Your garden hose is arguably one of the most important equipment in your arsenal.
Without it, it’s significantly more difficult to bring water to different parts of your lawn or garden.
Unfortunately, garden hoses are also prone to punctures and leaks.
If you don’t know how to repair a garden hose, there’s a good chance that you might spend several bucks to buy a new one.
Before you do that, you should at least first try to fix your old garden hose.
Allow us to teach you how you can repair it.
How to Repair a Garden Hose
There’s no one-method-solves-all when it comes to fixing a garden hose.
The solution you need almost always depends on how severe the damage is.
Here are the most common garden hose damages and what you can do to repair them:
Small Leaks
It’s almost impossible to see small leaks unless you connect the hose to a faucet and turn the water on.
It is when you’ll see geyser-like streams of water shoot out of the hose. Thankfully, leaks like these are rather easy to repair.
In most cases, all you need is electrical tape. However, make sure that it’s made out of PVC backing and that the adhesive used is rubber-based.
Upon seeing where the leak is, press your thumb onto it and turn the water off.
Wipe the area where the leak is until it’s dry and mark it with a marker.
Wrap the electrical tape around the leak and ensure that the tape overlaps several times.
You may want to cover the sides as well just to be sure.
Nonetheless, make sure that you don’t crease the hose from wrapping it too tight.
It might affect the water flow and even worsen the damage.
Large Tears
Large tears are often caused by snagging the hose to a tree or a branch in a bush.
It may also be caused by constant exposure to extreme and varying weather.
An electrical tape may not be enough for leaks as big as this.
What you need is a hose mender. It is basically a tool that’s made specifically for repairing garden hoses.
Once you know where the leak is, turn the water off and disconnect the hose from the faucet.
Find the tear and cut the entire section off. You can use a cutter, garden shears, or scissors to do this.
Just be sure it’s sharp enough that you don’t injure yourself.
When cutting the torn section, it’s best to cut it about half an inch from each end of the tear. Make sure that you cut it as clean as you can.
After doing so:
- Attach the two sections of the hose to each end of the hose mender.
- Once they’re secure, twist the collars of the hose mender to tighten them.
- Connect the garden hose to the water source again and turn it on to ensure that the hose mender isn’t leaking.
Leaky Coupling
In some cases, the leak from your garden hose would not come from punctures or tears but actually from the connectors themselves.
These couplings are the plastic or metal fittings on each end of the garden hose. They connect the hose to the faucet or nozzle.
These couplings usually come with rubber gaskets that prevent water from pouring out.
However, they will inevitably get damaged through natural wear and tear. That’s why it’s a good habit to replace them regularly.
If you see that the connector is leaking, turn the water off and disconnect it from the nozzle or faucet.
Use needle-nose pliers to remove the gasket from the connector. Grab a new gasket and push it into the coupling.
If you don’t have a new gasket yet, make sure that you get one that’s thicker than the one you just pulled out from the connector.
Thicker gaskets usually translate to a better seal, preventing water from escaping the coupling.
How to Maintain Your Garden Hose
If you don’t ever want to go through the entire process of repairing your garden hose, you should know how to maintain it properly.
Taking care of your garden hose is the only guarantee that it lasts for years.
Here’s how you can do that:
Avoid Sunlight
Exposing your garden hose to direct sunlight for a few hours every day can compromise its quality.
After using your garden hose, roll it properly and store it in the shade.
Drain
Ensure that you drain the water out from the hose, especially if it’s getting close to winter.
The winter season can freeze the water inside the hose and cause severe damage.
Nonetheless, even if it’s a sunny day, you should still drain the water.
Water left inside the garden hose will leave built-up pressure and stretch out that specific part of the hose.
As such, it becomes weaker than the rest of the hose, leading to leaks and other problems.
Don’t Drag by the Nozzle
If you ever need to extend the garden hose or roll it back, make sure not to drag it by the nozzle.
It can weaken the connection between the nozzle and the hose, leading to leaky couplings.
What you can do instead is to gently pull the hose from the hose itself, leaving the nozzle free from pressure.
Hose Reel
You may also want to invest in a garden hose reel. It makes it significantly easier to coil the hose back, and it also functions as a storage tool.
However, when you feel resistance from the hose, be sure not to force the reel, as this might mean the hose is stuck somewhere.
Forcing the reel might lead to punctures and leaks.
Keeping Your Garden Hose in Good Condition
Garden hoses are an indispensable tool for gardening and lawn maintenance.
That’s why you should always know how to take care of them properly.
On the other hand, if you encounter leaks and tears, make sure you also know how to repair a garden hose.
It is the only guarantee that no hose-related problem will interrupt your garden maintenance.