This post gives you a comprehensive guide on choosing rubber welding hoses, it covers the materials which they are made of and how to select the right one for your application.

The technique of uniting two metal surfaces or objects by applying intense heat and pressure is known as welding. It requires a high level of competence and is a fundamental component of many mechanical businesses. However, there are certain risks associated with welding. Welding specialists are susceptible to various gases that emerge from heating metals and are exposed to very hot things like sparks, welding arcs, and blowtorches.

You may employ several techniques while welding. Rubber welding is one common choice. Thermo-fusion heat welding is used in this method. It would help if you had the proper tools to do rubber welding safely and efficiently.

An essential piece of equipment is a good rubber welding hose.

So, in this article, we’ll discuss how to choose a rubber welding hose.

What is a Welding Hose?

Gas welding hose, flexible reinforced welding hose, rubber twin welding hose, and reinforced twin welding hose pipeline are different names for welding hose. It is mostly used for transporting acetylene and oxygen in welding and cutting apparatus.

The basic welding hose is frequently misused and underappreciated. Its users are pulling equipment around with it or dragging it through all kinds of mud. It’s been driven on, trodden on, spilled on, and left on. However, you rely on it to properly transfer combustible gases to the torch, which is crucial. A rich source of oxygen (under pressure) is delivered through this rubber conduit alongside a combustible gas.

However, because the hose spends its whole life on the ground and is performing its job, it’s easy to forget to appreciate its strength—it completely changes the game.

To use welding hoses safely, the welder must switch and shut them off, store them, take care of their working environment, and handle them.

Permeation is one of the properties of rubber hose. This implies that any gas contained within the bore of a rubber hose will tend to travel through the reinforcement, through the tube wall, and into the environment.

Your next concern is if these penetrated gases accumulate in a certain location once released into the environment. If these gases accumulate, they may result in explosions or pose a risk to human health.

Each rubber hose will have a different level of penetration resistance. Acetylene has long been the fuel gas of choice for welders. Acetylene has proved effective; it has little impact on the hose’s makeup or design when used at low pressure. Acetylene, however, is no longer the main fuel gas.

To take the role of acetylene, other gases are being created. These other gases bring on changes to the welding hose. The development of novel gases is based on a particular hydrocarbon or combination. Acetylene has a distinct impact on rubber hoses than these unique chemicals.

In actuality, the exact impact is unknown. The new gases are also operating at significantly greater pressures. The maximum pressure for acetylene is 15 psi. However, new gases may operate at (40psi). Therefore, the hose constructed for acetylene is not intended for use with the new gases.

What is the Difference between Grade R and Grade T Welding Hoses?

Grade R

This is used with acetylene gas and oxygen. It was the sole grade of twin welding hose until around 15 years ago. Propylene, natural gas, LP, and propane are not advised for usage with it. The oils in gas will ultimately dry rot the hose, which is why it is not advised for use with propane. Normally, it takes approximately a year for this to occur.

The hose will lose its flexibility and look fractured on the outside. It would help to replace the hose now since this condition might be dangerous. Although the Grade R hose will have a shorter lifespan, it won’t necessarily be dangerous from the start. Some cutters and welders care about the hose’s durability, while others don’t. For some customers, the fact that Grade R twin welding hose is less costly makes all the difference. Regardless of the grade, their hose frequently doesn’t survive a year.

Grade T

A Grade T twin welding hose was developed to work with alternative fuels, including propane, natural gas, and propylene. The usage of acetylene is also an option. The fact that it is designed to withstand the impact of the oils in propane accounts for its higher price than Grade R. even though Grade T can be used for “All Fuel Gases,” it is advised to change the hose when switching between acetylene and other fuel gases. Due to the propane’s leftover oils becoming stuck in the hose’s pores, this has happened.

For the operation to be done correctly and maybe for personal safety, it was crucial to know which hoses carried specific gases. Different gases are needed for each kind of welding. In the US, oxygen hoses must be green, whereas those for acetylene, propane and other fuel gases must be red.

What are Welding Hoses Made of?

Flexible rubber hoses with three layers are used in welding equipment to transmit gas:

• A smooth synthetic rubber interior layer that is resistant to acetylene and oxygen.
• reinforcing using synthetic textile inserts of high tensile;
• an outside cover made of special synthetic rubber that is abrasion, weather, and flame resistant.

The options are acetylene, propane, oxygen, or oxygen/acetylene-linked single tubes.

Conclusion

The oxygen and acetylene gases needed for welding and cutting equipment are mostly transported via a welding rubber hose. We thus hope that you now understand what welding rubber hose is.