Air Compressor Hose

Air Hose Fittings

Having been in a garage or a shop before, you already know what an air hose is, and you even know what they are used for.  In short for those who don’t, air compressors are used to compress air that subsequently powers tools and devices.  These tools and accessories can range from anything from a tire chuck for airing up tires to very powerful pneumatic tools and wrenches.  Regardless of the accessories, they all have something in common; they need air hose fittings in order to connect to the hose.

The number of different types of air hose fittings that are manufactured and marketed is just amazing.  While air hose fittings are but a small part of the entire air hose assembly, they are indeed a very integral part.  The quality of your fittings can have a major impact on your experience when working with compressed air.

A bad air hose fitting can cause air leaks, causing you to not be able to get all of your air flow that you need.  If one fails, your hose can go flailing across the floor, possibly causing injury.  So, it’s an area you should really take in to careful consideration before you make a purchase.

You will find air hose fittings offered in a wide variety of sizes.  The most common sizes for home use are 1/4” and 3/8”.  A traditional quick connect coupler is the most popular type to purchase.  These quick connect couplers work by allowing one end to have a male connection and the other a female connection.  Usually the hose end where a tool connects is the female end. 

When you stick a male fitting into the female air hose fitting you have to lock it in by pulling back an outer metal guard on the female fitting.  Once it’s fully inserted, an internal spring mechanism, combined with the air pressure inherently made available from the air compressor cause the air hose fitting to remain installed under tension, thus helping to remove the possibility of leaking air.

The end that screws on to the actual hose or air tool uses a thread type known as NPT.  NPT is a standard for pipe threads.  They are distinguishable by looking at the male pipe thread (MPT) and noticing how it tapers to be progressively larger the deeper in the thread you go.  This helps to prevent potential leaks from occurring.  Even with these threads though, it’s still recommended that you use pipe thread tape as well.

Air hose fittings can be found made of many different materials.  Brass and copper are one of the most popular, but you will also find them in aluminum and stainless steel.  It is recommended, however, that you try to avoid ferrous metals, as they can rust and destroy the fitting.  If you have rust on a fitting, it will cause it to leak air, and possibly fail.

Other types of the air hose fitting include just basic barbed type fittings.  These are used when your hose either needs to be mended back together, or doesn’t have a factory installed NPT fitting on the end of it.