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WHY IS MIG GAS
HOSE A WASTEFUL ¼ INCH ID?
Hint, it’s not
for the Nonexistent Pressure Drop! |
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 Why
is most MIG gas delivery hose ¼ inch ID? This large size causes excess
gas to be stored in the hose when welding stops and wasted every time
welding starts. Fabricators find it causes from 30 to over 60% wasted
gas!
Is this large
hose size needed to handle pressure drop? No! The typical 35 CFH
shielding gas flow rate creates very little pressure drop.
A 100 foot ¼ inch ID hose, operating with
pressures needed to flow 35 CFH, has a pressure drop of less than 1 psi!
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If it is not to
handle the nonexistent pressure drop then why is
typical MIG
gas delivery hose ¼ inch ID? MIG welding was developed in the 1950’s by
 two
of the dominant US industrial gas producers. Working at the Welding R&D Lab
by one of these companies, a Division of Union Carbide Corporation, it was
located with our equipment factory.
Our major equipment product line manufactured at the time MIG
was introduced was Oxyfuel Welding and Cutting apparatus. The flow rate of Oxygen required
when cutting is quite high. It can use 250 CFH and higher flow. At a 50
psi regulator pressure setting 250 CFH will produce an
11 psi pressure drop in a 100 foot ¼ inch ID hose versus the less than 1 psi
at 35 CFH flow used for MIG welding. (Note the pressure drop at
35 CFH will be under 1 psi either at 50 psi or 5 psi hose pressure.)
The highest volume gas hose
used in the factory was ¼ inch ID which
easily handled the pressure drop for the largest sales volume Oxyfuel hose lengths,
25 feet. Fitting this size hose was automated.
When the
Compressed Gas Association (CGA) committee developed gas hose fitting specifications
they designed them for various size hoses. The inlet end of these
fittings can handle hoses up to 3/8 inch ID. Using CGA designs, ¼ inch
inert gas fittings are relatively easy to make. Production can start with
heavy wall tubing, making drilling the gas passage hole quick and economical. A minimum
amount of material is required to be removed with this design approach.
Functional hose clamps are also readily available for ¼ inch hose fitted to
a hose barb. Therefore
1/4 inch hose, hose fittings
and hose clamps were readily
available and lowest in cost! Production economics is the reason MIG gas
delivery hose was ¼ inch ID and that is what is mostly used today!
It's Simple, "Follow The Money!" |
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SMALLER MIG
GAS HOSE SYSTEM CUTS WASTE 80%
 By using a small ID gas delivery hose
with an integral surge flow control orifice, our
patented Gas Saver System (GSSTM),
gas waste caused by weld start surge is reduced 80+ %
(See Why.) An 1/8 inch MIG gas hose 50 feet
long will flow more than sufficient gas with flowgauge regulators, typical
pipeline pressures and most flowmeters. Even longer lengths are
possible with typical pipeline pressures. |
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DIFFICULTIES
OVERCOME TO USE 1/8 INCH ID HOSE WITH THE GSS
 The
patented
GSS employs unique components allowing it to utilize
1/8 inch ID gas hose for MIG welding. To handle the rugged environment
the custom extruded hose has a very heavy wall. It is also fiber
reinforced so it will not wear through even when dragged on the shop floor.
The large OD to ID ratio prevents the gas from being blocked even when the
hose is stepped on. However this heavy wall thickness
 does
not allow it to expand over normal 1/8 inch CGA
hose barb fittings. The hose barb must be of
a smaller OD
to allow it to be inserted into the gas hose. In addition, the CGA fittings
can not
be made from large heavy wall ID brass tubing as can ¼ inch hose fittings. This makes them more difficult
and costly to manufacture. The cost is more than twice the more common ¼
inch hose barb fittings. The accompanying photos provide a comparison
between these two CGA hose barb sizes. Note the long hose barb shown in the provides an excellent gas light seal.
Standard hose
clamp designs that work well on ¼ inch ID hose do not
 function adequately on
the heavy wall GSS hose. A
special constant tension spring hose clamp custom fit to the hose OD is
used, similar to that employed for automotive fuel systems.
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BOTTOM LINE
There is no need
to use large ¼ inch ID gas delivery hose when MIG welding and thus creating
shielding gas waste and making inferior welds starts. Our patented
GSS:
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Uses a custom
extruded small ID/large OD gas hose that reduces gas surge and waste by
80%. |
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Includes an
integral surge orifice limiting gas surge velocity at the weld start to a
level that prevents air aspiration into the gas stream. This surge
limiting orifice does not control steady state flow, welders still have
control of flow rate. Welders
see it as a benefit not as a constraining irritant.
If you want to limit their flow control adjustment range see our
separate Flow Rate Limiter Device. |
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Provides
sufficient amount of extra gas at the weld start to quickly purge the
torch nozzle and weld start area of moisture laden air. |
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Maintains
pressures designed into gas delivery systems to retain
Automatic Flow
Compensation. |
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Has no moving
parts to wear or knobs to adjust. There is nothing for a welder to
do differently and the only observation they will make is reduced start
surge gas flow making starts better!
(We have measured over 250 CFH peak flow with 1/4 inch ID hose systems!) |
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Depending on
length, the cost of our GSS may be similar in price to conventional heavy
duty gas delivery hose while providing savings of $1000/year/welder ! See
Payback Details |
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PURCHASE PRODUCT-- DETAILS |
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One Page Summary
of Gas Saver System
PayBack Averages Less Than
2 Months even at $2.00/100CF gas cost- CLICK
HERE FOR CALCULATION |
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See detailed Information about the
Gas Saver System and a 4 page Bulletin you can download as a PDF. |
