Silicone is a highly durable material, yet there are some common causes of hose failure.

The functionality of your silicone hoses is probably your number one priority — production stays afloat and equipment and vehicles keep running, so you’re able to carry on, business as usual. When a hose fails it can take down your entire operation, whether that’s manufacturing food and beverage products, pharmaceuticals, or sidelining agriculture equipment or your long-haul semi — when a hose goes out it inevitably means a loss of revenue.

Flex Technologies makes the leading silicone hose products — silicone couplers, high temp hoses, flexible coolant hoses, silicone hose clamps, etc. — that serve a broad range of applications and industries. Learn more about what’s causing your silicone hose failure in today’s post.

Is your silicone hose failing? While there are many common causes the reality is, sometimes we overlook the details which causes us to miss gaping oversights. It’s likely not the silicone material itself (depending on who made it), but rather a series of different variables or operator error.

Improper Or Contaminated Media

While silicone is one of the most durable materials with a wide range of applications, it can fail if improper or contaminated media is run through it. Perhaps you transport dry goods such as food through your silicone hose, but the diameter isn’t quite the right size. Over time these larger particles can begin to rapidly wear and tear the integrity of the hose, causing premature abrasion.

Additionally, if you’re running oil through your silicone hose and it’s not lined with fluorosilicone or fluorocarbon, it will break down and fail much more quickly because of the lack of liner.

Inadequate Workmanship

There are two major components to creating a quality silicone hose — implementing the best raw silicone materials with a blend of precise manufacturing methods. Flex Technologies goes to great lengths to ensure this with both our raw materials and finished goods testing for a superior product, yet not all silicone hose manufacturers are created equal!

Between poor raw materials, incompetent machinery, and unskilled laborers, you are subject to an inferior silicone product, which then can lead to product defects, incompatible parts, etc.

Kinking At Or Adjacent To Fittings

If you have improperly sized fittings, they’re likely to cause kinking where the hose and fitting meet. If the fitting cuts into the hose, the material being transferred can evade into this space causing blistering or bubbling.

Misapplication

One of the greatest causes of a silicone hose failure is using it for an application it was not designed for. We touched briefly on the ramifications of not using a lined silicone hose for transporting automotive and engine oils, but using incorrect silicone fittings or clamps can also cause a hose to fail.

It’s vital to make sure that you check the complete specifications of the silicone hose (listed with all of our products on our website) because they will all slightly differ in their temperature capacities, abrasion and adhesion qualities, bend radiuses, etc.

External Damage

We know the interior of a hose can be damaged by abrasive materials or running an improper media through a hose, but hose failure can also come from external damage such as overly bent or kinked hoses or crushed areas from other equipment.

Incorrect Length

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again — make sure you have all the specifications for your application before you order or begin to customize a silicone hose. The details are important, especially the length. If you miscalculate the length and try to use the hose, it will surely fail because it’s not able to expand or contract when it’s in use. This also causes additional stress on the fitting, thus the wear and tear is much more premature.

Poor Hose Quality

A defective hose can have small pinholes, nicks and cuts, or weak areas when subjected to a large volume of liquids or gas. If your supplier is not performing raw materials and finished goods testing, there is a good chance that you’ll wind up with a defective hose at some point. It’s integral to research your supplier and ensure they take testing protocols seriously, in addition to adhering to a variety of certifications including ISO 9001:2015 and IATF 16949:2016.

Age

Silicone is amazingly long-lasting, but it does have its limits. Even when you take all the right precautions and get the best silicone hose for your application, wear and tear happens. If you’re curious about the longevity of Flex Technologies’ silicone hoses in your industry — because it will vary — connect with us. Generally, they will last decades, but in high-use applications, this may decrease to four to five years.

No matter how well you care for your hoses, if they’re old and aging, consider replacing them to avoid failure.

End Silicone Hose Failure Today!

Flex Technologies manufactures the highest quality silicone hoses on the market. Not only do we have a wide variety of certifications but we do in-house testing on both raw materials and finished goods, so you’ll always get a superior product.

Silicone hoses are an investment and we never want to see one fail on you and disrupt your operation. Connect with us, and we’ll happily take the time to ensure that you’re getting the right kind of hose, as well as one that’s specific to your industry and application.

If you’re ready to level up your industry, Flex Technologies is here to collaborate with you!