A skilled and experienced gardener knows how important it is to store a garden hose properly. For enthusiastic gardeners who have invested in high-quality, high-performance, and long (100 ft) hoses, storage is especially important to ensure that your purchase delivers on the promised results.
Purchasing a garden hose every year is not the characteristic of a smart gardener. Maintaining and storing a garden hose properly, s/he maximizes the return on investment, gives a hose a longer life.
The good news is that storing a garden hose is one of the easiest things you can do.
This article will remove all your queries related to how to store a garden hose.
Step by Step Procedure to Store a Garden Hose
You will need to hibernate your garden hose when the winter season is knocking at the door.
Step 01
Before removing the nozzle from the garden hose, squeeze it so that all excess water can drain out.
Step 02
At this step, you will need to disconnect the garden hose from the spigot.
Step 03
Start draining water by lifting the very edge of the hose. Walk the length of the tube, and while draining water, make sure each section is elevated.
Step 04
Once you reach the opposite end, keep the hose face up until the water is gone.
Step 05
Coil the tube to nearly 3’ in diameter. It is recommended to do this step during a hot or sunny day. This way, you can easily bend the hose.
Step 06
Then the hose cap needs to be placed on the mouth of the hose so that bugs can’t crawl in into the hose.
Step 07
Use a hanger to store your garden hose safely. Don’t forget to store it in a warm place.
Do and Don’t While Storing a Garden Hose
Draining out the existing water
When closing your garden hose, it is crucial to drain out all the water existing in your garden hose. You have to make sure that no water is available inside the hose. Lift the hose over your shoulder to remove all the excess water. Prolonged water inside the tube can damage your garden hose.
Using a hanger
A hanger is a necessary tool that plays a vital role in improving your garden hose’s lifespan. After every use of your garden hose, it is advisable to store it in a hanger. You don’t need to break your bank in order to purchase a hanger. Or else you can make your hanger using a few old idle materials. I believe you will get multiple benefits in return if you invest in a hanger.
Don’t expose the hose to the sun
Avoid exposing the hose to the sun directly; harmful UV rays can damage the hose build material. Moreover, the colour of the hose may fade away if the hose comes in direct contact with the sun.
Besides, don’t leave your garden hose lying on the ground for an extended period, but rather you need to store it in a place where there are shades.
Save the hose from excessive cold
No confusion that cold weather will do damage to the hose. Any excess water inside the hose will freeze during the winter season. We all know that water gets expanded in freezing weather. Thus, the tube material will lose its elasticity. That is why it has been said to remove all excess water from the hose.
It would be best to store the garden hose in the garage or basement or in a place where cold weather is not much cold to harm the garden hose.
Keep sharp tools away from the garden hose
A gardener needs to deal with different types of tools, and few of them are sharp enough to do damage to the garden hose. So, don’t store the garden hose and sharp tools together. Store them in a different area. Store the hose in the safest place of your garage or basement where sharp tools can’t harm the hose. Always keep your eyes open.
Make sure the hose is coiled when stored
Once you finish working with your garden hose, coil the hose following the right way. You can do it properly, taking assistance from a hose reel or by hand.
Make sure no kinking is there when the hose is coiled. If you experience any kinking in the hose when coiled, without making a delay, re-roll it and remove the splitting. Following the correct way of coiling the hose, you can avoid leaking or twisting your hose’s problem.
Do regular checking of the garden hose
The truth is, the garden hose can get leaked, even after taking great care of it. So, regular checking of your garden hose is a must.
Whenever you find any leak or problem in your garden hose, it is essential to repair it without making it late.
A rubber patch will be a handy solution if there is any small pinhole in the hose. Besides, if you own a rubber garden hose, keeping a rubber patch kit in the toolbox will be wise.
FAQ
Question: What is the lifespan of a garden hose?
Answer: Unfortunately, many gardeners look for a cheap and poor quality garden hose and replace their garden hose every year because of leaks, cracks, and many other problems. With proper care and maintenance, a premium quality garden hose delivers 5 – 10 years of service. Thus, a person can save valuable money and effort both.
Question: What temperature garden hose will freeze?
Answer: The general rule is if the outside temperature is equivalent to or less than 20°, the garden hose will freeze.
Undoubtedly, following the above step-by-step procedure meticulously, you can improve your garden hose’s lifespan. Whether your garden hose length is 50ft or 100ft, the above steps are the most effective ways of storing a garden hose.
After reading this article, you must have gained a clear idea of how to store a garden hose.