mikew 14 Report post Posted March 28, 2006 Hi everyone, Was cleaning a deck yesterday and had something happen that was a little scary. I use a ball valve on the end of my high pressure hose so I can switch between attachments while working (gun, surface cleaner, ext. pole, etc...) I had the ball valve closed and I connected the gun into the quick connect. I turned the ball valve on and it shot out of my hand and down the deck stairs. It happened in a split second. I would say the ball vavle and end of my hose easily went at least 20ft from where I was standing. I went and picked up the end of my hose and shut the ball valve back off. I realized it had blown the o-ring out of the quick connect so I replaced the o-ring. Hooked my gun back in, triple checked my connections and turned the ball valve on and went back to work. In retrospect, this could have been dangerous. It could of hit someone standing behind me, blown through a window, etc... Now I am curious about other folks experiences like this. Was this just simply a case of I didn't properly seat the gun in the quick connect? Has anyone ever had a quick connect blow apart? Do you replace quick connects on a scheduled interval to prevent failure due to wear? When you have multiple hose lengths connected on your hose reel do you join them with quick connects or used permanent style connectors? If you use a ball valve... do you make sure the area behind you is clear before opening the valve while the machine is running? If you don't use a ball valve... have you ever had a connection blow apart when you started your machine? Thanks, Mike Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
R L S 14 Report post Posted March 28, 2006 I had a situation like that as well. I use the big heavy 7000psi ball valve and the bearings inside the QC collar wore out. I grabbed the end of the hose and moved it just right sso that the ball valve shot off the hose and missed my head by an inch. It would have floored me good if it hit me. I now check those QC every week. Also I changed to a flow type unloader, that helps as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PLD 14 Report post Posted March 28, 2006 I had a QC rip in half and leave the tip in the QC and the threads on the hose. The failure was non-violent. The QC was stainless in decent condition, so I suspect material failure as a result of use related stresses. Q: Was this just simply a case of I didn't properly seat the gun in the quick connect? Probably. When a HP hose/fitting fails totally, it loses pressure (and force) very fast. There is little opportunity to generate propulsive forces. However, when it fails under constraint the propulsive forces remain high for a longer period of time and the item can develop significant velocity. If that doesn't make sense, consider the point blank velocity of: - a 22 cal cartridge held with pliers and fired (no barrel) - a 22 cal fired from a 1" derringer barrel. - a 22 cal fired from a 24" rifle barrel. Q: Has anyone ever had a quick connect blow apart? Yes, see below. Q: Do you replace quick connects on a scheduled interval to prevent failure due to wear? No. I replace them when the leak significantly, fail to couple, become very sloppy (from deburring), or fail to decouple (mostly on mid-hose joins) Q: When you have multiple hose lengths connected on your hose reel do you join them with quick connects or used permanent style connectors? QC's, but I'm rethinking that. I'm actually reconsidering having one hose made. The joints make reeling/stacking hose a pain. And after a few months those joints are frozen anyway. Q: If you use a ball valve... do you make sure the area behind you is clear before opening the valve while the machine is running? No. Q: If you don't use a ball valve... have you ever had a connection blow apart when you started your machine? Once. It was partially disconnected during roll up and failed on start up (still on the reel. The hose hit the trailer with a loud and frightening bang. It sounds violent, but the net movement was less than 12". Similarly, I have had a stuck QC (mid hose) that I tried intentionally to blow open. I taped back the collar and cranked her up. It took about 30 seconds, and the failure was non-violent. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VanDiesel99 14 Report post Posted March 28, 2006 I have had swivels break on me(at the end of the hose attached to the ball valve). It was from horizontal stress from pulling the hose. I now combat this by using a short whip hose from my ball valve to the swivel, that way when I tug on the gun it doesn't stress the swivel. I have also had violent reactions when I connected a ball valve and a gun and didn't get them seated properly. Not too dangerous unless your working with hot hot water. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Doug T 19 Report post Posted March 29, 2006 The only time I have had a qc come apart is when it was not seated correctly. As a suggestion, instead of quick couples between hose sections have your hoses made with JIC fittings. Much easier to roll up, don't have to worry about the qc not coming undone when you want them to. The only QC I use now are end of hose to wand/surface cleaner. Doug Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PLD 14 Report post Posted March 29, 2006 The only time I have had a qc come apart is when it was not seated correctly. As a suggestion, instead of quick couples between hose sections have your hoses made with JIC fittings. Much easier to roll up, don't have to worry about the qc not coming undone when you want them to. The only QC I use now are end of hose to wand/surface cleaner.Doug Can you offer more info about a JIC fitting? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
