1/4" or 3/8" HP Hose

[Earl Weiss]

A recent article in one of the industry mags in addittion to other reccomendations says that since 1/4" hoses are lighter than 3/8" hoses they are more customer friendly.

And you guys say????

 

[Whale of a Wash]

They are lighter and seem to work as well. When i first switched i thought i had gone cordless. Only drawback is the customer can knot them up a little more.

 

[Bob-O]

I like the 1/4", but like Wale of a Wash said it does knot up. I did put a swivel on both ends which helped out..

 

[Ric]

I switched to 1/4 years ago. No problem, much lighter. I still use 3/8 on the foam brush. The 1/4 just didn't seem to allow enough flow.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

I have always used 1/4" and can't see what benefit there would be with 3/8. Soap/rinse changeovers will be quicker with the smaller hose and most likely less weep flow to keep it from freezing. Most importantly though, ease of use would be my deciding factor.

 

[MEP001]

I don't like 1/4" for the lack of durability, in fact it looks cheap to me. I use swivels on each end with 3/8" hose and there's no difficulty at all getting the gun where it's needed. I've tested 1/4" hose and the difference in changeover time is negligible. There is some pressure loss due to the smaller hose, but it's also negligible for such a short run.

I've seen people use 1/4" high-pressure hose for their foam brush, but it doesn't last long as the GoodYear Insta-Grip I use.

 

[Earl Weiss]

They are lighter and seem to work as well. When i first switched i thought i had gone cordless. Only drawback is the customer can knot them up a little more.

Same article mentions "Live Swivels" to prevent this. Anyone using them?

 

[MEP001]

"Live swivels" just means inline swivels. Bob-O said he uses them on both ends.

 

[JMMUSTANG]

I've used 1/4" with 3/8" ends and swivels on both ends for years. They don't make that slamming noise when the hose hits the car. I've had no durability problems.

 

[Earl Weiss]

"Live swivels" just means inline swivels. Bob-O said he uses them on both ends.

According to the same article "Live Swivels" swivel easily under pressure. I have hoses made with swivels. They swivel, but not so easily under HP.

 

[MEP001]

Those aren't intended to be used as working swivels. They're for installation of a hose in a fixed position.

 

[Earl Weiss]

Thanks for the feedback. Think I may try the 1/4" HP hose. What type / brand of in line swivels are you guys using for value / serviceability?

 

[MEP001]

I recently went back to JE Adams swivels, one at the gun and one below a "swivel saver" piece of hose off the boom. I don't rebuild them so I use brass. If you plan to rebuild them use stainless - by the time the brass one wears and starts to leak it's usually too loose to hold a kit. I had been using Sonic at the top and rebuilding them, but the bearings would wear out before it needed to rebuilt a second time. A friend uses Mosmatic and they're really smooth, but I don't see spending over $40 for a swivel when the $8 Adams last a couple years.