How to remove stuck AC barrier hose without damaging barb fittings?

Question

I'm trying to remove 23-year-old AC barrier hose from aluminum line so I can replace them. I split the crimped ferrules and removed them. The hoses are stuck on. I'm sure they've permanently deformed to fit tightly around the barbs. I can rotate them but can't pull them off the barb fittings on the aluminum line.

I tried cutting a slit in the hoses but I'm having trouble cutting all the way through with a knife, and I don't want to use anything more powerful since I could damage the fittings and prevent a good seal.

I considered putting a torch to the aluminum to get the hoses to melt a bit, but I don't want get the aluminum covered in gunk I can't remove.

Any suggestions?

Answer 1

Can you cut more? Rotate around, and make more slids? Also, cut from the other side. Basically destroy the hose you don't want, and clean off the one you want to save.

Answer 2

I use a cutoff tool like the one pictured below, gently so as not to go too far. A lot of your AC hoses are going to have metal reinforcements inside so it's difficult to cut with anything less than this. You can cut the hose off close to but below where the aluminum fitting ends so you can see a cross section and better tell how deep you can go.

Available here

Answer 3

Here is how I ended up getting them off:

I used a PVC pipe cutter to cut the hose just past the end of the barb fitting. Next I used a razor to cut slits directly into the end of the freshly cut hose. By starting cuts there, I was able to split the nylon liner and peel it back without having to cut into the liner over the barbs and risk scratching them. I did have to slice into the braided reinforcement a bit so that it would tear as I peeled the nylon liner apart from the barb fitting.

Applying some heat with a heat gun seemed to help the nylon peel apart but wasn't necessary.