Whether your lawn covers several acres or you need to manage a simple patio garden, garden hoses are essential outdoor equipment.
There are many uses for a garden hose, including watering grass and plants, rinsing out backyard toys, and washing your car. Visit your local hardware store or big box store and you’ll find a wide variety of garden hoses on the shelves. Take a moment to consider all the options in order to purchase the right garden hose for your watering needs.
Buy garden hoses in 3 steps
1.length
Garden hoses come in 25-foot increments, and typically run in total lengths of 25 to 100 feet. As the hose length increases, the water pressure decreases, so buy a hose long enough to use it and not to. If you occasionally need a long hose, buy two shorter hoses and combine them when needed. Shorter hoses are available for extensions to hard-to-reach plugs or for patio use.
2.Materials and Budget
All the garden hoses on the shelf look alike, and you’ll probably want to get the cheapest you can find. It’s a garden hose after all, it just needs to be sprayed with water. Unfortunately, not all garden hoses are created equal. Vinyl and vinyl reinforced hoses are inexpensive, lightweight and easy to handle. Rubber hoses and hoses reinforced with rubber are heavier and more durable. Reinforced hose can better withstand temperature changes and won’t kink or break. Another option is the extra flexible, lightweight, easy-to-storage plastic hose.
3.coupling
The hose is where the hose is attached. Your two main options are metal and plastic. Brass is more durable than plastic, but may be difficult for those with limited hand strength to screw it onto the socket. For easy hand-tightening, choose hoses with ergonomically shaped plastic fittings. Some hoses are reinforced near the coupling to prevent kinking at the faucet.
So those are the three things you should consider when you’re shopping for a garden hose.