Cruisers Forum
 


Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on Cruisers Forums. Advertise Here
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 14-11-2018, 13:09   #1
Registered User

Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 2
Making rubber hoses last longer.

Does anybody have advice on how to maintain all the rubber hoses (in the engine room) and make them last longer? They dry and crack too soon!

Is there any product to clean or impregnate them with?
Luis P is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 14-11-2018, 13:24   #2
Registered User

Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Kemah, TX
Boat: 1979 Cape Dory 30 Cutter
Posts: 138
Re: Making rubber hoses last longer.

303 Protectant
J.Kitchens is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 14-11-2018, 14:32   #3
Registered User

Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 2,007
Re: Making rubber hoses last longer.

While 303 is a good product, but it is a UV protectant, and I doubt sun exposure is your problem.

How soon is “too soon”? If your hoses are dying a very early death, the most likely cause is ozone from arcing electrical contacts. Like alternator or motor brushes. Is your engine room well ventelated? Are there dc motors that routinely run in there when the main engine is off?
billknny is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 14-11-2018, 14:38   #4
cruiser

Join Date: Jan 2017
Boat: Retired from CF
Posts: 13,317
Re: Making rubber hoses last longer.

They're a consumable. Proactively replace, ideally on a schedule
john61ct is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 14-11-2018, 16:06   #5
Moderator Emeritus
 
a64pilot's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Jacksonville/ out cruising
Boat: Island Packet 38
Posts: 31,351
Re: Making rubber hoses last longer.

Ideally ever 5 yrs.
Although having said that, my 1987 Yanmar has almost all of its original hoses, or someone went through the trouble of painting them with a thick coat of Yanmar grey
I know I should replace them, but they seem to be in great shape.
a64pilot is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 14-11-2018, 17:56   #6
Senior Cruiser

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: May 2013
Location: Oregon to Alaska
Boat: Wheeler Shipyard 83' ex USCG
Posts: 3,494
Re: Making rubber hoses last longer.

Probably too hot in the engineroom or cheap hoses. I carry spares, but don't change until hoses give an indication of aging. I'm sure some hoses are 20+ years in my current boat.
Rubber type products have solvents that evaporate out, making the hose brittle, hard and prone to cracks. High temps and direct sunlight speed this process.
Lepke is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 14-11-2018, 18:02   #7
Registered User

Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 2,687
Re: Making rubber hoses last longer.

The story that I heard (cant verify) is that Armor All was developed for the military to protect rubber hoses in the hot chemical atmosphere of an engine compartment. I use it on hoses, etc and on any other rubber part that is being stored, such as spare water pump impellers. Does it work? I cant say for sure, but it seems to. ____Grant.
gjordan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 15-11-2018, 05:08   #8
cruiser

Join Date: Jan 2017
Boat: Retired from CF
Posts: 13,317
Re: Making rubber hoses last longer.

There are also heat shielding products in sleeving, tape etc
john61ct is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 15-11-2018, 08:58   #9
Registered User
 
Comix Bay's Avatar

Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Comox, BC
Boat: Lazy-Boy, fold out
Posts: 116
Re: Making rubber hoses last longer.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Luis P View Post
Does anybody have advice on how to maintain all the rubber hoses (in the engine room) and make them last longer? They dry and crack too soon!

Is there any product to clean or impregnate them with?
Luis,

I have used a spray silicone (bought from my Ford dealer) on my rubber products for the car for years. Use it on wiper blades, sun roof seal and hoses. Seems to keep them soft and pliable. Have had no leaks or failures yet.

Ted VA7YQQ
Comox, BC
Comix Bay is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 15-11-2018, 09:14   #10
Registered User

Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: MD DC area/Annapolis/Baltimore
Boat: 1985 Catalina 27
Posts: 330
Re: Making rubber hoses last longer.

Quote:
Originally Posted by gjordan View Post
The story that I heard (cant verify) is that Armor All was developed for the military to protect rubber hoses in the hot chemical atmosphere of an engine compartment. I use it on hoses, etc and on any other rubber part that is being stored, such as spare water pump impellers. Does it work? I cant say for sure, but it seems to. ____Grant.
available at Wal Mart and every auto part stores... I use it on all rubber gaskets (porthole, hatches, lazarettes)….. they all look NEW!
ferrailleur is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 15-11-2018, 09:26   #11
֍֎֍֎֍֎֍֎֍֎

Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 15,136
Re: Making rubber hoses last longer.

