Choosing the Right Hose Clamp for Your Vehicle

Worm gear hose clamp

When taking your vehicle for maintenance, one basic but important thing that has to be inspected are the hose clips commonly know as hose clamps. Vehicles wear out with time. Even with proper care, your car will still show signs of mileage on its components. If you have a fragile, swollen, corroded or a clamp that becomes loose too often, consider replacement before it causes any damage.

An engine is a complex structure that controls virtually every part of a car. Most of these components are connected with hoses supplying them with different fluids. Meaning that any leakage or damage to the hose supply line can cause the vehicle to loose some of its functionality. As such, you need to ensure that the clamps connecting the hoses to vital vehicle’s components are in good condition. There are different types of hose clamps including the embossed clamp design. But they all perform the same function of attaching and sealing a hose onto a fitting such as a barb or nipple.

Screw Clamps
Also known as a worm clamp, screw clamp features a stainless steel band which consists of a screw thread pattern. At the other end of the band is the captive screw. The band tightens when the screw is turned, and the band can also be loosened when its screwed the other direction.

Worm clamps are easy to install and offer multiple applications such as fixing leaking pipes or alignment problems. They come in different sizes, but experts recommend to use screw clamps for hoses bigger than 1/2 inch.

Spring Clamps
Spring clamps feature a movable strip of spring steel with clamping jaws for adjustment. They are typically strong and look good on embossed clamp design due to their large band surface. Spring clamps are even more easy to install and remove than screw clamps. They are commonly used for securing radiator(or radiador) and heater hoses. Other small models are applied in vehicle’s pressure lines mostly to prevent drop-offs during pressure changes. Spring type clamps vary in gauges, and the thicker the gauge, the more clamping tension it has.

Wire Clamps
Wire hose clips don’t come in an embossed clamp design because of their thin surface area. Typically, they are made of steel and feature a U shaped, then twisted to form a ring shape with one end of the wire overlaying the other. Like screw clamps, they tighten and loosens when the screw is turned.

Oetiker clamps
This is an ear type of clamp made up of a stainless steel band that features closing elements “ears”. Oetiker clamps are commonly used for gas, oil, and transmission cooling lines. They can withstand constant expansion and contraction of hoses caused by forced induction and thermodynamic differences. This eliminates the need to retighten it now and then. Unlike most standard screw clamps, Oetiker clamps have been tamper-proof designed to protect the hoses from accidental tears.

Although these may seem like the main types of clamping tools, other tools such as compression fittings, push-it fittings or swage fittings can be used to secure hoses or tubing.

Using the Right Hose Clamps Guarantees a Job Well Done!

Heavy duty hose clamp

Whatever home improvement project you may be focusing on, having the right equipment is a prerequisite for successful completion. Prior to diving into your work, you must inquire of yourself, “what types of hose clamps should I use to get this job done right from the get go?” Coming up with the correct response to that initial question can mean the difference between a job well done and one that probably shouldn’t have been embarked upon at all.

Stainless hose clamps were first invented by Lumley Robinson in 1921. Robinson had previously been a Royal Navy Commander who was trying to hatch a hose to a fitting. Robinson understood that the purpose of his hose clamp tool invention was to create a tight seal between barb and hose. Shortly after having been invented, hose clamp tools quickly revolutionized both modern plumbing and the automotive industry.

Heavy duty hose clamp tools are available in many sizes and many types of materials. One often used hose clamp tool is a spring clamp. Spring clamps are typically fashioned from spring steel that has been cut into strips length-wise with a protrusion at one end, and on the other end, two protrusions that are next to one another. Spring clamps are the appropriate hose clamp tools to use when working in small spaces because heavier duty hose clamp tools would be nearly impossible to tighten under those circumstances.

For the temporary repair of damaged pipes during an emergency, screw hose clamp tools are the best choice. Screw hose clamp tools work wonders when short term repairs must be made to pipes. These hose clamp tools can be situated quickly before any damage has been done. Doing so will prevent considerable water damage from taking place prior to a permanent fix being completed.

Worm hose clamps are another variety of hose clamp tool. These hose clamps are made up of a galvanized clamp that has been cut by a screw clamp pattern. There is a captive screw at one end of the band, and the clamp is fastened around whatever hose or tube must be connected. The end that is loose is then fed into the small space between a captive screw and the thin band. Worm hose clamp tools are primarily utilized within domestic waste water piping, or to transmit small quantities of power.

Whatever your project, it is important to determine in advance which hose clamp tool will best meet your needs. Determining this early on will make it easier to complete your project sans hassle and in a timely manner. As well, when you are certain of which hose clamp tools will properly complete your job, you can be assured that the finished piece of workmanship will operate safely and properly. Read more.