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Old 09-13-2016, 11:29 AM   #1
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Life Span of Hose?

Is there a general rule of thumb of when you should change hoses, specifically on the fresh water cooling components? In the engine room the other day and squeezed the hose from the thru-hull to strainer on the genset. Felt crunchy, so will be pulling it to replace. All others felt and look ok. Thoughts?
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Old 09-13-2016, 12:21 PM   #2
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Mechanics and engineers have told me that the average working life of ANY hose is about 10 years, because as rubber and plasticizers age they dry out, become hard and brittle and prone to cracking. You can start to see signs of it (that "crunchiness" you felt) in some hoses as early as 5 years. The above doesn't apply to sanitation hose permeation...they can stink even though still structurally sound.
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Old 09-13-2016, 12:43 PM   #3
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Yeah, the rule of thumb is about every 10 years for coolant hoses and less than that for high pressure lines like oil or transmission lines as I recall.
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Old 09-13-2016, 12:56 PM   #4
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Is there a general rule of thumb of when you should change hoses, specifically on the fresh water cooling components? In the engine room the other day and squeezed the hose from the thru-hull to strainer on the genset. Felt crunchy, so will be pulling it to replace. All others felt and look ok. Thoughts?
If one of the hoses feels crunchy, then ANY hose of similar (or older) vintage should be changed. I check mine regularly. A broken through hull hose will definitely ruin your day.

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Old 09-13-2016, 01:00 PM   #5
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You know, now that I think about it, maybe it was 5 years for coolant hoses and 10 for hydraulic?

Hmmm...
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Old 09-13-2016, 01:45 PM   #6
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Coolant hoses 5 to 10 year max, provided they are marine grade, gates, and check them in a regular bases. Hydraulic is based on psi rating, and marine industrial grade.

Last year changed the coolant which were 9 years after a couple had cracked marks and on blister. This year replaced hydraulic which were 20+ years old which were 3000 psi rated and replaced them with the same and they were still in good condition according the hydraulic shop. The bow thruster hydraulic hose are 25+ years old, rated 4000 psi. So for hydraulic depend of grade psi.
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Old 09-13-2016, 03:02 PM   #7
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Sometimes the "crunchiness" is mineral plating inside breaking off when you squeeze it.
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Old 09-13-2016, 05:37 PM   #8
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If you go past 5 years on any hose, coolant, steering, thruster, etc.. you need to turn in your trawler owners card.

How in the world can you allow ANY hose exist in your rig thats 5 YEARS OLD?!?!?!?!?!

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Old 09-13-2016, 05:54 PM   #9
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The PO of our boat did a survey at the request of the insurance company when he bought it and one condition of insurance was to have ALL hoses changes as they were all original, 1981, or about 30 years old. So to say hoses need to be changed every 5 years IMHO is pushing it especially for the majority of boats around me that are lucky to get 30 to 50 hours of use per year. Deterioration is usually apparent if checked regularly. Just my .02C or a nickel in Canada since pennies are obsolete.
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Old 09-13-2016, 06:14 PM   #10
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...So to say hoses need to be changed every 5 years IMHO is pushing it especially for the majority of boats around me that are lucky to get 30 to 50 hours of use per year. Deterioration is usually apparent if checked regularly. Just my .02C or a nickel in Canada since pennies are obsolete.
I have been on professionally maintained recreational boats and I know the hoses aren't replaced every 5 years and they look great on the outside. Wouldn't oil analysis pick up if the hoses were degarding from the inside? What about braided hose? How about a visual inspection? Are hoses date stamped when manufactured?

I'll say it here, the one who buys Hobo, there may be a few hoses that are older than 5.
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Old 09-13-2016, 06:18 PM   #11
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How in the world can you allow ANY hose exist in your rig thats 5 YEARS OLD?!?!?!?!?!
I find it pretty easy actully.

I do have some hydronic heating hoses that should be replaced. Not looking forward to that job.
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Old 09-13-2016, 07:31 PM   #12
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Hmmm. Looks like next year's boatyard visit will call for engine-hose (and belt) replacements, or at least close professional examination.
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Old 09-13-2016, 07:35 PM   #13
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whoaaaa...who said hoses needed to be changed every 5 years?


Hoses undergo different kinds of service in terms of temp, content, bend torture, etc...


