Why do my hoses clog, and how often do I need to clean them ?
The plastic hoses that are used contain small amounts of plasticizers so that they are easy to attach to the connecting pieces. The plasticizers cause bacteria to collect in biofilms on the insides of the hoses. These biofilms, in turn, can cause a reduction in output, depending how thick they are. The plasticizers decompose in the course of time, causing the hoses to become harder and less flexible, which is associated with a decrease in the development of biofilm.
At the beginning when they are new, cleaning intervals of around 6 weeks for the hoses are not uncommon. This applies, fully irrespective of the hoses used. Indeed, highly flexible hoses such as those sold in pet shops may even require shorter cleaning intervals over a longer period of time.
After a 3 to 5-month period of use, the problem will decrease significantly, but this will be at the expense of the flexibility of the hoses, which cannot be prevented for technical reasons. On page 8 of the Instructions for Use it says under Point 9: “Bacteria grow on the hoses which can hinder water flow significantly due to the slime they produce. Algae growth only occurs if there is a high incidence of light. The hoses should therefore be cleaned regularly with a cleaning brush (e.g. JBL Cleany). Simply rinsing with tap water is not enough."
On page 6 of the Instructions for Use, it also states: Cut the hoses as short as possible in order to avoid unnecessary kinks.”