In 1921, Royal Navy Commander Lumley Robinson invented the hose clamp. Since then a lot has changed in the hose clamp world. If you are working on a car or plumbing project, you have a number of hose clamp types to choose from. Getting the right hose clamp for your job can make a real difference in how your project turns out. In order to be able to pick the right hose clamp, you need to learn a little about the hose clamps types that you can use.
- Wire clamps: A heavy piece of metal (again, these are most often made from stainless steel) is bent into the shape of a ring and then it is folded. Each end of the strip has holed drilled into them. A nut is put on one side and a screw on the other. When the screw and the nut are put together and the screw is tightened, the hose clamp is closed on the tube or the hose. These are heavy duty hose clamps.
- Screw clamps: These hose clamp types go by several names. They can also be called “gear clamps” or “worm gear clamps.” These are most often used in plumbing. When they are made in the Unites States, the most common screw clamp material is stainless steel. Basically, there is a band of the metal that has been banded with a patters that resembles a screw. One end of the band has a screw affixed to it. When the screw is tightened, it closes down around the pipe or the tube. These hose clamp types are also used a lot when power needs to be transmitted (not large amounts).
- Ear clamps: These are basically a band of metal, most often this is stainless steel, that has been shaped into the shape you need and then closed off with pieces that are called ears. If you are going to use ear clamps for your project, you will also need to get ear clamp pliers to affix this kind of clamp to your object. Because the metal is permanently changed to your shape, these types of hose clamps offer a tamper resistant feature that is not found in some other hose clamp types. If you need that or are looking for a ore narrow clamp, this may be the right kind of clamp for you
- Spring clamps: These are not made from stainless steel. These hose clamp types are made from a “spring steel,” this is also called a “medium carbon steel.” You can get your item to get back to the original shape. Because of this flexibility, these are the kinds of hose clamps that are used most often in cars and trucks. They are great when hoses that are subjected to high pressures.
Once you have found the perfect hose clamp for your job, it is important to get a good quality clamp. This is important to maintain the integrity of the seal. When you use a hose clamp that is not a top quality product, you can have issues from leaks. Sometimes, different hose clamp types are used in the place of duct tape or even zip ties. Their versatility is one of the reasons they are so often used to make a seal around a hose or a tube.
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