Inserting fittings into large diameter hose?

[Bucket Head]

What trick am I missing trying to insert stainless steel barbed fittings into 2" Tigerflex hose? Wow..., they do not want to go in! No how, no way!
I've heated the hose in very hot water, put a little food-grade lubricant on the barbs and inside the hose, and even took a file and dressed down the leading sharp edge of the fitting hoping it would start in a little better. No luck!!

I have purchased another brand of fitting, just to try. But measuring with a caliper shows the newer fitting is slightly smaller than the others, so maybe that one will go in better? Any tips or tricks on how to handle this hose would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Steve

[JoeJ]

I learned the "heat the tiger flex trick" 5 or 6 years ago. I bring water to a rolling boil and then hold the end of the tiger flex in the BOILING water for probably 30 seconds. Apply food grade grease like you did, then just slip the pipe on. Works for me every time.

Joe

[Cjadamec]

Have something very solid to push the fitting against, think concrete floor or heavy equipment that is bolted down.

Boiling water can soften the hose up as was suggested but it needs to actively boiling basically.

Most plumbers will use a propane or map gas torch to soften the end of the hose. You need to be very gentle with the torch and only leave it on for a second or two at a time. It is very easy to get the hose too hot and or start to burn the hose.

In my experience a quick 1 or 2 second shot from the torch into the open end of the hose will soften things up just enough to allow the hose to stretch over the barb fitting. You want to tighten any hose clamps while the plastic is still warm.

Wearing a decent set of leather gloves is highly recommended. The end of the pipe will get hot and so is the air in front of that torch.

[Bucket Head]

Guy's,

I didn't use boiling water, but it wasn't too far away from it. You didn't distort your hose any? My hose end is now distorted from being warmed up and "forced" to where it didn't want to go. It's flattened out (egg shaped) a few inches in from the end from gripping and pushing the softened hose. I hated to go hotter with the water after seeing my roughed-up hose end. I'll try boiling water next.

I have a lot of torch experience, from Oxy-Acetelene on down, and I've seen what they all can do to a hose and tubing I've got a heat gun also, but they will burn hose too. That's what I wanted to avoid so I thought the hot water and grease would make quick work of it. I'll go to the flame if boiling water doesn't do it.

Thanks for the responses guy's. Wish me luck!

Steve

[Cjadamec]

If you are using fiber or wire re-enforced hose it may not got onto the barb fitting cleanly. The re-enforcing material prevents the hose from stretching to go over a barb fitting.

Make sure your fitting and your hose are compatible.

[maple flats]

For SS fittings you may need to both heat just the end with boiling water and shave the end of the hose on the inside to get a tapered start. Only heat the part that needs to go over the fitting, going more than an extra 1/2" can cause issues, in fact I go just 1/4" extra. Once started use a block of 2x4 to hammer it in while you hold the hose just back from the heated part.
A few years ago, I had some PVC adapters turned down on a lathe with a slight taper. Removed all of the barbs but then left a rough surface. Then I could push them in half way and had to hammer them the rest of the way with a mallet. But that was PVC not the SS barbed fittings. My biggest tubing onto SS barbed fittings was 1.5". For that I just shaved a taper on the end of the tubing and then used my mainline fitting tool to pull it in. I do not have a 2" tool or I'd let you borrow it. I do the tapered shave just with a sharp knife.

[Bucket Head]

The hose I have has a plastic-like (?) reinforcing spiraled though the hose. Is there Tiger Flex hose this size without the reinforcing rings? Did I not get the right stuff?? I'm new to this variety of hose. I thought there was only one type.

And I forgot to mention that I did shave a little of the hose material off- to try and aid it starting in, along with the slight filing of the leading edge of the fitting. We'll try it again...

But my father and I will have to rest some more. We're exhausted and our hands and arms are sore from wrestling and pushing!

Thanks guy's.

Steve

[whity]

A fine coat of butter on the barb. That's what we use on our Tiger flex. Slides right in.

[Cjadamec]

The spiral wound re-enforced tubing can be a real bear to get over a barbbed fitting. The spiral tends to cock the tubing as it goes on the fitting and the material between the spiral bunches up. That makes for a less than fun time trying to get the fittings on.

Next time you go to put the fitting on, lube the fitting with 100% silicon grease (food safe o-ring grease). You can generally find it at any home Depot or the like. As you push the two parts together twist which ever end you can to "screw" the hose and fitting together with the spiral band. That's the only trick I know for that type of hose.

They do make other types of hoses some are easier to work with than others. It's still never fun to get them on to barbbed fittings.

They also make different types of barbbed fittings not all barbbed fittings have the same pitch and depth to the barbs.

[Super Sapper]

We use a heat gun at work on up to 6 inch hose. It sounds like you got it too hot if it collapsed. Do not heat more hose than needed and just heat it until you can start to squeeze it together.

[Bucket Head]

Well, their in. But they don't look pretty. That was a miserable job if there ever was one. I can't believe it takes that much effort to get those fittings inserted. It should not be that difficult.

Yes, the fitting does not go in "straight" and it cocks and the tube kinks and compresses. This is horrible stuff to work with. I'm not sure if I'd get this stuff again- or I'd look into hose that has fittings already installed, if there is such a thing. Maybe this is where a savvy maple supplier out there could start offering made-up hoses? It took my father and I two evenings and four attempts to insert two fittings. So whatever the price of an assembled 50ft. hose is- is already looking pretty good...

Thanks for all the advice on my hose dilemma.

Steve