MIFLEX Hose Failure Mode

[srcalDiver]

I recently had a chance to feel how flexible the MIFLEX LP hose is and I'm thinking seriously about switching over.

Does anyone have experience with the failure mode of this type of hose? I've seen HP hoses fail with a stream of tiny bubbles leaking through cracks and I know they can fail more catastrophically.

I imagine, though haven't seen, LP hoses would fail in a similar fashion. I wonder if the MIFLEX hose would be more likely to simply burst when it fails due to their presumably thinner more flexible hose wall.

 

[irishsquid]

I recently had a chance to feel how flexible the MIFLEX LP hose is and I'm thinking seriously about switching over.

Does anyone have experience with the failure mode of this type of hose? I've seen HP hoses fail with a stream of tiny bubbles leaking through cracks and I know they can fail more catastrophically.

I imagine, though haven't seen, LP hoses would fail in a similar fashion. I wonder if the MIFLEX hose would be more likely to simply burst when it fails due to their presumably thinner more flexible hose wall.

I don't know about a Miflex failure, but I would imagine that a LP hose would exhaust more than a stream of tiny bubbles through the same size crack/hole as a HP hose. I may be wrong, and maybe more knowledgeable/ experienced folks will jump in.

 

[shoturtle]

Since is has a webbing around the hose, I would guess it would perform more like a steel braided break line, that when it does fail, it would not bust. but have a leak. But I am not completely sure.

 

[srcalDiver]

Here's an example of a non-catastrophic high pressure hose failure:

Sierra14ers : photos : Channel Islands California March 2008- powered by SmugMug

 

[John_B]

The high pressure hose actually has a very small orifice, the low pressure hoses are just the opposite. The failure mode I would be more concerned about is the low pressure hose as it can actually flow more gas.

IIRC, the burst strength of the Miflex LP hoses is 3600 psi which approaches what you find with standard HP hoses, correct? My blue H LP hoses say "Do not exceed 250 psi WP", I don't know what the burst strength actually is but obviously not 10 times that amount. Maybe someone with a more technical background can enlighten me with the differences in strength between standard hoses and the new Miflex hoses.

The way I see it, if you have IP creep on your first stage and the LP Miflex hoses all have some astronomical burst strength, you'd want to be sure that the backup reg wasn't so cranked down that it wouldn't freeflow as a sort of OPV, vs. auto inflating your wing or BC. As a former owner of the craptacular Oceanic Reliant inflator (lordy if ever a product was misnamed...), I can tell you that being able to detach a fully charged BC hose on a runaway BC inflator is a necessary skill.

I'm not the expert here, but that's how I see it. Maybe someone can weigh in with more facts?

 

[srcalDiver]

Interesting discussion.

The primary question I have is: Does the MIFLEX offer warning signs that it's about to fail, as standard hoses seem to, or do they fail catastrophically?

 

[PhilEllis]

Interesting discussion.

The primary question I have is: Does the MIFLEX offer warning signs that it's about to fail, as standard hoses seem to, or do they fail catastrophically?

Hoses, no matter from what material they are made, can fail by leaking and by bursting. From that regard, I wouldn't expect MiFlex to be any different.

Phil Ellis

 

[BKP]

The high pressure hose actually has a very small orifice, the low pressure hoses are just the opposite. The failure mode I would be more concerned about is the low pressure hose as it can actually flow more gas.

Exactly right...

ScubaToys did a (comical) vid illustrating this:

Scuba Diving Videos Cutting a Divers Hose Scuba Videos

Doesn't quite address the OP's original question, however, offers insight into how much time you may have (assuming a full al80 tank) with a failure of a hp or lp hose...

I've completely switched over to MiFlex (primary, octo, and inflator). I wasn't terribly concerned about failure of my original hoses, and even less so with the MiFlex...

 

[mike_s]

I recently had a chance to feel how flexible the MIFLEX LP hose is and I'm thinking seriously about switching over.

Does anyone have experience with the failure mode of this type of hose? I've seen HP hoses fail with a stream of tiny bubbles leaking through cracks and I know they can fail more catastrophically.

I imagine, though haven't seen, LP hoses would fail in a similar fashion. I wonder if the MIFLEX hose would be more likely to simply burst when it fails due to their presumably thinner more flexible hose wall.

has any failure of the MiFlex hose been reported even?


Note, that Mifilex only makes/sells LP hoses at this time also, not HP.

 

[FritzCat66]

I just went with my first Miflex hose on a new pony rig and I'm already liking it and thinking about replacing some of my other hoses, so I would also like to know what the failure modes are for these types of hoses.

Also, does anyone know if they will be making HP Miflex hoses anytime soon?

>*< Fritz