Summer Review: How to Take Care of your Garden Hose

We’re well into gardening season throughout most of the United States. How is your garden hose holding up? If you’ve been following the best practices for taking care of your hose, chances are it’s in pretty good shape. If you end up replacing your gardening hose more often than every five years or so, you’re spending too much money. These tips can help you take care of your garden hose to prolong its life and save yourself some money.
Buy a High Quality Hose from the Start
A better quality garden hose will stand up to the rigors of daily use far better than a cheap, thin hose. Expect to pay $30 to $50 for a good hose for your gardening and outdoor work. In addition to lasing longer, it will perform better than a cheaper hose. Choose one with solid brass fitting that won’t crush out of shape if you step on it or a car runs over it.
Choose the Right Size Garden Hose
The best size hose for most gardening needs is either a 1/2 inch garden hose or a 3/4 inch garden hose, both of which will deliver water at good pressure and flow without overpowering your plants with high pressure. As far as length goes, choose a garden hose that’s long enough to reach where you need to go but not so long that you end up with lots of extra length that can fold, kink and trip you up.
Drain Your Hose Every Time You Use It
Excess water inside the garden hose contributes to decay, corrosion and bacterial growth. One of the easiest ways to drain the hose is to coil it over your shoulder and let water drain as you roll it.
Get It Out of the Sun
Obviously, you’ll be using your garden hose in the sun, but don’t leave it sitting out in the sun when it’s not in use. UV rays weaken the material and make your hose more prone to damage. After use, get your hose out of the sun and store it in a shady, cool area if possible.
Coil Your Hose After Each Use
The easiest way to store your hose out of the sun is to roll it up on a garden hose reel after each use. Garden hose reels offer other benefits as well: they’ll keep your hose off the ground where it can be damaged (or trip you up) and look a lot neater. You can even choose garden hose reels on wheels that you can easily move to wherever you need.

How to Diagnose and Fix Common Garden Hose Problems

How is a garden hose like a chair? They’re both simple, everyday items that we use every day – and that we simply expect to work. When they don’t work right – when your chair wobbles or your garden hose leaks at the faucet – most people simply resign themselves to living with it. When they fail more dramatically – such as when your chair collapses when you sit or your garden hose bursts in the middle of use – few people attempt a repair. Instead, they throw out the offending item and replace it with a new one. We don’t know a lot about chairs, but we do have some suggestions for dealing with common water hose problems.
My Hose Leaks At The Faucet Connection.
Check the connector on the hose first. Many cheaper garden hoses use plastic or soft metal garden hose fittings that can warp out of shape or strip when they’re tightened down. Plastic garden hose fittings are also prone to cracking – sometimes even invisibly. The best prevention for this is to make sure you buy a high-quality hose with solid brass fittings. If the fitting is warped or cracked or the threads are stripped, you can either replace the hose with a new one, or replace the fitting. Many places that sell garden hoses also sell garden hose fittings and repair kits. The repair is a fairly simple one. You just cut off the old fitting, making sure you have a clean edge, and follow the instructions to attach a new one.
If the garden hose fitting looks fine, the problem may be a worn washer. You can find replacement washers for garden hoses at your local hardware store or many websites.
My Garden Hose Has a Split in the Body
The simplest way to repair a split, hole or cut in your garden hose is to remove the damaged section. You’ll need an inexpensive hose connector and a sharp razor knife. Just cut out the damaged section, making the cuts as clean as possible. Slide both ends of the garden hose into the connector and tighten the screws.
My Garden Hose Kinks in All the Wrong Places
Of course, there’s never a right place for your hose to kink. The problem with most hoses is that a kink or bend often becomes a permanent crease, which means that the hose is likely to kink in the same spot again and again.  You can strengthen it by applying a “splint” made from a short length of hose. Slice the splint lengthwise on one side. Soften it in hot water until you can open it up. Wrap it around the section of hose that kinks. When it cools it will harden again, and reinforce your garden hose at the weak spot to prevent it from bending.