Expanding wire reinforced hose to fit

[alexincornwall]

We have a raw water cooled fridge compressor and I noticed that the on-demand Flo Jet pump is leaking quite significantly (from a lot of different places). I have a replacement and intend to tackle that tomorrow. The job looks relatively straightforward, the exception being...

The existing set up uses 1/2 inch steel wire reinforced hose to run from the output of the pump to the compressor intake and then again from the compressor outlet to the seacock for discharge. I don't think any other hose will do as it takes some fairly sharp routing in a tight space. No problem to get the hose over the pump end fittings but the fridge compressor nozzles look to be around 1-2mm thicker than the interior of the hose. It's obviously been done before but I can see that the existing hose is an incredibly snug fit (almost permanent - it will need to be cut off, not slid off). When I played around with it over the weekend, there is no way that a new section of hose if going to fit without a serious fight.

My thinking is to try dipping the end of the hose in boiling water and attempting to manually it to size. Am I onto the right idea or am I missing a better way of achieving this?

 

[Wakatere]

Hot water is good, as is a hot air gun if you're in reach of the mains (direct the air into the hose as well as over the outside).

Once it's soft bang a conical plug in to stretch it (I hope you can get it out again).

Once you've declared victory let it all cool down before you tighten the hose clips - if the plastic is still soft they'll bite in and deform it.

 

[ean_p]

I'm not convinced that physically stretching the hose prior to fitting is necessarily a good idea but if your intent on going that way then would using an expanding concrete anchor of suitable size, similar to a Rawl bolt be of any use in the process?

 

[Praxinoscope]

I secretly 'borrowed' SWMBO's Hair dryer, on full it softened the hose sufficiently to attach it to the fitting.
I don't know what it does to her hair but it certainly softened the hose.

 

[penfold]

Pointless having wire spiral reinforced hose for this duty, a plastic spiral reinforced hose or even hose lacking any spiral at all would do as it's never subject to suction. Don't make work for yourself.

 

[alexincornwall]

Pointless having wire spiral reinforced hose for this duty, a plastic spiral reinforced hose or even hose lacking any spiral at all would do as it's never subject to suction. Don't make work for yourself.

I think it's been used because it takes a fairly sharp 180 degree bend.

 

[ChromeDome]

Stepped hose connector

 

[penfold]

If collapse is a concern there are ways of avoiding it, e.g. inserting a stainless steel spring inside the bend.

 

[srm]

Have not used wire reinforced plastic pipe but I found a steam hose (from a domestic steam cleaner) a lot better than a pan of boiling water for fitting plastic pipes as the pipe could be kept hot and soft while working it. Also, not likely to burn the plastic like a hot air gun.
In my experience once the plastic pipe cools a bit below boiling point it quickly reverts to the original diameter and goes hard.

 

[Daydream believer]

Just had issues installing my new engine. Hoses from the Chandler were "not quite right". Found a supplier of silicon hose, who also supplied silicone elbows . That got over the tight bend problem.

A visit to their shop with the ends that I needed to fit to, meant that they could supply the perfect silicon hoses for the job. They supplies some SS joiners as well. They even supplied some good quality clips that were the correct size for each pipe rather than making the same size fit 10,16 & 19mm pipe etc.
The firm I went to was AFS. Not sure if they had other branches, but there are loads of similar firms & it was so easy to fit the gear, that I wondered why I had bothered struggling in the first place.

 

[penfold]

The only note of caution I'd observe with silicone hose is that there need to be good barbs on the hose tails and the hose clips need well tightened, as the stuff likes to slide off otherwise. It is very flexible, this is both useful and problematic.