How to Choose a Garden Hose

Choosing a Water Hose

Everyone needs at least one water hose. Whether you are watering your lawn or flowerbeds, washing your car or rinsing your trash cans, a good quality hose will provide you with years of service.

Here are some hose selection tips:

• To determine the length of hose you need, consider the furthest point from your outdoor faucet where you will expect the hose to reach, then factor in a foot or two of slack.
• A rubber hose will last longer than most PVC (polyvinyl chloride) hoses. Rubber, however, is heavier and will cost more. Many hoses are made from a combination of these two materials. Look for a hose with several layers – or plies – of material. The higher the number of plies, the stronger the hose will be.
• Look for a flexible hose – one that easily forms a loop or u-shape. Rubber hoses tend to be more flexible, especially when the weather gets cool.
• Hoses come in different diameters: the larger the diameter, the more water the hose will deliver.
• A higher quality hose will have brass fittings, not plastic.

Replacing a Hose Coupling

If you damage a garden hose coupling - maybe you drove over it and bent it - you can easily repair it in just a few minutes. Here are the three simple steps:

• Purchase a replacement coupling that matches the one that was damaged (there are male and female couplings – the female coupling is the one attached to your water faucet).
• Snip or cut the damaged coupling off the hose along with about an inch or two of the hose.
• Fit the new coupling into the hole at the end of the hose and tighten the clamp to make it leak-proof. The clamp may be plastic with tiny screws you tighten to bring the ends firmly together; or it may be brass, which you tighten by pinching the ends together with a pliers. Directions will be on the package.

Your hose will be good as new, and you can take pride in repairing a problem and saving the money you would have spent on a new hose.