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fixing hoses

Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2020 2:14 pm
by habitat-gardener
Short version: Has anyone successfully fixed a hose? What did you use to make it leakproof?

Long version: The community garden has fewer hose bibs than gardens, so there are lots of Y connectors and hoses snaking all over the place. My SO very sweetly decided to put a hose underground in PVC channels to keep it from being run over by wheelbarrows and out of the sun. (we've done this before, with a 50' hose at another garden.) But he wanted the hose to end up exactly in the middle of the plot, so he bought a 100' hose and cut it to about 65'. I told him not to cut it, but he likes to help in the garden only as long as he gets to do things his way. It leaks. He tried another style of hose repair. Still leaks. He added a pressure regulator to the hose bib (thinking the high water pressure was causing it to leak at the connection). Still leaks. It leaks at the site of repair, not at the nozzle, so it's not the washers.
Any ideas before he digs up the hose and starts over?

Re: fixing hoses

Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2020 2:21 pm
by worth1
Brass male/male connector/splice thing and hose clamps?
Works every time for me.

Re: fixing hoses

Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2020 2:22 pm
by Setec Astronomy
What did he use to splice it? What kind of hose is it? I've used repair kits to replace damaged end fittings and had good success (no leaks).

Re: fixing hoses

Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2020 2:31 pm
by pepperhead212
The only successful hose repairs that I have made is with those stainless steel hose clamps - the kind you use on car hoses. Those plastic clamp things always end up leaking, either the ones that are for the male or female connections, or the butt connection, like you are describing. Just be sure to get brass or heavy plastic connectors, not brass plated.

Re: fixing hoses

Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2020 2:33 pm
by habitat-gardener
Hmm. I'll have to take a picture of the repair efforts when I go to the garden. The current one has a hose clamp, but iirc it was not snugged up to the end.

Re: fixing hoses

Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2020 3:11 pm
by bower
I've had the same problem with the hose clamps. :( As tight as I make it, the water pressure seems to be more. I think my clamps are aluminum fwiw.
Of course the worst part of hose repair is the cost of the connector parts. I am used to living with the leaks, but it would be cheaper to buy new hoses than to fix my old ones. And I have a lot of old hoses. I really don't want to throw them in the trash. They could be clipped where they are broken and made good.
Maybe I should buy the connectors in bulk? :roll:

Re: fixing hoses

Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2020 3:22 pm
by worth1
I have one that is done with a 1/2 pipe nipple I scrounged up and stainless hose clamps.
Been that way for close to 20 years.
Who in hell has a 20 year old hose???? :lol: :lol: :lol:

Re: fixing hoses

Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2020 3:57 pm
by MissS
worth1 wrote: Sat Feb 22, 2020 3:22 pm
Who in hell has a 20 year old hose???? :lol: :lol: :lol:
Well, I do! :lol: It still works too.

Re: fixing hoses

Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2020 5:28 pm
by pepperhead212
I have some pieces of an old gray hose I got back in the 90s. A couple of years ago a friend gave me one a friend of his (who moved) had, that was almost new, and I've been cutting that up, to replace some of those old gray pieces, when they spring leaks. I have 8 short hoses going to my garden's drip system, from the timers, and there are still 2 gray ones, out of the 8.

Re: fixing hoses

Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2020 6:08 pm
by bower
Mine must be about 25 years old. Had a lot when big garden ambitions. Some need a fix but I still have a few working - and a few that I fixed, which gently leak around the repair. Just had a look on amazon and they sell packets of fittings for $20 that would do up a few. Our shops wanted about $15 for the hardware to fix one hose.
Anybody used those quick fit things? They don't seem to require a clamp at all.

Re: fixing hoses

Posted: Mon Feb 24, 2020 7:31 am
by Clkeiper
how straight it your cut? if its not just about perfectly straight it will not seat properly to be fixed. I cut my hoses to repair them with.........HANDPRUNERS. they work fabulously for this job.

Re: fixing hoses

Posted: Tue Feb 25, 2020 1:28 pm
by Cole_Robbie
1/2" cpvc pipe will fit inside 5/8" garden hose, giving you a firm surface to clamp to. It should be fine for normal point and spray watering, but will probably leak and even pop off if you stop the flow of water with a hand nozzle at the end of your hose. I don't hook it up to a drip system and walk away, either, learned that the hard way.