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Repairing Your Garden Hose
by Ron Williams
Description: How to repair your garden hose.
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With the old familiar variety of garden hoses
as well as black Poly irrigation systems, there
are two major problems that occur along the
length of the hose or pipe, one is cracking
and/or splitting of the hose/pipe and the
second problem is the familiar kinking of the
hose/pipe. So what can you do about it besides
going out and buying a new hose or roll of poly'
pipe? Well there is at least one repair method
that should help with either problem. Without
the cost and problems of putting expensive
joiners into your watering system.
SPLIT HOSES/PIPES
What do you do once your garden hose or
irrigation pipe has developed a crack or split
after your son has mowed over it or you've
managed to drive over it once too often.
With either type of system, you could cut out
the section of the damaged hose or pipe and
put in a joiner, but sometimes this is impractical
or impossible. Then why not look at repairing it
instead of replacing it. Use the same method as
you would for a kinked hose. Which is listed
below.
KINKING HOSES/PIPES
Once a garden hose or irrigation pipe has
jack-knifed back on itself at a particular spot, it
will continue to do so for the life of the hose/pipe.
This is because it has become weakened at that
point. Again you have the option to cut out the
weakened area and join the remaining parts of the
hose. Or you will have to look at repairing the
weakened area to stop it kinking in future, you can
do this by bracing the weakened area/s by the
following method.
What you will need to repair split/kinked hoses or
irrigation pipes:
1. Excess section of garden hose or irrigation pipe
2. A Sharp knife or blade
3. Container of hot water
Measure and cut off a small section of hose/pipe,
approximately three inches long, or as long as is
needed to cover over the weakened or broken area.
Cut this section down its length on one side only.
Soften the hose or pipe section in hot water. Open it
up and wrap this like a bandage around the
weakened section of hose/pipe.
This acts like a splint over the weak area,
strengthening it so that at that point it will not kink or
fountain out water anymore.
If you are repairing a split area of the hose you may
have to look at sealing the hose with something like
a silicon sealant. But you will find that simply putting
the hose splint will greatly reduce and/or stop the
leak.
The hose or pipe splint will not move off of the
weakened or split area because it rehardens fairly
quickly as it cools, this tightens its grip over the
weak part of your hose/pipe.
Repeat this procedure for other areas that are split
or are prone to kink of the garden hose or irrigation
pipe that you are using.
So if that garden hose or irrigation system of yours
is split in one or more places or is kinking all the
time, and it is frustrating you no end, then do
something other than throwing it out. Either repair it
or at least keep the old hose or pipe to repair your
future watering systems.
Ron Williams is a Freelance writer,a
Horticulturist and a Rehab' Therapy Aid at a
Psychiatric Hospital in Brisbane, Queensland,
Australia.
Reader comment: To repair a garden hose, all you have to do is get inexpensive
connectors or couplers. Cut the bad piece out, put the connector or
coupler on, tighten the screws, & your hose is like new again. Tell any
clerk what you want to do with your hose & he or she will give you
correct parts...John
