Garden Hose Pipe Expandable Garden Hose with 3/4", 1/2" Fittings, Anti-Leakage - Flexible Expanding Hose with 8 Function Spray Nozzle by Homoze (50FT, Green) (Green)

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To keep yours in good condition, make sure you’re completely draining it of water after every use. Leaving water sitting inside can lead to a build-up of bacteria, which can degrade the hose’s inner lining. It's especially important to fully empty your hose and disconnect it from the spigot in the winter, especially when you’re expecting freezing temperatures. Water expands as it freezes, so a frozen hose full of ice could easily spring a leak. This article was written by Erica Puisis, who has years of experience researching and writing about the best products for indoor and outdoor living. To find the best options for garden hoses, she relied on first-hand product testing insights from The Spruce's Lab. The hoses were evaluated based on their usability, material, coupling, maneuverability, and value. Overall, this hose had the best combination of weight, flow rate, crush resistance, and ease of use. I feel confident recommending it as a multi-purpose hose that can fill a wide range of needs, both for homeowners, and for commercial use.

Just be careful how far you expand an expandable hose. As I mentioned earlier, they retract much like a rubber band: Vinyl vs Rubber HosesKM: Finding a hole in a hose doesn’t automatically mean it’s destined for the dumpster. Small (and even not-small) leaks can be easy to fix. If you’ve made a considerable investment on a high-end model, spending a little extra time on a repair is worth it. A 25-foot garden hose may be too short if your spigot is located more than 25 feet away from the area you intend to water. Homeowners with large yards should opt for at least a 50-foot garden hose, if not a 75- or 100-foot hose. How long will my garden hose last? You should also take care not to leave the hose out in direct sunlight, because hot water can expand in the hose and "UV rays can weaken the material," says McCoy. "Also, make sure to store it out of the elements during winter." Do you need a garden hose nozzle for your hose? To find the best garden hose for your needs, think about the size of the property and how much use and abuse the hose is likely to receive.

Finally, consider the weight of the hose you choose. As stated earlier, rubber hoses tend to be the heaviest. Generally weight and durability go hand in hand (with some exceptions), so look for a hose that you feel confident you'll be able to manage, yet will still give you years of use. Usage and durability. If you need a hose for occasional watering, you’re probably okay spending less on a light-duty hose. For regular sprinkling or watering of a large lawn, go with a heavy-duty hose. You can cover most small holes easily with a strip of electrical tape to reseal them. Wrap the tape around a few times to get a good seal, but try not to use so much that you create a trouble spot that will collapse or crimp. KM: A hose is often the tool used to perform maintenance on other things, so you might not think too much about taking care of the hose itself. But hoses need maintenance, too.

Garden hoses don't last forever. When you're in the market for a new one, these tips will help you make an informed purchase.

If you just need to water a few potted plants and raised beds, this type is designed for these purposes. In sum, it works well for small yards and patios because it takes less storage space. Its reasonably lightweight (about 2-4 pounds) allows you to coil and store on a hook in your garage easily. A flexible hose is easier to handle and less likely to kink or twist during use. If you want a flexible hose, look for an expandable garden hose or any hose that’s advertised as “kink-resistant” or “no-kink.” Couplings Material. With a few exceptions, garden hoses are made of rubber, vinyl or a combination of the two. Vinyl hoses cost less and weigh less, but they’re generally not as durable as rubber hoses. Rubber hoses are heavier and costlier, but are more durable and less prone to kinking than vinyl hoses. Hoses made of a combination of vinyl and rubber are a good mid-range solution — they cost less than rubber hoses but last longer than vinyl ones. Next, testers used the couplings to connect each hose to a water spigot—and again to a feeder hose—to evaluate whether the hose had a tight seal or if any leaking occurred. We then unwound the hoses all the way out from the reel and dragged them across different surfaces including grass, cement, and even a garden rake with its tines turned up, pivoting 180 degrees and maneuvering around three large pots in our testing area. During this portion of the testing, we took careful note of any punctures or signs of wear on the hose.

The most common lengths of garden hoses are 10, 25, 50, 75, and 100 feet. Yes, there are even longer lengths if you need it. Hose Material Diameter. According to Lowe’s, hoses range from 3/8- to 3/4-in. in diameter, with most being 5/8-inch. The bigger the diameter, the more water a hose can carry, but the hose will also be heavier. To compile this list of the best garden hoses across all different types, we tested 30 garden hoses in our Lab, evaluating them on design, ease of use, durability, and value. For expert advice on what to look for in a garden hose, we turned to Erin Schanen, creator of The Impatient Gardener, as well as Gary McCoy, store manager at Lowe's.If you need a garden hose for different tasks, consider a ⅝-inch model as well. Most attachment accessories like hand sprayers fit onto this size in the United States. Meanwhile, the ¾-inch hoses are designed for more professional uses like watering a large area such as public parks and gardens. Polyurethane: According to Schanen, polyurethane offers "a good blend of durability and weight savings and [is] less likely to kink." It's considered to be the most durable material out there, and it's lighter than rubber (but more costly, too). Soaker hoses are best for delivering water slowly and deliberately to the roots, but Schanen notes that they often need to be pinned down to stay in place. They can even be buried under a layer of mulch, according to McCoy, who says that "the hose leaks small amounts of water directly to your garden or flower bed's roots with little waste." Timers. For soaker hoses, sprinkler hoses and hoses with sprinkler head attachments, hose timers can be attached so you can water for a set period of time, including when you’re on vacation. Overall though, this is a great soaker hose that allows you to deliver water right to the roots of your vegetables, flowers, or shrubs without lugging a hose to and from storage.

If your worried about leaks forming in your 50 foot garden hose, the most common place for the hose to leak is around the spigot. This is often due to a loose or improper connection between the hose and spigot. Although this hose is ultra-lightweight and easy to use, we did not see a sharp decline in flow rate. This Tuff Guard hose has a flow rate of 9.2 gallons per minute, putting it just below the average flow rate (9.3) for a standard design 5/8″ 50 foot hose that we tested. One of the biggest benefits of using a rubber hose, including this hose, is flexibility. This hose is very easy to maneuver. It won’t wrestle against you as you work and move around the yard. Just remember with that flexibility can also come occasional kinking. Below is the raw testing data for the 50 foot hoses we tested for this article. We tested a total of 27 hoses. The 50 foot water hoses that we recommended at the top of the article are bolded in the table below. Hose In my opinion, this was the easiest hose I tested for screwing onto the spigot – notice it has a swivel grip for easy attaching (video below).Hoses are typically made of rubber, rubber hybrids, vinyl, or polyurethane. Rubber tends to be more flexible regardless of temperature, but it’s also the heaviest. Polyurethane and hybrids tend to be more kink resistant, and lighter. Vinyl, used for inexpensive hoses, is heavier, prone to kinking, and often has a strong coil “memory.” Polyurethane and hybrid hoses have less coil memory, and will lay flatter as temperatures rise, or if used in the sunlight. We will point out that this hose is not best for colder climates as it is only rated for above 35 degrees Fahrenheit, which is slightly higher than other hoses in this roundup. However, whether it was full of water or empty, this hose proved to be easy to handle, use, and store. Weather-resistance is another criterion. Some top hoses can withstand extreme weather from -20°C to 60°C, which means you don’t need to worry when the winter comes. The ability to withstand high water pressure is also desired.