Manual vacuum hose repairs - what do you use to plug leaks>

[Gary Davis]

From hanging over the sharp deck, two of my three 30-foot 1-1/2-inch-wide corrugated vacuum hoses developed a pinhole leak, which I'd like to know how most of you repair them.

To find the leaks, I hooked up a dirty-water pump to pressurize the hose with water.

That simple pressurization process pinpointed the leaks by spraying out water.

What I did as an emergency measure was tightly wrap the hose in a bicycle tire tube rubber strip.

But that's only a temporary emergency vacuum hose repair... which works (as shown below) but which won't hold up over time.

What do most of you use to permanently repair pinpoint holes in your 1-1/2 inch vacuum hoses?

 

[Mdragger88]

I don’t know about permanent but gorilla tape may do the trick. Especially since it doesn’t stay submerged.
The other option is to cut it and move the cuff up. Not sure if that will still be long enough to work for you.

 

[Gary Davis]

I don’t know about permanent but gorilla tape may do the trick. Especially since it doesn’t stay submerged.

I'm familiar with "Gorilla Glue" but not "Gorilla Tape", which I will google to see what it is.
<Reviews for Gorilla 10 ft. Waterproof Patch and Seal Tape Black | Pg 1 - The Home Depot>
Looks like I can pick it up at Home Depot. Thanks.

The other option is to cut it and move the cuff up. Not sure if that will still be long enough to work for you.

I wasn't aware the cuff could be moved. In one hose the pinprick hole is in the middle but in the pictured hose, it's very near the end.
Is it easy to remove the cuff and replace it?

Does it spin on and off? Glue? What?

 

[Mdragger88]

Some have adhesive inside the cuff so you may need to abandon it & get a replacement cuff Like this if you can’t get it out:
U.S. Pool Supply 1-1/2" Pool Hose Cuff, Swimming Pool Replacement Cuff for Spiral-Wound Vacuum Hoses - Threaded Cuff, Durable ABS Plastic, Repair Cracked Hose Ends - Connect Vacuum Head, Skimmer Inlet
https://a.co/d/hgHGMv7
Some pool stores may carry them.

They are generally threaded on - I know with household vacuum cleaner hoses on units I am refurbishing I have often been able to salvage the cuff by heating up the connection making the adhesive more pliable then carefully chipping out the old hose.
You’ll want to use some silicone on each piece before putting it back together since its a water tight application.

 

[Gary Davis]

Some have adhesive inside the cuff so you may need to abandon it & get a replacement cuff Like this if you can’t get it out:
U.S. Pool Supply 1-1/2" Pool Hose Cuff, Swimming Pool Replacement Cuff for Spiral-Wound Vacuum Hoses - Threaded Cuff, Durable ABS Plastic, Repair Cracked Hose Ends - Connect Vacuum Head, Skimmer Inlet
https://a.co/d/hgHGMv7
Some pool stores may carry them.

They are generally threaded on - I know with household vacuum cleaner hoses on units I am refurbishing I have often been able to salvage the cuff by heating up the connection making the adhesive more pliable then carefully chipping out the old hose.
You’ll want to use some silicone on each piece before putting it back together since its a water tight application.

Thanks for that advice (and pointer to a threaded 1-1/2" spiral hose cuff).

• I had an old hose which I pulled the cuff off of.
• There are no threads unfortunately. I think it may have been glued on, but there's no evidence of glue.

Still, I appreciate the suggestion as for one hose (with the pinhole near the end), I'll cut the hose and move the cuff - but I still need to "repair" the other hose as it's nearer to the middle.

 

[Gary Davis]

Repaired the second leak using the tape.

First I located the leak and let the hose dry after marking the location of the pinhole leak.

Then I wrapped the thick tape around the hose, where the tape is much thicker than electrical tape.

Since the tape isn't all that sticky (instructions say to put it on upside down, sticky side UP), the third step was to temporarily wrap the tape with a "clamp" of the old bicycle tube strip (to hold the not-all-that-sticky thick tape down).

Time will tell if it holds up under vacuum and/or pressure (both of which it needs to withstand).

 

[Mdragger88]

Fingers crossed !