"Ideally ever 5 yrs."
Funny thing, EVERY maker of prime rubber hoses and belts (Gates, Goodyear, all of them) say the same thing. Five years and replace it, because rubber takes damage from ozone, oxygen, heat, vibration, UV, and they just find five years is generally safe and acceptable.

" my 1987 Yanmar has almost all of its original hoses, or someone went through the trouble of painting them"
Which is a major point I have against Westerbleak (sic). All those rubber companies also say NEVER PAINT THE RUBBER PRODUCTS. The paint solvents kill the rubber, they make it dry out and crack prematurely. A friend of mine was a tank commander in cold war Germany, and he said one of the big scandals was that fully 25% of their expensive new CBN-sealed tanks, with heavy gaskets on all the hatches, were out of commission at any given time. Because some nimrod had painted the SEALS when they painted the tanks, and the seals had to be condemned.
Westerbeke of course slaps bright red paint over everything, including all the hoses, after the final assembly. Indicating they either don't know or don't care about engineering issues, they prefer shiny marketing.

Something simple like ArmorAll will extend the life of most rubber parts, it replaces any plasticizers that migrate out, and seals the surface against oxygen penetration. Plain talc (talcum powder) does the same thing, the talc dust gets into the surface and prevents oxidation. IIRC 303 is loaded heavily with UV protectors but it will also help the same way, that's just not the primary target.
hellosailor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 15-11-2018, 09:32   #12
Registered User
 
wrwakefield's Avatar

Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Meandering about the Gulf of Alaska coast [NNE Pacific]— where the internet doesn't always shine... [Even Elon's...] Homeport: Wrangell Island
Boat: Nauticat 43 [S&S Staysail Ketch]
Posts: 1,662
Re: Making rubber hoses last longer.

I do not know of any hose anti-wrinkle cream, but I haven't experienced what you describe on any of my boats... [Current engine room averages 115°F when motoring...]

I do, however, know one way to reliably accelerate the aging of 'rubber' components: expose them to the output from an ozone generator for days at a time... [I discovered this long ago- the hard way...]

Cheers! Bill
__________________
SV Denali Rose
Learning every day- and sharing if I can.
wrwakefield is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 15-11-2018, 10:20   #13
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Daytona Beach, Florida
Boat: 1988 Wilbur 34
Posts: 290
Re: Making rubber hoses last longer.

Good information. Thank you all. When I acquired my current boat, '88 vintage, I asked my mechanic to update all engine hoses with new. Two of them, those from the oil sump and transmission sump, are inaccessible and were not changed. Now thirty years old, though still pliable and with no visible degradation, I am more and more concerned. In the next few minutes I'll be shopping for a spray can of ArmorAll for whatever benefit it may provide.
Seighlor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 15-11-2018, 10:39   #14
Registered User

Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Oregon
Boat: Seafarer36c
Posts: 5,563
Re: Making rubber hoses last longer.

Some hoses, like the oil hoses on a Perkins, have a wire braid inside and then another layer of rubber inside that. I suspect the transmission hoses are or should be the same type hose. You can make these type hoses yourself, but most people get a hose shop to do them. Hose shops will most often use a crimp fitting but you can get a screw together style fitting also. It's very important to not bend an old hose. If you have to, support it's natural shape with a piece of wire or string after you remove it. If you don't take care, you can crack the inner rubber liner.
model 10 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 15-11-2018, 15:58   #15
Registered User
 
AndyEss's Avatar

Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Sea of Cortez/northern Utah/ Wisconsin/ La Paz, BCS
Boat: Hans Christian 38 Mk II
Posts: 948
Images: 2
Re: Making rubber hoses last longer.

Silicon rubber radiator hoses seem to last far, far longer than regular rubber, but you pay a hefty premium for them
AndyEss is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Martec , no longer making props! gjordan Propellers & Drive Systems 3 11-04-2017 07:47
Clutches vs cones - which last longer? Ostinato Engines and Propulsion Systems 0 19-09-2016 08:28
Making sense of raymarine, making a system. northoceanbeach Marine Electronics 13 21-08-2015 14:01
At Last . . . at Long, Long Last . . . ChrisClipper Meets & Greets 16 21-09-2012 06:18

Advertise Here


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 20:15.


Google+
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Social Knowledge Networks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.

ShowCase vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.