WHEN buying garden hose, choose either rubber hose or hose made of reinforced rubber and vinyl. Both are more durable, although more expensive, than hose made only of unreinforced vinyl.
Look for hose featuring interior ribbed construction; the ribs allow water to flow even if there is a kink in the hose.
Store hose carefully, preferably on a reel kept indoors. It can also be stored by coiling it loosely on a flat surface. Never allow water to freeze inside a hose - it expands as it freezes, stretching and weakening the hose material - and do not hang hose on a nail. This weakens it by causing creases.
Also avoid kinks, which stress the hose by pinching the material when the hose is pulled tight. Kinks develop when a hose becomes twisted because of repeated coiling.
To untwist a hose, lay it out straight without stretching it; next, twirl it by one end counterclockwise or clockwise (you will have to experiment to find out which). Allowing the sun to warm and soften a hose also helps to rid it of kinks.
A pin-hole leak in a hose can be repaired temporarily by covering it with waterproof utility tape (duct tape) or electrician's tape. First wipe the area around the leak clean and dry so that the tape will adhere.
Starting an inch or two from the leak, wrap two or three turns of tape over each other around the hose. Then wrap the tape in a spiral, stretching it as you go and overlapping the edges until the leak is covered and the tape extends an inch or two beyond it. Finish by wrapping the tape over itself two or three turns, just as you did earlier.
Repairing a leak with a hose-mending kit gives permanent results. There are two types of kits: plastic, with parts that screw together, and metal, with parts that must be crimped over the hose by hammering. Both cost about the same, but the screw type is easier to install. When selecting a hose-mending kit, read the label to be sure that it fits the inside diameter of your hose.
To install a mending kit, first use a sharp knife to cut the hose squarely in two. If necessary, make two cuts and discard the part of the hose containing the leaks.
Next, insert the connector into the ends of the hose sections. The fit should be snug, and the hose sections should cover each end of the connector completely. If fitting the connector into the hose is difficult, soak the ends of the hose in very hot water to soften them.
Then, if using a plastic kit, attach the sleeves around the hose ends (each sleeve has two halves) and screw them together tightly. The sleeves clamp the hose to the connector.
With a metal kit, place the hose on a hard, flat surface and gently hammer the flanges of the connector so that they flatten, gripping the hose.
Instead of a mending kit, a pair of male and female couplings designed for replacing damaged hose ends can be used. This produces a splice that can be unfastened simply by unscrewing the couplings from each other.
Like mending kits, couplings are either plastic with screw-together parts or metal with flanges for crimping. Installation is the same as described. When used alone, male couplings attach hoses to nozzles and sprinklers; females attach hoses to faucets.
If a hose leaks at a coupling, unscrew it and wipe the threads of both parts clean; also wipe the washer in the base of the female coupling. Screw the pieces together tightly with your hands, but do not overtighten them by using a wrench. If the leak persists, replace the washer.
Revolving lawn sprinklers seldom need maintenance beyond occasional cleaning, but oscillating sprinklers require more care. With these, uncouple the hose often to remove and clean the filter or screen washer between the hose and sprinkler. When reinstalling a filter, be sure that it bulges toward the hose, not the sprinkler.
If no filter or screen washer is present, buy an ordinary screen washer in a hardware store as a replacement. (Replacing a missing filter is sometimes more difficult than worthwhile; you may have to contact the sprinkler manufacturer.) If individual holes or nozzles along the spray tube clog, they can be cleaned with a large sewing needle. On some sprinklers, a plastic point designed for cleaning clogged holes is molded into a removable plug at the end of the spray tube.
Look for hose featuring interior ribbed construction; the ribs allow water to flow even if there is a kink in the hose.
Store hose carefully, preferably on a reel kept indoors. It can also be stored by coiling it loosely on a flat surface. Never allow water to freeze inside a hose - it expands as it freezes, stretching and weakening the hose material - and do not hang hose on a nail. This weakens it by causing creases.
Also avoid kinks, which stress the hose by pinching the material when the hose is pulled tight. Kinks develop when a hose becomes twisted because of repeated coiling.
To untwist a hose, lay it out straight without stretching it; next, twirl it by one end counterclockwise or clockwise (you will have to experiment to find out which). Allowing the sun to warm and soften a hose also helps to rid it of kinks.
A pin-hole leak in a hose can be repaired temporarily by covering it with waterproof utility tape (duct tape) or electrician's tape. First wipe the area around the leak clean and dry so that the tape will adhere.
Starting an inch or two from the leak, wrap two or three turns of tape over each other around the hose. Then wrap the tape in a spiral, stretching it as you go and overlapping the edges until the leak is covered and the tape extends an inch or two beyond it. Finish by wrapping the tape over itself two or three turns, just as you did earlier.
Repairing a leak with a hose-mending kit gives permanent results. There are two types of kits: plastic, with parts that screw together, and metal, with parts that must be crimped over the hose by hammering. Both cost about the same, but the screw type is easier to install. When selecting a hose-mending kit, read the label to be sure that it fits the inside diameter of your hose.
To install a mending kit, first use a sharp knife to cut the hose squarely in two. If necessary, make two cuts and discard the part of the hose containing the leaks.
Next, insert the connector into the ends of the hose sections. The fit should be snug, and the hose sections should cover each end of the connector completely. If fitting the connector into the hose is difficult, soak the ends of the hose in very hot water to soften them.
Then, if using a plastic kit, attach the sleeves around the hose ends (each sleeve has two halves) and screw them together tightly. The sleeves clamp the hose to the connector.
With a metal kit, place the hose on a hard, flat surface and gently hammer the flanges of the connector so that they flatten, gripping the hose.
Instead of a mending kit, a pair of male and female couplings designed for replacing damaged hose ends can be used. This produces a splice that can be unfastened simply by unscrewing the couplings from each other.
Like mending kits, couplings are either plastic with screw-together parts or metal with flanges for crimping. Installation is the same as described. When used alone, male couplings attach hoses to nozzles and sprinklers; females attach hoses to faucets.
If a hose leaks at a coupling, unscrew it and wipe the threads of both parts clean; also wipe the washer in the base of the female coupling. Screw the pieces together tightly with your hands, but do not overtighten them by using a wrench. If the leak persists, replace the washer.
Revolving lawn sprinklers seldom need maintenance beyond occasional cleaning, but oscillating sprinklers require more care. With these, uncouple the hose often to remove and clean the filter or screen washer between the hose and sprinkler. When reinstalling a filter, be sure that it bulges toward the hose, not the sprinkler.
If no filter or screen washer is present, buy an ordinary screen washer in a hardware store as a replacement. (Replacing a missing filter is sometimes more difficult than worthwhile; you may have to contact the sprinkler manufacturer.) If individual holes or nozzles along the spray tube clog, they can be cleaned with a large sewing needle. On some sprinklers, a plastic point designed for cleaning clogged holes is molded into a removable plug at the end of the spray tube.
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