Garden
REPAIRING GARDEN HOSES
Okay, so you have dragged the garden hose out to use it, turned on the water, and you are greeted by nothing but trouble! Water comes out of the hose in every direction. You notice a huge crack in the hose because it froze when you forgot to bring it in during the cold monthss. Water is also gushing out where your child playfully kinked the hose the last time he washed the car for you.
Almost always, the problem in a leaky connection is the rubber washer in the female half of the screw-type hose couplings. When these washers wear out or age and loose their elasticity, you end up with a slow leak. If the washer falls out, or gets lost, you end up with a fast leak. Either way, the answer is simple. Any hardware store or other store that sells hosess probably sells little plastic bags of replacement washers. Usually, one size fits all. Simply pull out the old washer and press in the new one. If you still have a leak, replace the whole fitting. Later.
To fix pinholes and small cracks, simply wrap them with vinyl tape. You can buy special hose repair tape, or simply use ordinary black electrical tape. Using this tape is simple. Make sure that the outside of the hose is clean and dry. If it is over 80 degrees outside, work in a cooler place, like your garage. Take the tape and cover the damaged area, plus at least an inch past the damage in both directions, making tight spiral wraps with your vinyl tape. Have the tape overlap itself by about a third its width and press down tightly as you go. However, don't pull the tape so tightly that it deforms or stretches, or it will creep out of position with time.
REPAIR THE FITTINGS
Major cuts or long cracks cannot be repaired with tape. So do leaky hose conncectors that don't respond to new hose washers. Either way, you will need to buy a repair fitting or two. LEAKY COUPLINGS - Use a sharp knife and cut off the leaky coupling, plus two or three inches of the hose. Make the cut straight across. Next, measure the inside diameter of the hose. It will probably be somewhere between 7/16 and 3/4 inch. If you are not sure just what size it is, just take the stub with you to any good hardware store that sells garden hoses.
At a good hardware or garden store, you will find a whole variety of hose repair fittings. It's important to get the proper one. Most fittings will work with both vinyl or rubber hoses, but some will work only with one type. Try to make sure your hose and fittings are compatible. If you are replacing a female coupling, make sure to buy a female replacement (and not a male) and vice-versa. Lastly, make sure the fitting is right for your hose. Depending on the brand, hose repair fittings may come in single sizes, or in sizes to fit two or three different diameters, or in one size fits all categories. If you are not sure, take out the stub you brought along with you and try it on some actual fittings.
The construction of a repair fitting may vary from one brand to another. Some are metal and clamp in place using steel fingers which you band down onto the hose. Other types are made of plastic and have a screw on locking ring. Another type comes in two parts made of tough green plastic. One part of this has a nipple that slips inside the hose. Another part is a clamshell type clamp that goes around the hose and tightens with two scres. These don't leak as much and don't usually pull off the hose and are also reusable. Whatever type you use, they come with directions. And if you have trouble inserting the fitting you can soften the hose with hot water or lubricate it with soap.
Repairing a bad rip, crack or tear, or even a section that always kinks on you, is similar to repairing a coupling. Cut out the damaged section, and now your old hose is in two pieces. You must buy some fittings to put these two halves back together again. Two ways to do this: Buy a repair union, a single fitting with a nipple at each end which you splice together. or if you can't find a union, second choice: Buy a pair of couplings one female and one male. Fasten one to the each cut end of your old hose and then screw them together. If you do this, make sure to put the female coupling on the end of the hose that still has a male coupling at the other end and vice versa.
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