How to stop garden hose leaking / best hose fittings

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#2574785 27-Sep-2020 07:50

Paul1977:

I've never had that. Once I've pushed them in as far as they'll go onto the hose then screwed the base on nice and tight I've never had one come off or leak from that part. I've only ever had leaks from where the fittings click together or from where plastic fittings have cracked, and then only with non-brass fittings.

You shouldn't have to be replacing the fittings every 6 to 12 months.

Do you have particularly high water pressure? Do you turn off the tap after use and depressurise the hose?

Mine don't leak from the click parks, they leak where the plastic fittings connect to the hose, as far as I can tell. They go on fine, don't leak for a while, then get worse. Sometimes they blow completely off the end of the hose, which I guess is a combination of use and pressure. The hose does it outside 24/7 but is in an area that is sheltered, mostly in shade except for the height of summer.

Water pressure here is higher than average. We have a pressure reduction thingy under the house that takes it down from super high to merely quite high, as it works better for showers. So maybe the problem is pressure is higher than most places.

Jase2985

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#2574787 27-Sep-2020 07:57

sounds like they are not being installed correctly/tight enough if they blow off or need replaced every 6-12 months.

timmmay

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#2574792 27-Sep-2020 08:45

Jase2985:
sounds like they are not being installed correctly/tight enough if they blow off or need replaced every 6-12 months.

I'm not sure it's possible to install them incorrectly. Push on hard, screw closed.

Jase2985

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#2574794 27-Sep-2020 08:49

but are they screwed closed tight enough....

timmmay

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#2574809 27-Sep-2020 10:07

Pretty sure they can't get much tight without using tools. I might try lightly sanding the hose end for extra grip.

SirHumphreyAppleby

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#2574896 27-Sep-2020 15:35

Given the hose is old and is being cut regularly to replace the ends, I suspect the hose is the reason the connections are failing prematurely. Either that, or it's simply the wrong size hose for the connectors being used.

neb

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#2575296 28-Sep-2020 13:24

SirHumphreyAppleby:
+1 for barb fittings. I've given up buying 'quality' hoses. They don't seem to last no matter how kink proof and UV stable the packaging claims them to be.

Yup. I just buy the generic $10-15 ones and expect to toss them after a few years, which is less painful than buying an $80 one and tossing it after a few years. The main problem with hoses isn't the fittings but the water pressure you put through them, if you're getting repeated failures you may want to see about lowering the water pressure.

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pom532

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#2575315 28-Sep-2020 14:05

I've had the connection pop off a few times. I've found that soaking the hose in boiling water for a few minutes before pushing onto the connector helps to keep it on longer.

tripper1000

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#2575318 28-Sep-2020 14:09

+1 the barb fittings. They don't pull apart and leak like the hand-tighten clamp fittings.

On a low pressure system, a cheap hose and fittings will last until they crumble in the sun - not so much for high water pressure.

I have high water pressure and I found that the cheaper hoses (usually with less nylon criss/crossed threaded reinforcement) were hopeless. They'd swell up and not return to their original size, meaning the end fittings had no hope of sealing properly. I ended up hunting around for a hose with a pressure specification which surprising few had (mine also had a food grade rating - !). Still had to use the barbed system, but the hose has outlasted the cheapies by years and years.

A tip for the barbed system: Put heat shrink over the hose clamps so that they don't cut you when handling them with soft/wet hands.

timmmay

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#2575406 28-Sep-2020 15:31

I think it's a high water pressure problem then. I have the barb fittings, I had to screw it incredibly tight to stop that one leaking as well.

I put the standard plastic fittings onto a different hose today, a cheaper one but not too cheap. It seems to be slightly thicker, like 1mm, and it didn't leak. I wonder if the Gardena ones I have are just slightly smaller and leak because of that?

SirHumphreyAppleby

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#2575413 28-Sep-2020 15:40

timmmay:

I think it's a high water pressure problem then. I have the barb fittings, I had to screw it incredibly tight to stop that one leaking as well.

Worm clamps have a flat spot and don't apply even pressure around the hose. I asked about clamping solutions a while ago and Oetiker clamps were highly regarded.

timmmay

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#2575418 28-Sep-2020 15:43

SirHumphreyAppleby:

timmmay:

I think it's a high water pressure problem then. I have the barb fittings, I had to screw it incredibly tight to stop that one leaking as well.

Worm clamps have a flat spot and don't apply even pressure around the hose. I asked about clamping solutions a while ago and Oetiker clamps were highly regarded.

Thanks - do you have a link? The one that came with the M10 clamp is leaking rust colored fluid after being outside for 48 hours.

SirHumphreyAppleby

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#2575429 28-Sep-2020 16:12

timmmay:

Thanks - do you have a link? The one that came with the M10 clamp is leaking rust colored fluid after being outside for 48 hours.

https://oetiker.com/

A search on AliExpress returns plenty of 'Oetiker' clamps and tools if you want to try a cheaper alternative. I can't comment on quality, but they do offer stainless clamps which is what you'd want for any outdoor use.

I opted for the ClampTite instead, and intended to try the Oetiker clones if that didn't work for me.

tripper1000

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#2575435 28-Sep-2020 16:18

timmmay:....I put the standard plastic fittings onto a different hose today, a cheaper one but not too cheap. It seems to be slightly thicker, like 1mm, and it didn't leak. I wonder if the Gardena ones I have are just slightly smaller and leak because of that?

Your hose might be stretched out and no good anymore. As they stretch, not only do they too big in diameter to seal onto the fittings anymore but the side-walls get thinner. It should be a fairly tight fit between the hose and the tube on the fitting that goes up inside it. If it's loose, that will be a major contributor to the problems. As someone pointed out above, a nice tight fitting new hose might even necessitate softening in boiling water to get it onto the fitting.

MikeAqua

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#2575440 28-Sep-2020 16:32

I'm another brass fan. I also use them on the flush cups for my boat and those plug into the highvolume water supply at the boat ramps. No issues.

If persisting with the plastic fittings, it helps to make sure the hose end isn't flared and then slide it as far into the plastic fitting as you can, before screwing on the collar.

Mike

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