Technical advice
How to keep burner hoses in a good condition as long as possible
Basic information about construction of the hose
Fuel hoses are constructed in compliance with EN 853 standard marked as 1SN 10. By this mark you can find out that it is a hose with wire weave (1SN) and inner diameter of 10 mm.
All hose is constructed so that it is resistant against overpressure, mechanical damage, leverage of transported medium and ambient influences.
Therefore the hose has three layers:
- Inner rubber tube which is resistant against influence of oil products. Its resistance against weather conditions, solar and ultraviolet radiation is very limited.
- Wire weave it increases resistance against inner overpressure and mechanical damage working on the hose from outside.
- Outer rubber coat resistant against weather conditions, UV radiation and acid in the air.
What causes the worst damage
Upper layer of the hose is rubber so it should be stored and used in the same way as other rubber products. So durability of the hose depends on the right using, treatment and storage. Because the hose is stored with the burner longer time than it is used in operation, precisely the right storage and treatment has the biggest influence to its service life.
I will not speak about all influences, which cause quick aging, I will point to the main ones.
The worst enemies of the rubber hose are sunshine or sharp light, UV radiation, high temeperatures, ozone and organic solvents. Its bad influence is multiplied if the hose is not loose and there is a tension in surface layer caused for example by bend of small radius. For hoses used on KOMET and IGNIS burner with inside diameter of 10 mm, in compliance with EN 853 standard the radius of hose bend is 130 mm.
Influences mentioned above cause drying and hardening of upper protective rubber layer and wire weave of the hose. That is way the whole process gets faster.
If the crack that appears in the upper layer is so large that light, ozone and other bad influences get to the inner tube of the hose, the condition can get worse fast. The inner tube, as I mentioned above, is not constructed so that it is resistant against these influences. In the worst case there can be a crack of the inner tube and fuel leakage.
How to store and treat the hose:
- While packing the burner hoses be careful so that the pipes of the coil are not hot.
- Before storage always let all residual fuel in the hoses out.
- Roll the hoses on the frame so that there is no sharp bend mainly next to the output of the fitting. The hoses should be packed to the largest possible diameter and they should be loose.
- While storing and transporting the burner, the weight of the burner and other heavy objects should not lie on the hose.
- Do not leave the burner with hoses in the direct sunshine or behind a car window. Hoses are black and in direct shine a temperature on the hose surface can reach 80°C.
- Check and clean the hoses regularly. We recommend to treat the hoses with glycerine oil regularly. The hose surface will be still pliable and more resistant against cracks on the surface.
- Never cross the hoses by car, cart or do not put fuel cylinders on them. There would be forbidden flattening and the wire weave could crack. The cracked wires would pierce rubber tube and there would be leakage of fuel.
- Store and transport the burner with hoses in opaque packaging.
Conclusion:
10-year service life of the hoses on the burner of the hot-air balloons is real only when you follow following previously mentioned rules consistantly and there are many cases when the hoses should be replaced in shorter time. So I recommend you to try to follow the rules as much as possible. Only in this case the hoses will work safely for long time.
Jiří Fuxa
