Inspecting your Hoses
General inspection of your hoses with prevent damage that can easily be prevented. Check the hose, fittings, and surrounding equipment for cured material and clean. Ensure your hose is not in a high traffic area where heavy machinery could run it over and cause damage.
Starting Up your Machine
When heating up your hose, make sure you unravel the bulk of the hose. There are two reasons why;
- The hose will create hot spots and could potentially get to the point where the hose would melt and burst open after an extended period of time.
- As you spray material, you will get inconsistent heat and as your material cures, your application will become poor and inconsistent.
Daily Maintenance
- Throughout the day: If you’re running more than 100 feet of hose, checking your hose temperature at different checkpoints intermittently throughout the day, will ensure you get a consistent output when spraying material.
- Shutdown for the day: Make sure you build in shut down time at the end of the day. Your day does not end when you’re tired of spraying for the day. Proper shutdown of equipment with not only ensure its longevity, but also prepare equipment for seamless startup the next business day.
- Flushing your hose: First, never mix water with the isocyanate side of the material. Improper flushing will allow iso crystals to form and this typically damages equipment. Always consult your material manufacturer for proper flushing of their material. There are a few different techniques used to flush the hose.
- With Resin, you can flush using a bucket of water.
- Another option is to reverse the material back into your drum to prevent waste. Make sure the correct material goes into the correct drum. Failure to do so can be very dangerous and waste your entire drum of material.
- Any cured foam should be disposed in accordance with local, regional, and national regulations.
Seasonal Maintenance
Winterizing your hose will prevent crystallization, if done properly. Plan to flush your hose at least twice to ensure to remaining material can cure inside your hose. Flushing with proper material such as Dynalube, DOP, Hydraulic Fluid or Mineral Oil is ideal and can allow your hose to be stored for long periods of downtime.
See complete steps to winterizing your hose in our article Winterizing a Plural Component Machine.
