Tips for Hoses, Seals & Cores

In many cases, beginners often forget to connect the side of the hose with the core depressor to the Schrader core, which doesn’t allow them to get a good vacuum or have enough pressure for charging and recovery. Many techs also don’t know that you can adjust the depth of the core depressor on the hose by rotating it with a gasket remover tool or pulling it with needle-nose pliers.

Some built-in core depressors or removers have straight ridges, and others have angled ones (like threads). Both variations will typically work with rubber seals, but you may have to use different methods to adjust them. In this case, Bryan uses the gasket remover tool on the one with angled threads and needle-nose pliers on the one with straight ridges. Although core depressors are often built into tools, you can also use a separate core depressor in a T shape. You can rotate the end opposite the core to depress the core.

Some gasket remover tools, like the one in the video, come with multiple seals and a sharp, angled pick that allow you to replace the rubber seals easily. You simply use the pick to grab the rubber seal and wiggle it out. Then, you align the new seal and press it in. After that, you force the core depressor into place with the needle-nose pliers or the gasket remover tool. A core depressor that sticks too far out can cause losses through the hoses because it depresses the core before the seal is engaged, so you will need to make sure that the depth is sufficient. The core depressor should be in as far as possible so long as it’s still able to depress the core.

A Core Max core can’t be removed with a typical remover because it’s threaded in place. However, they have a great amount of internal volume and are great for pulling a vacuum. You just have to use a core depressor instead of a remover when working with Core Max cores.