Those damned vacuum hoses!

[ArtyGamer]

Just wondered if anyone using the 'big ugly treasure chest' 3D vacuum press has ever switched to a different brand of silicone hose? Not sure about you guys, but I'm forever having to trim a little bit off the main hose (the one that comes up from the bottom of the inside of the press) because it starts to crack after on a week or so of usage. And then every two-to-three weeks I have to turn the thing over, pull off the rubber feet, go crazy with the screwdriver and pull the whole thing apart to do the same to the hose that leaves the vacuum pump and into the main body of the machine.

I just don't understand how a non-moving part can wear out so quickly. I get that there's extreme temperatures, but it's a silicone hose and it's made specifically for that purpose. I suppose I just find it baffling that a company can produce a piece of equipment that needs as much maintenance as this does. Unless, of course, I'm just really unlucky and ended up with a dodgy machine!

Anyway, my question is this: Does everyone else have the same issue with their hoses rupturing, and has anyone ever tried an alternative hose?

I ordered a metre of each of these today, just to see what they're like:
http://www.autosiliconehoses.com/5mm-si ... black.html
http://www.autosiliconehoses.com/4mm-id ... olour.html

My guess is that the extruded silicone one is the same as the hose you get with the machine, only much cheaper than if you were to buy it from a press supplier. I'm hoping that the polyester-reinforced one will solve all my problems IF I can get it to fit and IF I can get the metal screw part to work with it.

[bigj2552]

Just wondered if anyone using the 'big ugly treasure chest' 3D vacuum press has ever switched to a different brand of silicone hose? Not sure about you guys, but I'm forever having to trim a little bit off the main hose (the one that comes up from the bottom of the inside of the press) because it starts to crack after on a week or so of usage. And then every two-to-three weeks I have to turn the thing over, pull off the rubber feet, go crazy with the screwdriver and pull the whole thing apart to do the same to the hose that leaves the vacuum pump and into the main body of the machine.

I just don't understand how a non-moving part can wear out so quickly. I get that there's extreme temperatures, but it's a silicone hose and it's made specifically for that purpose. I suppose I just find it baffling that a company can produce a piece of equipment that needs as much maintenance as this does. Unless, of course, I'm just really unlucky and ended up with a dodgy machine!

Anyway, my question is this: Does everyone else have the same issue with their hoses rupturing, and has anyone ever tried an alternative hose?

I ordered a metre of each of these today, just to see what they're like:
http://www.autosiliconehoses.com/5mm-si ... black.html
http://www.autosiliconehoses.com/4mm-id ... olour.html

My guess is that the extruded silicone one is the same as the hose you get with the machine, only much cheaper than if you were to buy it from a press supplier. I'm hoping that the polyester-reinforced one will solve all my problems IF I can get it to fit and IF I can get the metal screw part to work with it.

i was looking at one of these (big red ) tonight and thinking of buying it and mothballing the 2 mini 3d ones....but then again :rolleyes: are non of these Chinese/Japanese 3d machines reliable ?...i,m beginning to really think the 3d thing just aint worth the hassle tbh here.....

[ArtyGamer]

Still not taken delivery of the new hoses. Was hoping to have tried them out by now. In all honesty, the big vacuum presses aren't unreliable... it's just that the silicon hoses are being super-heated for (in my case) hours at a time, so they tend to crack at the point of attachment. The machine itself has been fine thus far.

It'll break now.

[ArtyGamer]

Right... the hoses arrived this afternoon, but the blue one's core (the polyester-threaded one) is a little too slack and the outer shielding is too wide for the screw to slip over. That said, the extruded silicone one (http://www.autosiliconehoses.com/4mm-id ... olour.html) is a perfect fit, looks almost exactly like the hosing that comes with the vacuum press, but is definitely more sturdy. While you can easily pinch the supplied hose completely closed, the one that was delivered today has a bit more tolerance so I imagine it'll be longer lasting. I bought a metre of it though, and don't want to blow my load too early so I'm going to stick with the current hose until I need to change it. The main hose inside the machine is almost at the point where there's no additional length when the platform is raised so next time it breaks it will be replaced by this new one.

In the meantime, I'm going to order a slightly smaller core from them to see what it comes out like. The way the polyester-threaded one is built though, I guarantee it'll last a lot longer so if I end up with a good fit then I may end up changing all my hoses as an experiment.

[membrane]

Hello.

Which tubes ended up being the best for this machine? I need to order some replacements for my machine.

Thanks

[ArtyGamer]

Hiya, yeah this is the one that I ordered last and the one that's currently being used in my vacuum press:

http://www.autosiliconehoses.com/3mm-si ... black.html

The outer is too thick to slide the screw-holders on to it but, rather than forcing the issue, I just pushed the hose directly on to the outlets and they are tight enough that they don't come off. I've had mine on the press since May and haven't had any problems with tearing or cracking... which is the longest I've ever had a hose on the machine without having to trim it after it cracked. It's also much simpler for switching over to mugs as there's nothing to unscrew - just pull it off the outlet nozzle and that's it.

[g1njeremy]

Hi ArtyGamer, I've been using my machine for almost a year now (time flies heh??). The only major issue I had was the touch panel went faulty and I ordered replacement from the factory. Other than that, it's just the silicone membrane breaking now and then and I ordered tons of those for replacement.

Other than that, I've NEVER had issue with the silicone hose.