NewAge Industries is continuing to revisit and update their Top 20 Hose and Tubing Buying Tips. Tip #15 is thinking about possible Incompatible Ingredients.
What will move through the tubing or reinforced hose you’ll be using? The ingredients of the substance, whether it’s a gas, fluid, powder, or granular material, must be compatible with the tubing or hose you plan to use.
A bad reaction between tubing and the material flowing within could be disastrous. You don’t want a situation where, for example, an acidic fluid eats away at the wall of the tubing, and, worse yet, compromises that wall to the point of failure. Several tubing materials – PVC, fluoropolymer, Viton™ – offer a high degree of chemical resistance and can be used in a wide variety of applications. Other tubing materials that offer different advantages (increased flexibility, for instance) may be better suited for simpler applications like air transfer, water drains or protective coverings.
It’s not only the ingredients flowing within the tubing that must be considered. Those that make up the tubing or hose can have an effect on the substances being transferred. Sometimes chemical compounds used in the manufacture of the tubing can leach out or react with substances. Tubing materials like polyurethane and silicone are less likely to leach ingredients.
Don’t forget about other fluids and gases with which the tubing or hose may come in contact. Consider cleaning products that may be used on the interior or exterior or gases that may exist in the same space as the tubing or hose. The chemicals may seem harmless, but their effects on particular tubing and hose materials should be investigated.
When you’re unsure about ingredients being well suited to each other, consult regulatory summaries and chemical compatibility charts, ask colleagues, and question suppliers to be sure the tubing/hose and the material it will carry work well together.
Courtesy of NewAge Industries.