5 years is an aggressive PM program...nothing wrong with it other that tossing perfectly good hoses.


Like my survey...change the hoses...critical safety issue.


Well after 5 years and 10,000 miles and 2500 hours I changed them.


Despite surface cracks on bends, the hoses were still pliable, didn't leak and were still serviceable when I replaced them.


So much for surveyor expertise and insurance companies blindly following ignorant advice.


Know thy hose...what kind of service it need to provide, know the torture it undergoes and go from there.


Anyone that says a particular hose has a service life better know its type, application, torture effects, etc...otherwise they are a textbook type...not a real true blue operator.
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Old 09-13-2016, 08:30 PM   #14
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I've seen bad hoses five years old and hoses in great shape 40yrs old. Just crawl around and look at them and give them a squeeze. Snug the clamps. If any are hard and brittle, soft and gooey, cracked or swollen, replace.

I replaced all the coolant hoses on my Cummins 450 right at 15yrs of age. All appeared in good shape. I was cleaning coolers so most of the hoses were off anyway.

My pickup truck is nearing 30yrs of age. Hoses original as far as I can tell. Hoses still look good and pass the squeeze test.
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Old 09-13-2016, 10:04 PM   #15
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I've seen bad hoses five years old and hoses in great shape 40yrs old. Just crawl around and look at them and give them a squeeze. Snug the clamps. If any are hard and brittle, soft and gooey, cracked or swollen, replace.

I replaced all the coolant hoses on my Cummins 450 right at 15yrs of age. All appeared in good shape. I was cleaning coolers so most of the hoses were off anyway.

My pickup truck is nearing 30yrs of age. Hoses original as far as I can tell. Hoses still look good and pass the squeeze test.
Thank you, Ski! The voice of reason.
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Old 09-13-2016, 10:20 PM   #16
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My pickup truck is nearing 30yrs of age. Hoses original as far as I can tell. Hoses still look good and pass the squeeze test.

Very few trucks have ever been sunk by a failed hose.

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Old 09-14-2016, 06:14 AM   #17
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Beware crunching the engine circ. water hoses.

On the suction side some may have springs inside to keep them from collapsing.
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Old 09-14-2016, 06:34 AM   #18
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To the OP....

If you limit the scope of the question to coolant hoses, I think Ski and others gave reasonable operator with the experience of mechanical backgrounds opinions.

There is no definite shelf life, and even with an average of say 10 years, it does somewhat depend on the hose quality and application.

I have seen molded hosed that look and feel great for well over 10 years, where a straight hose bent in the application was severely cracking on the outside in far less.

So unless a hose you buy comes with a tag on it giving a lifespan, all you can do is guess and make up a PM program for replacement that you are comfy with.

My own personal one is short straight or molded hoses for coolant on a nice cool running Lehman. 10 years with obvious hard looks as they get over 6 or 7 years.

Even though my rebuild is only going on about 7 years old, one molded hose into a pretty good "U" looks like it is deteriorating faster than the straight piece just above it (cut from the same original hose). So it is getting replaced but all the other hoses around it are fine for 3 more years.

Other owners may think I am waiting too long, others may laugh at me. But in genersl, major operating fleets have been looking for ways to extend life cycles based on measurable factors rather than time. Installing expensive equipment to measure things such as vibration, temperature, etc are extending component life and saving money, just like oil analysis.

Going strictly by time is old school...it might be the best you have....but realistically, inspection and observing telltale signs of further life or deterioration of hose, and how critical the application is, isn't all that difficult either.
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Old 09-14-2016, 08:23 AM   #19
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I once bought an old (1981) VW diesel pickup. With my son being a mechanic with a few years of experience at the time, I asked him to do a quick safety check.
One of the things he told me is that a certain coolant hose should be replaced (It was original and probably close to 20 years old).
So the next morning I was driving to work with the intention of stopping at the local NAPA to buy that hose and change it that night.
Guess what? The hose blew out on my way to work!!!
Moral of the story....listen to mechanics, sometimes they know what they are doing.
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Old 09-14-2016, 08:28 AM   #20
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This is what worries me about engine hoses. This came from my Lehman 120. It's the hose that runs from the bottom of the expansion tank.
The impression is from being pressed against the engine block.
Luckily I replaced before it wore thru, but I never would have seen it.
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