soaker hose question
 

I like the cheap black soaker hoses, but have this problem:
They clog up. What worked fine early in the season goes down below a
trickle to where hardly any water comes out.
My suspicion is algae growth.
The question is,
how can I clear clogged soaker hose ?
without waging chemical warfare on the veggies I will want to eat?
I also like to place mulch on top of the soaker hoses and anyway later in
the season pulling the soaker hose is not really an option - too
disruptive.
Any bright ideas?
Thanks

--
Fritz Oppliger

"Fritz Oppliger" wrote in message
news:1120929542.03733604c095587a85e7724275cc955e@t eranews...
I like the cheap black soaker hoses, but have this problem:
They clog up. What worked fine early in the season goes down below a
trickle to where hardly any water comes out.
My suspicion is algae growth.
The question is,
how can I clear clogged soaker hose ?
without waging chemical warfare on the veggies I will want to eat?
I also like to place mulch on top of the soaker hoses and anyway later in
the season pulling the soaker hose is not really an option - too
disruptive.
Any bright ideas?
Thanks

--
Fritz Oppliger

This is a question I've wondered for some time now. I just get up off my ass
& water the lawn since I'm lacking a sprinkler system, which would be a cure
for the clogged soaker hose, I'd imagine. Maybe the remedy would be to poke
your own (larger) holes in the hose yourself.

Maybe get the kind that seep all over rathern than the kind with little
holes intemittently poked in them

On Sat, 09 Jul 2005 11:35:15 -0700, SVTKate
wrote:

Maybe get the kind that seep all over rathern than the kind with little
holes intemittently poked in them


Well it is the kind ... a rubberized web type of thing with holes of
various sizes. Either the fabric or rubber? swells up or algae grow to
obstruct the holes.

They work fine when first installed in spring but deliver less and less
water as the season goes on. To the point of having to run them ON solid.
Next season the cycle repeats, with the same hoses, no treatment.
I like them because they are cheap, and are a good (re-)use of rubber.


--
Fritz Oppliger

Fritz Oppliger wrote:
SVTKate wrote:

Maybe get the kind that seep all over rathern than the kind with little
holes intemittently poked in them


Well it is the kind ... a rubberized web type of thing with holes of
various sizes. Either the fabric or rubber? swells up or algae grow to
obstruct the holes.

The kind of hose SVTKate is speaking of has no "holes". The hose casing gets
wet from the inside, and soaks through to the outside. Even if there were a
coating of some kind of organic material inside (as you seem to think you
have), it wouldn't prevent it from functioning.

Normally these hoses come with a small, plastic disk at the coupling to
regulate the flow of water -- inexpensive pressure regulators of sorts.
Perhaps the hole in this disk is clogged? Or if the disk is missing, perhaps
a solid clump of debris is preventing water from passing to the rest of the
hose.

You could try removing the disk, and opening the capped end of the hose, and
try flushing it out. Or with a female to female adapter, you could attach
the water supply to the normally capped end, and back-flush out the soaker
hose.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.
Have an outdoor project? Get a Black & Decker power tool::
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On Sat, 09 Jul 2005 10:18:49 -0700, "Fritz Oppliger"
wrote:

I like the cheap black soaker hoses, but have this problem:
They clog up. What worked fine early in the season goes down below a
trickle to where hardly any water comes out.
My suspicion is algae growth.
The question is,
how can I clear clogged soaker hose ?
without waging chemical warfare on the veggies I will want to eat?
I also like to place mulch on top of the soaker hoses and anyway later in
the season pulling the soaker hose is not really an option - too
disruptive.

It must be the type of hose you are using. I have soaker hose that
has been in the ground, under mulch for 10 years. Still works just
fine.

Mine is the recycled tire type that that the water just seeps through.
The only problem I have had was breaks - usually self inflicted. Wrap
it with duct tape and still good as new.

John

Earth Quencher
2 hoses
50' long, $9.28 for the pair at Sams Club.
www.samsclub.com
search soaker hose

I have no trouble with mine, they are in my garden and buried under mulch in
my flower beds.
Everything that Warren said is EXACTLY right.

Perfect description.
Thanks Warren

Kate