Tell-Tale Signs That Your Flexible Ducting Hose Needs To Be Replaced | Dust Spares

July 6, 2020 Team Dust Spares Comments

Dust extraction systems play a key role in many industries, ensuring that air is clean and safe, helping to maintain product quality and improving the manufacturing process. They are also essential to enable businesses to comply with health and safety law, so a fully functioning system, with high quality components in optimum condition, is essential to prevent a dust extraction system from under performing or, in the worst case, failing completely.

Why Flexible Ducting Must Be In Prime Condition

A flexible ducting hose facilitates the movement of air through the system and removes potentially harmful products from one area to a safe extraction area. If the flexible duct hose pipe becomes damaged or deteriorates over time, it can cease to perform effectively – the consequences of which can be serious.

The effects of a deteriorated hose can include:

- A risk to human health: potentially harmful particles can linger in the air, which may be inhaled by operatives – with potentially life-limiting effects on their health.

- A breach of health and safety law: Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) requirements require businesses to ensure that efficient dust extraction systems eliminate health risks to employees.

- Decreased equipment performance: machinery may become clogged by accumulations of tiny particles over time, causing internal components to wear more quickly and have a loss or reduction of extraction.

- Increased operational costs: equipment damaged by dust accumulations are likely to require more frequent servicing and repair, and may even fail prematurely, meaning early replacement is necessary.

Can Damaged Flexible Ducting Be Repaired?

A quick and cheap solution is to make a temporary repair to a damaged hose. But is repairing tears in flexible ducts an effective method?

If a tear occurs unexpectedly, then it’s vital to carry out a rapid repair so the system is returned to operation quickly; otherwise, unplanned downtime can be costly, damaging productivity and profits. Therefore, the ducting tape can be a suitable solution to an unforeseen problem but be warned: a temporary fix won’t last forever.

A schedule of preventive maintenance, however, can help to identify the warning signs that your flexible ducting is nearing the end of its life, so cost-effective repairs can be carried out at an appropriate time. Vigilance is key. Regular inspection of ducting will highlight emerging problems, whereas a reactive approach will prolong repair times and damage profits.

The Effects Of A Deteriorated Hose

Fortunately, some tell-tale signs can indicate that hoses need to be replaced. As part of your preventative maintenance schedule, focus on the following points:

- Significant time has passed since the hose was installed: all components degrade over time so, if the duration is long, the condition of the hose may be past its prime.

- Be aware of the type of hose installed. Some can last for 6 to 12 months, but various factors affect its longevity. Understanding your equipment and the processes involved can be informative.

- Increased machine operating costs – such as higher energy bills – may indicate that a fault in the system means the equipment is working harder than necessary; the ducting could be the source of the problem.

- Longer operating times may suggest the hose is failing to eliminate dust particles efficiently. Comparing operating times to when the ducting was first installed is a useful yardstick.

- Visual defects identified during preventative maintenance inspections, such as tears, holes, blockages, or mold.

- Unusual noises when the system is operating can also suggest the flexible hose requires renewal.

Dust Spares For All Your Flexible Hose Needs

If your dust extraction system requires a new hose, simply get in touch with Dust Spares.

We have ducting in an extensive range of sizes, lengths, and materials to suit any system, so contact us to discuss your needs and one of our experts will be delighted to help.