Steps to Create a Hose Maintenance Program
Now that you know the importance of a continuous hose maintenance program, we will help you draw the steps of making a hose maintenance program.
1. Identify all your Hose Assemblies
In this step, you identify all the hose assemblies operating in your work station or factory. It is important you tag them and store the details for future reference.
The details that you should record,
- Length of Hose
- Assembly Specifications
- Hose ID (inner diameter) and Construction
- Operating Conditions
- Cleaning Procedures
- Date of Installation
- Scheduled Replacement
The list does not end here but these are a few things which you definitely take a note of.
2. Regular Inspection & Tests
We recommend following a continuous hose maintenance schedule. Inspection and tests are of two types,
We have discussed this is detail above and therefore we will not be repeating it here.
This is the most crucial step of the program, the set of future actions will depend on the results of inspection and tests. The two common decisions that are taken are if the hose or assembly require correction or replacement.
3. Look for Tensions on Hose Assembly and Eliminate Them
You should always check for that the hose assembly does not have any tension or strain over it. This impacts the service life of the hose drastically. Look for these following things,
- Hoses rubbing against equipment
- External heat sources
- Twisting and bending beyond specified limits
- Bending too close to the fitting
- Insufficient hose length
After identifying these, you should immediately plan for the corrective measures. This can reduce the service life of the hose significantly.
4. Protective Cover if Required
At times it is important you provide a protective cover the hose assembly and that would increase the service life of the assembly.
Thermo-sleeve, pvc hose guards, outer additional braids, metal springs etc are examples of hose protective covers. They prevent the hose from erosion and damage from external work environment.
5. Analysis
Analyse your data and look for patterns. These patterns will determine the life cycle of the hose and assembly. It will help you plan inventory and know the average time when a replacement or correction is generally required.
Any anomaly can then be easily spotted and a corrective course can be taken. Also if the data shows a particular hose is being replaced too soon or too late. These insights can help you in big way to plan and control productivity.
6. Keep Spares Ready
From the previous step, you know the replacement intervals of the hoses and its assemblies. This can help you manage the stock properly. It is always a good a practice to have some additional stock of these following hoses and hose assemblies,
- Critical Process Application
- Safety Applications
- Applications where hoses are Very Likely to Fail
- Special Applications – replacements are not easily available
- Hose Assemblies which have a long lead time
This list also can be endless and there is no hard and fast rule. These are some of the applications in which we believe it is important you have spares ready.
This brings us to the end of the hose maintenance program.