Even the best hose can develop a leak over time or break entirely. Whether it’s because your dog nibbled on it or you ran over it with the lawnmower, a leaking hose is wasteful and frustrating. So, how do you use a hose repair kit?
You need a utility knife and a screwdriver to use a hose repair kit. Using the kit itself involves three simple steps. First, carefully make a clean cut through a convenient portion of the hose. Next, insert the replacement end. Lastly, secure your hose clamp tightly and leak test the fitting.
Luckily, you don’t need any expertise to use a hose repair kit. Let’s take a look at how it’s done so that you can fix your hose and get back to using it as you did before.
Once you’re armed with those, here are the steps for installing your hose repair kit:
1. Cut the Hose
Make a clean circular cut through your hose with the utility knife. For best results, lay your hose on flat ground and cut through it carefully while applying gentle pressure.
This is the safest way to do it without getting your fingers in the way of the blade. If, for some reason, you’re still getting a slant or a rough cut, simply cut off the odd part.
You can also cut through another portion to save you the hassle of trimming irregular cuts.
2. Fix the Replacement End
This is where you drive the threaded replacement coupling of the kit as far as it goes through the end you’ve cut on your hose.
The sleeve can make a tight fit over the replacement coupling, but it takes time. So be patient as you work it over.
3. Secure the Clamp
Tie the clamp that came with your kit snugly around the end of the hose.
If the clamp needs two screws, it’s crucial you fasten it with both. Otherwise, your hose will leak, and your repair kit won’t have been of much help.
That’s it — you can now get back in operation with your good-as-new hose!
What Comes in a Hose Repair Kit?
In general, a good hose repair kit comes packed with the following items:
Vice crimper
Hose ferrules
Barb nipples
Splicers
Oxygen and fuel couplings
Hose braces
Nuts
Depending on the brand you purchase, you may not always have all these items in one kit. Also, expect prices to vary.
Which Hose Repair Kit Is Best?
Here’s a quick highlight of the best four hose repair kits you can find:
Superior RK-26 1/4 ” Western
Forney 86113 Oxygen Acetylene Hose Repair Kit
Weldmark WM26 Hose Repair Kit
AES Industries 856 Brass Hose Barb and Ferrule Assortment
Remember, the market has tons of these kits. They also come with dozens of different items, some of which are unnecessary and only inflate the prices.
The kit you purchase should only suit the kind of damage on your hose. And besides the price, you should also look at the durability of the kit material and its contents.
Here’s a round-up of the best hose repair kits that’ll make your repair work a lot easier:
Superior RK-26 1/4″ Hose Repair Kit Western
The Superior RK-26 (on Amazon) is a flexible, rugged kit whose parts will suit repairs along any portion of your hose.
This kit’s ergonomic design and parts make it simple to set up and re-use, depending on your needs. Here’s what the kit contains:
One 1/4′ vice crimper
(3) 1/4″ hose braces
(4) 7325, (12) 7326, and (6) 3588 hose ferrules (1/4″)
The Fortney 86113 Hose Repair Kit is a robust, expandable kit that users love.
Its crimping system is tailored to do away with kinks and pressure variations. This kit’s piles, nuts, and brass fittings are also highly corrosion-resistant.
Moreover, the splicers for patching broken lick hoses are so rugged that you won’t have to cut your hose in half. Here’s what this kit contains:
(1) 1/4″ hose crimper
(3) hose braces
(2) 1/4 “hose splicers
(6) B-size nuts and 1/4″ barb nipples
(2) B to B RH hose couplers
Weldmark WM26 Hose Repair Kit
The Weldmark WM26 (on Amazon) is a reliable, lightweight hose repair kit with a wide range of screws, clamps, couplings, etc.
The good thing about this kit is that it has a manual to help you figure out all the components in its compartments. Here’s what the kit contains:
