how to remove hose protectors?

[mathauck0814]

Utility knife.

 

[halocline]

I've used tin snips to slice them lengthwise and avoid the hose. But don't be intimidated by removing the hose from the first stage, it's easy and all you need is an open end wrench. Taking the 2nd stage off will be more of a PITA because you have the proprietary SP splined fitting on that end. You can make do with a pair of pliers that are well padded to keep from scratching.

But the easiest thing might be to snip it lengthwise.

 

[buddhasummer]

Machete...

 

[mathauck0814]

Machete...

"The right tool is always a hammer.... anything can be used as a hammer"

 

[buddhasummer]

"The right tool is always a hammer.... anything can be used as a hammer"

I like to go samurai styles, if no katana a machete will still do the trick...

or a hammer... Lol

 

[supergaijin]

Heat, lubricant and a bit of twisting. I'd be surprised it wouldn't come off with a combination of those things.

 

[rhwestfall]

Heat, lubricant and a bit of twisting..

method applies to many things....

 

[USdiver1]

Notice to Potential Hose Protector Removers,

I run SPECTRE - Society to Prevent Extreme Cruelty Towards Regulator Ensembles - (sometimes mistakenly identifies at SPecial Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion) and this thread is treading on dangerous ground. Ever since that Pom, 007, began abusing our Voit double hoses we have been actively engaged in preventing any unauthorized persons from performing cruel acts upon members of the Cousteau-Gagnan crowd and their many descendants. Be forewarned, we have operatives in your area who will not be dissuaded in their effort to protect the single or double hosed. Hose Protector mutilation is just one of the many areas that our organization has provided defense against for decades. Remove hose protectors at your own peril.

Emilio Largo

 

[beanojones]

A roofing knife works great for not stressing the crimp on the hose when cutting off hose protectors, while not risking the hose. With older gear, pulling the hose protector off can separate the hose at the crimp. Which means pulling it off, new gear is probably not ideal.

If pulling is all you got, then soak the hose protector in hot soapy water. Usually but not always makes things slide easier.

Here's a quote I do not necessarily agree with, but the this is what Dive Gear Express says about things:

The 'hose protectors' on the ends of the hoses next to the first stage provide a cosmetic appearance, however there is no evidence they prevent hose damage. Hoses sometimes fail where the fitting is swaged onto the hose, but that's caused by gas pressure, and a hose protector is not going to prevent that from happening. Because hose protectors interfere with routing and streamlining, they are almost never seen on regs used in technical diving. In fact, hose protectors may compromise safety and many experienced divers don't use or recommend them. Hose protectors hold water against the fitting, causing corrosion and hiding developing problems. The post dive maintenance recommendation is to pull the hose protectors back from the fittings, rinse and inspect. However, our observation is that not only do most divers not perform this suggested maintenance, when they do they are actually pulling hard at the most failure prone part of the hose. Our maintenance recommendation: permanently remove all hose protectors (we carefully use a pair of side cutters rather than pull them off) and replace the hose if there is evidence of excessive wear or damage.

IME, hose protectors do help relieve stress from bending, but they also increase stress from corrosion. Life is full of such tradeoffs.

Strangely enough, I have had more problems with MiFlex hoses unraveling the braid at the crimping point. Since at least some of these braided hose have stainless, and not chrome fittings, then corrosion is less of an issue so the tradeoff balances towards the hose protectors.

 

[Cheule]

A roofing knife works great for not stressing the crimp on the hose when cutting off hose protectors, while not risking the hose. With older gear, pulling the hose protector off can separate the hose at the crimp. Which means pulling it off, new gear is probably not ideal.

If pulling is all you got, then soak the hose protector in hot soapy water. Usually but not always makes things slide easier.

Here's a quote I do not necessarily agree with, but the this is what Dive Gear Express says about things:



IME, hose protectors do help relieve stress from bending, but they also increase stress from corrosion. Life is full of such tradeoffs.

Strangely enough, I have had more problems with MiFlex hoses unraveling the braid at the crimping point. Since at least some of these braided hose have stainless, and not chrome fittings, then corrosion is less of an issue so the tradeoff balances towards the hose protectors.

I feel, this is a really well reasoned explanation. I agree with your assessment about the trade off between saving your hoses from pulling stress and saving them from corrosion at the fittings. This is why I've decided to keep the hose protectors, but pull them back (to expose the fittings) while I soak my gear in fresh water after diving. Then leave them pulled back as my regs dry. Then push them back on while I store my gear.

My particular hose protectors (scubapro branded) slide fairly easily, so I'm not worried about pulling stress on the hoses.

Again, thanks for your excellent take on the issue.