GTA
All Springer/NP/PCP Air Gun Discussion General => PCP/CO2/HPA Air Gun Gates "The Darkside" => Topic started by: DLP on September 20, 2018, 10:01:16 PM
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The ShoeBox was in the garage filling a 60 min Drager tank last night. I stepped out ever 20 min or so to check on it. It was at about 4300 psi so I figured I would give it a few more min to get a little closer to a full fill. When I opened the garage door It happened. BOOM! Instant dust storm. I thought the tank exploded. But it was the microbore hose. The bearing ring on the female foster fitting blew apart. I started out to shut the valve off to save some air, but thought twice. You know when you drop the wand at the car wash and try to pick it up without getting whipped? Well multiply that by 10 fold. Other than loosing 4000 psi of air, the whipping hose broke out a couple pieces of the milk crate the compressor was sitting on, snapped off the 3/8” Air hose feed to the ShoeBox, the desiccant and filter kits and beat the &^^& out of the bandsaw sitting next to it. Could have been a lot worse if it would have happened 2 seconds later!
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any pics of the parted male and female pieces?? glad u werent injured
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Darrell
Glad there was NO injuries etc,
What brand name was the micro hose etc?
Tia,
Don
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That must have been quite a shock,
That's why I don't like foster and will always go with probes.
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Don't know of a probe that goes from the Shoebox to the Scba tank, or any other compressor for that matter. ;)
Glad you weren't hurt!
Manny, I didn't think I would like a probe, But with the Storm, I love it! 8)
Knife
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Darrell,
I'm glad no one got hurt and you had the wisdom to let things settle down before you intervened. You can always re compress the lost air.
It's like when we had the restaurant. If you drop a knife let it fall to the floor. It took me 3 or 4 times and a bunch of band-aid's to get rid of the "grab for it" reflex. ;D
I've been using the Ninja brand micro bore hoses with no problem. Which hose were you using? I am also curious where the hose failed so if you can share some pictures it would be real educational.
Thanks,
Taso
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Spooky stuff there. Could have been much worse. Darn good reason to check for fatigue cracks once in a while.
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The good microbore hoses are expensive but worth it.
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I'm just glad no one was in there and close to it when it happened. Better a brown shorts moment than a red welt on the face week.
These types of failures is the primary reason why I do not ever use foster fittings. The way I see it, the female fitting is the weakest part of the connection and has the most potential to cause a failure, and I have neither a desire nor a use for potential failures when dealing with HPA.
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Had the same thing happen a few weeks ago. I was right at 4500 psi when the male/male nipple let go. I wasn't so lucky. The instant pressure release blew the high side seal out of my MKII Extreme compressor. I have yet to replace it. I need to find my spares.
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Brown shorts moment indeed! Thanks for the good wishes. Sorry, I didn’t take pictures. Was hurrying around trying to clear the dust storm out of the garage, pick up the mess and calm my wife down a bit. Everything went in the trash. It defently shook the windows. The hose was a AV double ended female foster microbore one. Ya, the $60 or $70 one. I have had it for a year with no issues. It stays on the ShoeBox and is only for filling tanks. So it doesn’t get the heavy on off use the the others do. I check both ends of the fittings every time I hookup. It’s the only hose I buy or use after having several cheep ones pop off a rifle while filling. I always have my hand on the valve to shut the tank off when filling. But the hose still whips around pretty violently. I just think about all the times I have my rifles teathered to the tank. Sometimes 3 hoses between the rifle, reg and tank. And I am lying next to them shooting. Scary stuff for sure.
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Almost forgot. The ring that holds the bearings in is what blew off. Yes, there are dents in the male fitting too. But it didn’t just push the bearings off the male end. It actually blew bearing retaining ring off the foster fitting. Wish I would have taken pictures. But the metal of the fitting itself actually broke into.
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I bought the male/male nipple on Amazon... I learned a lesson.... do some research.
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I think the next fill whip that I buy I'll just order it from Northshore compressor inc., for a 2 foot microbore with females on both ends they're about $26 before shipping but they're rated for 6K.
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Definitely going to upgrade mine before I use it again.
With shoulder replacement coming I'll be breaking out the light weight C02 guns for awhile.
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I had a connector pop off, due to not being fully snapped together, it let go around 3000 psi , I was standing next to it , was able to grab the hose from the end that wasn't flipping around, and work my hand up to the open end and then I could reach the tank valve. :o
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Does the compressor vibrate enough to cause a stress crack?
Maybe you could add some strain relief at the compressor end of the hose.
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Which male foster was the failed female on? Shoebox, tank valve, or male/male connector? If tank valve or male/male do you know where they purchased from?
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It's like when we had the restaurant. If you drop a knife let it fall to the floor. It took me 3 or 4 times and a bunch of band-aid's to get rid of the "grab for it" reflex. ;D
Good advise for a lot of sharp or heavy things. I'll add that what you want to also cultivate is a reflex to move your feet. If I fumble something, I've learned to think of my toes/foot/ankle first and get them out of the way!
While I'm here, let me connect this to a discussion from not too long ago of this same foster connector issue: https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=147199.msg1499572#msg1499572 (https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=147199.msg1499572#msg1499572)
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There are quite a few Chrome over brass PAINTBALL class Co2 fosters around and in would be my WAG that is what you have / Had :P
An actual Foster brand or other high grade STAINLESS STEEL male or female don't see this happening with.
