Barrier hose with
mixed results.
It may be that with the right crimping they will get by.
I am going to try crimping hose barb fitting to Barrier hose with 1/16"
gap between the body halfs.
I am also going to try crimping barrier hose to factory fittings by
attaching a new ferrule so it can not slip off and crimping with
the normal demension.
I would like any feed back on this subject.
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