How to Repair An Air Hose

Just when you expect it the least, POP!, your air hose springs a leak. Hopefully it doesn’t just blow apart and the end connected to the compressor whips at your legs like an angry cobra, but rather a small leak. Regardless of the situation, you still need to fix it. You could go out and buy a new hose, but if you are using a high-dollar air hose, that can get really expensive. Don’t fret, for about $5, you can repair an air hose yourself.

Supplies

You will need the following to properly repair a high-pressure (up to 120 psi) air hose:

• Threaded hose barb to match your hose
• Matching ferrule
• Crimper

We used a Mastercool manual hose crimper, which uses a series of dies to crimp hose fittings. You can use any hose crimping tool, and if you don’t want to buy one (they are incredibly handy), or check your local NAPA store and ask it they can crimp the hose for you.

How To Crimp An Air Hose

First, the hose is cut. Depending on what type of break it has- split, pinhole, etc, will determine how much you need to cut off. Make sure that you cut out all of the bad hose, or you are just looking a repeat.

Slide the ferrule over the hose all the way to the end. Then insert the barbed fitting all the way into the hose until the fitting is seated to end of the ferrule.

Next, open the crimping tool and load the dies for the correct hose size. Then place the hose end into the crimping dies and close the crimping tool.

Compress the crimping die tool to complete the crimp.

Now you have a freshly-terminated hose, ready for action. If the break occurred in the middle of the hose, you can install another fitting to create two shorter hoses. Remember to test your fittings by slowly increasing the air pressure and uses soapy water to look for bubbles. If you need any assistance repairing your hose, a visit to your local NAPA Auto Parts Store will get your fixed up.

Check out all the tools & equipment available on NAPA Online or trust one of our 17,000 NAPA AutoCare locations for routine maintenance and repairs. For more information on how to repair an air hose, chat with a knowledgeable expert at your local NAPA AUTO PARTS store.