YES tell us what fitting is made of ... IF any name of manufacturer on the body etc .. ???
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Does the compressor vibrate enough to cause a stress crack?
Maybe you could add some strain relief at the compressor end of the hose.
Good point! Yes, the SB does jerk back and forth. Not violently. But it does shake. Its heavy and doesnt move persay. I have it sitting on a sturdy tablesaw stand. AND yes, it was the stock SB male fitting that got the light ball gouges. Seems all of my male fittings have these wear marks in them to some extent. But I think it is just the amount of times they have been worked. I do change them out when they get to looking bad. But only with ss ones. No brass here!
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I am glad you didn't get hurt. You can never be too careful.
I learned my lesson about falling sharp things also, and have the scar to show for it. I tried to catch a falling bottle. I caught it just as the bottom hit the ground, shattering it. The momentum of my hand sliced my finger almost to the bone. Yeah, stitches across the fingertips are not very pleasant to receive either.
I once was scuba diving, and a guy about 50 yards from me had his high pressure hose explode while we were under. It sounded like a canon going off, and from where I was, it was just a fury of bubbles. He made it up safely, but couldn't hear too well. ;D
Then there was this one time with a pressure washer... well I'll save that. Don't wear sandals if you like your toes.
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It's like when we had the restaurant. If you drop a knife let it fall to the floor. It took me 3 or 4 times and a bunch of band-aid's to get rid of the "grab for it" reflex. ;D
Good advise for a lot of sharp or heavy things. I'll add that what you want to also cultivate is a reflex to move your feet. If I fumble something, I've learned to think of my toes/foot/ankle first and get them out of the way!
While I'm here, let me connect this to a discussion from not too long ago of this same foster connector issue: https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=147199.msg1499572#msg1499572 (https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=147199.msg1499572#msg1499572)
Yup! Feet needed training too! ;D
Taso
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Yep I did manage to get an exacto knife through my thumb trying to catch a cleaning, tissue. Cut the vein in my thumb, er, stitches.
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Darrell,
Have you contacted Air Venturi to let them know about the hose failure? Hopefully they will switch out the connector in future production and may even replace your defective hose?
If they don't know there is a problem they won't look into fixing it. ;D
Thanks,
Taso
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IMHO
I think I'll get some hose whips,
should solve the danger/problem etc, I'll need 4-6 to cover all the jct's, I have.
Off to do some searching on google.........
Tia,
Don
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Task
No, I didn’t contact them. I have a couple fill stations with their hoses and a couple other of their hoses I use for filling guns. Never had a problem with one of them. Once and a while things go south. I won’t quit using them. But I have had several cheap one blow. Usually the bearings fall out.
Don
Please explain about the hose whips. I have been working on putting the hoses in a pipe so if they fail, they stay put. Thanks
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Darrell
Here is a hose whip, they comes is all kinds of sizes and lengths,
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dixon-King-whip-check-hose-to-hose-1-8-Steel-Safety-Cable-Style/283164524682?hash=item41edebc08a:g:3lcAAOSwjDZYiB6W (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dixon-King-whip-check-hose-to-hose-1-8-Steel-Safety-Cable-Style/283164524682?hash=item41edebc08a:g:3lcAAOSwjDZYiB6W)
They attach to both ends of the hose or fitting, and if something goes Ka boom, (fitting breaks),
you don't have the end of the hose beating you leaving marks and or broken bones etc. ;) LOL
They operate by pulling down on the end of the compression spring, the cable loop will open up,
you slip one end of the hose whip over the hose fitting, the compressed spring will close up the loop around the hose or fitting,
then you do the same thing to the other end, extending the hose whip to the maximum length of the hose whip on the hose line.
You can also make your own sizes, if you have a GOOD compressing tool for the swage locks.........
and use the proper size of safety cables for the psi you are working with.
HTH,
Tia,
Don
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Sounds like it didn’t matter what rating the hose was, wether 6000 psi or 10,000 psi, it was the fitting that failed. Sorry about your near miss accident, sir. Glad you made out okay.
With what I said about ratings, do fittings themselves have ratings?
Regarding the hose whip safety deal, I understand how they clip onto the fill hose, but we all know how we complain about some of the short fill hoses that come with hand pumps and some compressors, so we either add to them(more fittings to possibly fail) or switch them out for 36” to as much as 60” long. How does this safety device work on the longer fill hoses? Does it keep them contracted in a loop, meaning the extra length we invested in for convenience is now shortened due to this safety device? I guess what I’m picturing these being used is on permanent end to end hose connections, like the hydraulic lines on a back hoe. But our fill hoses are only permanently connected at one end, the compressor.
Please clarify, as this has my interest.
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Augie
Here is some info/photo's on hose whips,
https://www.chicagocoupling.com/hose-cable-choker-restraints (https://www.chicagocoupling.com/hose-cable-choker-restraints)
I am looking for the shorter series around the 6-8" lengths and smaller hose sizes etc.
I am running 36" to 48" Ninja micro hoses for my set up.
I can just see a 48" micro hose whipping around beating me or my air gun/setup.....OUCH..........plus the damage etc.
HTH,
Tia,
Don