Plumbing Connection Winter 2022

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COVER STORY
FLEXI HOSES
NEWREVISED FLEXI HOSE STANDARD
At the time of writing, the Australian
Standard for Flexi Hose – AS/NZS 3499:2006
Water supply – Flexible hose assemblies – is
being revised.
The old standard refers to Flexi Hose
products up to 20mm diameter. The new
standard will address Flexi Hose products up
to 50mm diameter, defining a much larger
suite of conformance and testing criteria for
ranges including 25mm, 32mm, 40mm, etc.
meaning the tube will retain the shape
of a long-term form, potentially
leading to a weak spot under fresh
configurations.
Connectors, of course, are also crucial
for long-term hose integrity, as even
a tiny leak at either end of a hose can
cause corrosion of the sleeve. Michael
says the best-quality fittings are made
with DR brass nuts and designed with
appropriate barbs on the actual tails
to create effective seals for either flat
seat or cone seat configurations. “And
the steel ferrule we use is 316 stainless
– we have a crimp pattern that bites in
exactly the correct spot to get on the
barbs; all up we have seven barbs sitting
on each tail.
“On our flexible connectors, at the top
of that ferrule, we have a little hole that
we call a witness mark, which ensures
when it’s going to assembly that the
tube is sitting right up at the top of that
ferrule, so when it’s crimped it’s not
sitting back and under a crimped area.”
TESTING & CHRONIC NON-COMPLIANCE
According to Michael, there is a
staggering amount of non-compliant
Flexi Hose sold in local markets, as
demonstrated time and time again
by Aquaknect’s own in-house testing
procedures.
“We’re not a certified lab by any
means,” he says, “but we put all our
products through a testing regime
before we submit them for [WaterMark]
approval because it’s a costly exercise.
We also test competitors’ products
and see how they perform. WaterMark
has an ‘ageing test’, meaning a hose
must perform for seven days at 1,500
kPa at 90 degrees Celsius to meet the
Standard.
“At the end of the seven days you take
the pressure up to 3,000 kPa for an
hour. Then you remove it from the tank
and put it in a tensile testing machine
– basically you’re engaging the end
fittings and seeing if the tails will pull
out of the tube, and that’s all part of the
standard.
“Some of the hoses we test, which
are readily available in Australia through
mainstream retail outlets, don’t last
more than 10 minutes.”
Michael estimates that only 60–70%
of Flexi Hoses sold in specialist outlets
actually comply with the standard,
“and then you move to the hardware
environment, where price dominates,
and I’d say on some of the shelves they
wouldn’t have a single hose that could
last.”
FINANCE
DEALS
• Sewerjett Remote Mini Reel
with 60m x 1/4" jetting hose
• 7 Piece Rootax Nozzle Box
• Jetting lance and trigger
• 15m x 1/8' Whip Hose
• Jetting Safety Sign
• Sewerjett Remote Mini Reel
with 60m x 1/4" jetting hose
• 7 Piece Rootax Nozzle Box
• Jetting lance and trigger
• 15m x 1/8' Whip Hose
• Jetting Safety Sign $ 74
Only /WK +GST
Total $14,690+GST $ 87
Only /WK +GST
Total $16,929+GST
VIPER X PHANTOM
31LPM @4300PSI
+ ACCESSORIES
VIPER X
23LPM @5000PSI
+ ACCESSORIES
Call us on 1800 816 830 to find out more.
* Approx. Based on 5 years with a $ 1200 deposit.
* *