Neat Tricks with New Garden Hoses

Worn out garden hoses and cheap garden hoses are the sources of more problems than most people realize. These are just a few of the issues you can resolve when you replace your old, worn-out garden hose with a new one that meets your needs.

Leaks at the Faucet

The biggest cause of water spraying and dribbling at the faucet connection is a poorly fitting garden hose fitting. The best garden hoses are made with solid brass garden hose fittings that won’t warp or bend when you accidentally step on them (of course, if you’re constantly stepping on your garden hose, you might look at the selection of garden hose reels available at a good garden supply site online). Garden hose fittings made with cheap metal alloys may not hold the thread pattern or may wear over time, so that your garden hose doesn’t connect right to the faucet. The end result is a lot of wasted water and a fair amount of frustration.

Kinky Hose

There are times when a little kinky might be good – but not when it the kink is in your garden hose while you’re trying to water the lawn. Cheap plastic and vinyl garden hoses are much more likely to fold, bend and kink when you’re trying to pull them straighter. Even worse, those kinks are far more likely to become permanent. If you’re trying to do your gardening and household tasks with a kinky garden hose, trade it in and invest in a new hose. The selection of garden hoses available these days includes coil garden hoses that store in very little space – and never kink – and reinforced garden hoses that resist kinks.

Split Hoses

Once a garden hose has kinked, it’s much more likely to spring a leak or worse, to just completely split. While you can repair it with duct tape – over and over again – it makes far more sense to replace it with one of the new top quality 1/2 inch garden hoses or 3/4 inch garden hoses that will withstand rough handling without splitting on you when you need them most.

Low Water Pressure

While garden hoses can’t solve all of your low water pressure problems, the diameter and length of your hose have a direct effect on the power of the water coming out of the business end of your nozzle. Every extra foot that water has to travel to get there reduces the amount of water pressure. If you’re using a hose that’s longer than you need to reach where you need to put the water, consider buying a shorter garden hose. Experts will tell you that if you sometimes need a longer hose, it’s better to buy two shorter garden hoses – one to use most of the time and a second one to extend its reach when you need it.

Garden hoses may not be on the top of your list of fun gardening accessories, but the right garden hose can make your gardening a lot more fun to do.