The Importance of Hose

​We spend a lot of time analyzing the large components of a hot air system – the heaters and blowers – but we should not ignore the secondary components, such as hose, or it can compromise the whole system. In the past, we’ve seen systems that have the correct heater and blower installed but are failing to produce results because of errors in setting up the hose and connections. There are several things you need to consider when it comes to selecting and setting up your hose connections:

1. Length – Hose can be one of the largest contributors to pressure drop in a hot air system. It is good practice to keep the length of the connecting hose as short as possible. If long runs are unavoidable, consider using smooth walled, rigid pipe rather than flexible hose to minimize losses. Read our article about Understanding a Blower as part of a System for more information about pressure drop.
2. Specialty requirements – Some systems have specialized requirements high operating temperature or food grade materials. Be sure you are using the correct hose for your application.
3. Airflow dynamics – To keep air flowing effectively through a system, it is important to keep the following in mind:
   1. Avoid twists and sharp bends whenever possible. These will increase the pressure drop and result in decreased air flow.
   2. When splitting the airflow into two or more parallel routes, make sure they are as symmetric as possible. This means keeping the length and shape of each run of hose the same. Asymmetry will result in unequal air flow. Low levels of asymmetry will cause the heaters/air knife/nozzle on each path to behave a little differently. High levels of asymmetry will lead to larger differences and, in a heat system, could cause damage to the heaters due to insufficient airflow.
   3. If in doubt about the best setup, a good rule of thumb is to always go as straight and short as possible.

Have questions? Give us a call at 905-631-6161 or contact us at info@stanmech.com.