Why Choose Stainless Steel Flexible Bellow Hose

Bellows, or expansion joints, are much more flexible than flexible connectors. Bellows are designed to absorb pipe expansion. The corrugations are larger and therefore able to compress more. They are generally better able to handle lateral movement as well, so they can better tolerate pipe misalignment. Because they are more flexible, they can provide expansion absorption and vibration isolation in a shorter length than a flexible connector. A typical bellows section is 12″ long. This can be a major benefit when the silencer must be set low, as in installations where the generator room does not have much headroom above the engine.

Bellows come in single-ply and dual-ply versions, referring to the number of layers of steel forming the bellows. Dual ply bellows (constructed of two thinner layers of steel) are more flexible than single-ply, can absorb more expansion (typically 3″ vs. 1.5″ deflection) and vibration, and will have better durability than a single-ply bellow. Although dual-ply bellows carry a higher cost, they are my preferred selection for generator exhaust piping.