Maintenance Tips | Choosing The Right Hoses
Here we try to offer guidance and assistance on selecting and fitting your diving hoses.
Selecting the right hose
As ever when looking to purchase a new product, you should also ensure you check what you require before ordering.
We offer a choice of colours, lengths and fitting combinations and have added a range of adaptors to assist where our standard fittings may not be suitable for your requirements.
The majority of regulator and octopus hoses have a 3/8” male UNF thread for the first stage connection with a standard 9/16” female scuba style nut for connection to the regulator.
An option we have for this is for a limited range of products which require a larger thread for the first stage connection; these are usually for certain Mares and older Apeks regulators and are a ½” male UNF thread.
Occasionally there is a requirement to connect your regulator hose to equipment with differing connections. We offer a range of solutions via adaptors that maybe able to assist.
Our BCD/Inflator hoses, are all supplied with a 3/8” male UNF thread for first stage connection and a seatec style quick release couple, fitted with an internal Schrader valve. This style of connection is used where a standard quick release coupler is utilised.
This means our BCD/Inflator hoses are also suitable for dry-suit applications as well as most BCDs.
If you are unsure what you require, we always recommend you visit your local dive store or service centre – and would recommend all of our Premier Stockists who would be pleased to assist you.
Please remember safety is of absolute importance to you and for us, so always ensure you are using the right hose for the right application and if in doubt seek advice.
At no time should you consider cutting your Miflex hose and reconnecting any type of fitting to the hose, or to try and reconnect the Miflex hose fittings, as this will reduce all safety in your Miflex hose and also void all warranty.
All Miflex hoses are patented and manufactured with fittings specifically designed for purpose and then during the manufacturing process are individually tested to ensure each and every product is of the highest quality.
Measuring your hoses
A common question we are asked is about how to measure your diving hoses and what lengths to choose.
The measuring of lengths is relatively simple as this is end-to-end including the fittings.
What lengths you require is down to your configuration or style of equipment you have, but we believe we are able to assist in most of your hose requirements, as we have added to the range as customers have asked for different lengths.
All hoses when produced do though have a manufacturing tolerance and therefore occasionally these may vary slightly from the lengths indicated. Please check individual listings for the sizes offered in each range.
Fitting your hoses
We always recommend that for reasons of safety, that all hoses are only changed and fitted by a competent person and would suggest that this is done for you at your local dive store and/or service centre.
We offer this suggestion and recommendation, as we only wish for you to gain maximum benefit from your Miflex hoses and sometimes the fitting of hoses requires specific tools and torque levels to prevent potential and unnecessary damage to your equipment.
All hoses with O ring seals only have a maximum tightening torque of circa 5 Nm for Low Pressure Hoses and 8 Nm for High Pressure Hoses. Please be aware that over tightening could potentially cause damage to your equipment and hose fittings.