If you don’t have the perfect air fitting for your hose, your hose isn’t going to work properly. If you are unfamiliar with air hoses in general, you might not have realized that there are different air fittings for different air hoses. Without the proper fitting, you’re risking issues with your air compressor. In fact, compressed-air system leaks can be costly. If a 1/8 inch diameter hole is in a 100 psi system, it can cost you more than $1,200 per year in wasted energy, so it is well worth the maintenance time to fix all sizeable leaks.
When it comes to choosing the right air fitting for your hose, you need to think about a few different things. First, you need to consider the style of the fitting. There are so many different styled fittings and couplers out there, and if you don’t choose the correct one, your machine isn’t going to work properly. It’s important to note that the same style plugs and coupler bodies have to go together. If they don’t, the air fittings aren’t going to fix securely. All of the plugs available in the United States are named with a specific letter. For example, an A-Style plug can only fit with an A-Style coupler. Typically, you can find A-Style, M-Style, and T-Style plugs available for purchase.
You also have to consider the maximum inlet pressure and the maximum temperature. The maximum inlet pressure is the greatest amount of pressure the air coupler or plug can withstand without breaking. The maximum temperature refers to how hot a coupler can get without damaging. Typically, the maximum temperature ratings for couplers are 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Thinking about the inlet pressure and the temperature, you also have to take a look at what kind of environment you’re going to be using your hose or compressed air piping in. If the environment that you’re working in has high pressures or extreme temperatures, you have to pick a fitting that will work properly with the surroundings.
One last thing you have to consider is the National Pipe Taper. The National Pipe Taper, or NPT, is the standardization system. Any air fittings that are cohesive with the NPT standard are going to have the same dimensional capability as any other air fitting out on the market. So, if you have an air fitting that you bought 15 years ago and want to know if it will work as well as a newer fitting, make sure both have the same dimension and NPT standard.
Finding the perfect air fitting may seem a bit intimidating. However, take a look at the tips listen above when choosing your air fitting to make sure you’re picking out the correct piece.