ERIKS new hose test and maintenance service to help prevent costly leaks

June 30, 2011 - PRLog -- ERIKS, part of Europe's largest industrial distributor, has introduced a hose testing service designed to test industrial hoses either on-site by ERIKS’ dedicated mobile testing teams or at one of ERIKS’ Hose Technology centres. This convenient and cost-effective service for maintaining and testing the integrity of hoses also has important implications in reducing personal risk, to injury from burst and leaking hoses, and potential contamination or pollution with subsequent costly compensation or clean-up operations caused by hose failure.

ERIKS UK has responded to the increasing legislation governing the use of industrial hoses by providing this new service, which will help minimise production downtimes and improve site safety.

The company’s experienced mobile testing teams are able to conduct a number of essential checks to detect any internal damage within a hose. The teams carry out visual external inspections for obvious signs of wear and abrasion, and then check the internal conditions of each hose, using the latest endoscopic camera technology. This system checks for partial blockages, deposits, internal tears and pop-corning defects that would otherwise go undetected. The teams also pressure check hoses with compressed air or with water to one and a half times greater than the rated application, to detect any leaks.

Once tests are completed, a condition rating is given to each hose: green (safe to use), amber (monitor and order new hose), or red (replace immediately). Test data is logged to an online asset register, which can form part of an overall plant maintenance service, allowing performance monitoring and trend predictions to be carried out. This data can help identify recurrent hose problems and pin-point investigations into the cause, allowing for ERIKS to help the customer solve faults as well as define a predictive maintenance programme.

Geoff Cox, General Manager, Hose Technology ERIKS UK, explained, “Our hose testing engineers are expert in their fields, with a minimum of 15 years of experience. This means they can thoroughly test all hoses and, if the customer requires, can also investigate the cause of hose problems and provide solutions to prevent recurrence. They can also replace hoses, implement regular maintenance and repeat testing programmes, taking much of the burden from our customers.”

As a major supplier of hoses and ancillary items with over 160 centres, ERIKS is ideally placed to offer a range of supply and maintenance services on industrial hoses to help meet the demands of both the MRO and OEM markets in manufacturing and delivery industry sectors.

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