"BillGill" wrote in message
...
MiamiCuse wrote:
I have two of the home depot variety "kink free" garden hoses. They are
far from kink free, in fact they kink all the time when you stretch them
out. When you roll them back up you have to keep flipping the hose the
right way so it won't kink.
However, I have a very old hose probably more than 15 years I found in
this garage and it never kinks. It does not kink because it does not
flatten not even a little bit. I think it's made of rubber. Are those
better hoses than the modern day vinyl hoses?
MC
Same thing I have said before. Sears sells a life time warranted rubber
hose. If anything ever goes wrong with it you take it back and they
give you a new one. They are heavier, but it is worth it for the fact
that when you pull a kink in one all you have to do is untwist it and
the kink goes away. They cost more, I paid about $35 for my 70 foot
one, but since I won't ever have to buy a replacement for it it is
well worth the price.
I find rubber hose much too heavy to drag around over lawns, especially with
water in it... heavy rubber hose is meant for commercial applications, it
will easily slide over paved areas but not lawn. I can buy 100' lengths of
Swan brand 5/8" hose at Lowes at end of season for under $10. Since I live
where winters are very cold I drain my hoses and store them reel and all in
a barn. During warm weather my hoses are outdoors but the reels are set in
a shaded area... sun is a killer of plastics and rubber. Always remember to
close the bib valve and open the nozzle end before winding on the reel,
leaving a hose under pressure greatly shortens its life... even with the
supply turned off if the hose is filled and in the sun the water will expand
and damage the hose, always leave the nozzle open while winding so that the
hose drains... this also places much less stress on your hose reel, a filled
hose is a lot heavier than one realizes. It's best to wind less hose than a
reel's rating, by carring less weight the reel will last a lot longer, and
so will the hose... the portion of hose at the core of the reel will crush,
and if rarely used will be apt to harden and rot... for the rare times you
need a longer hose it's better to simply screw on an extra length, then
remove it when done. Most folks will have at least two lenghths of hose on
a reel, it's a good idea to rotate the lengths each season. If you're short
a hose bib it's better to connect a second reel with a "y" fitting and a
length of rubber hose tucked into the foundation than to overload a reel
with more hose. Never leave a hose lying stretched out in the sun, put it
back on its reel directly after use... and wind neatly with no crossing, and
wind loosely, if a hose is wound in a stretched mode it will be damaged, it
will kink because stretching will give hose an oval cross section, and its
life will be greatly shortened... bring your hose to the reel before winding
rather than use the reel to drag the full length of hose across the ground;
this will save your hose, your reel, and your arm. I like the heavy duty
Swan brand hose, it's well made so it lasts a long time (and has a lifetime
guarantee), and I especially like its solid machined brass couplings, formed
brass is thinner and more prone to deform and therefore leak. Replace all
hose gaskets each season, it's a lot cheaper to spend 10¢ on a new gasket
than to over tighten and ruin the coupling... if you find yourself needing a
pair of pliers to tighten hose couplings then you need new gaskets, hose
couplings should only be hand tightened. Some people flip gaskets to use
the other side but then they typically need tightening with pliers, false
economy. Don't buy too many hose gaskets in advance, they will harden with
age and become useless.
http://www.swanhose.com/hose.shtml
I live near the world's leading reel company but I think their garden hose
reels are just too pricey for home use.
http://www.hannay.com/