While tightening a hose clamp after changing the engine's impeller I heard a single, and distinct, click. At first I thought is was the screw slipping. Suspicious I pulled the clamp off and inspected it. As the picture shows, it was the band breaking that made the sound.
This is the second broken hose clamp I saw this week. The first was from a PSS packing gland. It had been in place and untouched for eight years. This failure is scarier because it means that hose clamps, even if not tensioned farther, have a definite service life. For a PSS, it's less than eight years. I wonder how long it is for the hose clamps that are installed on the through hulls?
Dave Howell, on the hard aboard Nellie D. 37VT63, Port Charlotte, FL.
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