How To Repair A Garden Hose Duct Tape

Garden Hose Repair: 4 Fast (and Frugal) Fixes

Repair rather than replace your near essential backyard care accessory with these quick and piece of cake techniques.

Photo: istockphoto.com

When intact, your garden hose is a trusty tool for hydrating your lawn, rinsing debris from your deck, and just about every exterior task requiring water. But a bent, torn, or otherwise leaky hose wastes water and makes outdoor chores more than difficult. Plus, you lot frequently only discover there's a trouble after you've started a job when running out to buy a new hose is darned inconvenient. Fortunately, it's fairly piece of cake to extend its life by repairing a garden hose with the smart (and cheap!) DIY fixes nosotros've assembled here. Read on to learn more about garden hose repair.

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one. Seal small holes with electrical tape.

Pesky pinholes are often only visible to the heart when y'all connect the h2o and spot minor, geyser-similar spurts of water from the punctured section of the hose. Such small leaks can straight water abroad from the lawn or plants you're aiming for—not to mention squirt you in the eye! Electrical tape, usually made of a PVC bankroll and a condom-based adhesive, has the elasticity, insulation, and conditions resistance needed to effectively plug these holes, but you lot may eventually need a hose mender (encounter below) if leaks persist.

Plow off the water, disconnect the hose, and wipe it dry out with a rag. Mark the punctured section with a marking, then wrap electrical tape around the marked department, overlapping a few times to ensure good adherence. Take care non to wrap so tightly that the hose creases, as this might impede water menstruum. Reconnect the hose to the spigot or a spray nozzle and turn on the water to verify that you've solved the problem.

Photo: istockphoto.com

two. Repair large tears with a hose mender.

Larger tears in a hose often result from snagging on a tree or bush-league, corking with exposure to farthermost heat or cold, or chewing by a naughty pet. H2o will gush from such tears when you lot plow on the tap, but a hose mender—a short plastic or metal tube that replaces the damaged section, available (e.g., Nelson Compression Fit Hose Mender on Amazon)—tin come up to the rescue.

Turn off the water, disconnect the hose, and remove the torn section with a hose cutter or garden shears. Attach the cut ends of the hose to the connectors of the hose mender, twisting the ii collars on the mender clockwise to tighten. Reconnect the hose to the spigot or a nozzle and plough on the water to verify there are no leaks.

3. Gear up a leaky coupling with a new hose gasket.

One of the peskiest garden hose problems is a leak in the coupling: the metal or plastic fitting establish on both ends of a hose used to connect the hose to the spigot, a nozzle, or a sprinkler. If you spot a steady drip coming from the hose couplings when you lot connect it to a source, the gasket may demand to be replaced. Gaskets naturally wear with fourth dimension and water exposure, so plan to switch out your hose gaskets every three to 10 years.

Plough off the h2o, disconnect the leaky hose end, and use needle-nose pliers to pull out the existing gasket inside the coupling on that hose end. Use your fingers to button the new gasket within the hose coupling. Mostly, the thicker O-ring gaskets (east.yard., Nelson O-ring, available on Amazon), the more watertight the seal; flat gaskets don't mold to the contours of the coupling quite every bit well. Reconnect the hose to a spigot or nozzle and turn on the h2o to ensure the coupling no longer leaks.

Photograph: istockphoto.com

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4. Supercede a bent coupling with a new hose coupling.

If the coupling on either end of the hose continues to leak after a gasket replacement, the coupling may have gotten physically misshapen by a run-in with a lawn mower or other piece of heavy equipment. A bent coupling loses the watertight seal between the hose and a spigot, nozzle, or sprinkler, causing a leak.

Replacing a bent coupling with a new ane that suits your needs will provide a permanent solution for the leak. There are two types of couplings: female person (eastward.k., Nelson Female Hose Repair, available on Amazon) connects to the spigot and male (e.thou., Nelson Male Hose Repair, available on Amazon) connects to a nozzle or sprinkler. Also exist sure to cull a coupling with the aforementioned diameter every bit that of your hose (e.thousand., 5/8-inch coupling for a 5/eight-inch-bore hose). Both the coupling type and bore volition be stated on the packaging.

Plow off the water, disconnect the hose, and remove the entire bent coupling with a hose cutter. Push the exposed end of the hose into the connector of the coupling, then twist the collar of the coupling clockwise to tighten it. Connect the hose to a spigot or nozzle and turn on the water to ensure the coupling doesn't leak.

Photo: istockphoto.com

Safeguard your hose to avoid future damage.

Use these tips to stave off futurity impairment to your garden hose and ensure leak-complimentary lawn maintenance:

• Avert leaving a hose outside in extreme heat or common cold. Existing creases in a hose tin can progress into cracks with exposure to high heat or if cold water inside the hose freezes. A cool, dry environment like the garage is all-time for hose storage.
• Lightly coil and store your hose on a hose cart (e.g., Ironton Hose Reel Cart, available on Amazon) when not in utilise to keep information technology kink-gratuitous (creases tin somewhen lead to tears). A hose cart volition likewise make it easier to transport your hose to and from the garage or shed to the backyard without the hose snagging on trees or bushes, equipment, and other abrupt objects or abrasive surfaces that can cause holes or tears in information technology.
• Drain any remaining water in a hose after a watering session by spraying it out with a nozzle and and then lifting and gently shaking the hose with the hose end facing down to remove whatever leftover water. Continuing water can conditions the gaskets within the hose and reduce the integrity of their seal over fourth dimension.

If you must supervene upon your hose, cull ane made of prophylactic instead of vinyl. Rubber hoses tend to be more than resistant to temperature changes and are less likely to fissure over time than vinyl equivalents.

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Source: https://www.bobvila.com/articles/repairing-a-garden-hose/

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