How to Bury a Garden Hose for Easy Watering Transport
Getting water to all parts of your garden can be challenging, especially if you have more than one faucets in use. You might also need water to irrigate the various parts of your extensive land, fill livestock tanks located in various places within the farm and for other uses in different spots.
Well, the inconvenience associated with dragging around a heavy garden hose to the various areas can be alleviated by burying your garden hose for effective water supply. For any gardening enthusiast, the question doesn’t start from how to bury the garden hose but starts if it is possible to bury a garden hose underground.
Can You Bury a Garden Hose?
The short answer to this is yes, but it varies. For sure, you can bury your garden hose for the transportation of water in your garden. You probably want to get water to the hard and far-to-reach areas of your garden. Besides, you are done with dragging your garden hose around your garden.
Regardless of the reason, you can certainly bury your garden hose. However, there are several factors to consider before burying your garden hose underground. Among the few factors include your garden ground type, type of burrowing and digging animals present in your area and temperatures.
Climate
Garden hoses buried do not easily freeze compared to hoses laid on the ground. However, if your area is prone to freezing to significant depths, your buried garden hose will freeze as well. Most garden hoses are sturdy enough to handle freezing temperatures. Nonetheless, those that freeze break down easily over time.
Once your underground hoses freeze, you will need to blow them out in preparation for winter just like sprinkler systems. This is because they will remain unusable until your garden gets fully thawed during spring. Well, this makes it logical to conclude that buried hoses can be relied on for seasonal use depending on where you reside.
State of Ground
The ground conditions are also an important determinant when opting to bury a hose. Rocky, caliche or heavily compacted soils will make it difficult to dig out, even for the most motivated. Despite the fact that there are specialized tools meant to handle problematic soils, considering the length that you need to bury the garden hose will make the entire process a daunting task.
Clitters
Depending on where you live, this might not come up as an issue. Rodents are naturally drawn to water. The digging and burrowing types may as well decide to gnaw into your underground water hose. That said, if your locality is prone to gnawing and digging clitters, you might opt for better alternatives to this.
Benefits of Burying a Garden Hose
There are several benefits of having an underground water line in your garden. Well, this is entirely based on your intended use. Nonetheless, some of the common benefits of doing this include;
It eliminates the need to drag garden hoses every time you need to move water from one place to another and the need to recoil the hose after use.
It removes the unsightly garden hose views lying all over the garden. It also makes it easy for other gardening activities such as mowing to continue without disruption.
Which Type of Garden Hose Should Be Buried?
You definitely are aware of the various types of garden hoses available on the market. However, not all are suitable for use in such situations. For sure, you won’t even think of burying your most expensive expandable garden hose. Similarly, you should think twice about burying the cheapest garden hose in the market either.
The reason for this is that neither of the hoses will last long or be of much use. That said, consider either of the following types of garden hose to bury in your garden.
1. Rubber Hose
The popular rubber and polyurethane hoses should be your preferred hose of choice for getting water to your preferred part underground. Rubber hoses are sturdy, tough enough to handle water fluctuations and can’t submit to the pressure of soils and rocks above. They also don’t easily kink when being laid or buried. Get the wider diameter to transport as much water for various use.
2. Soaker or Drip Hose
Soaker hoses are the best choice if you want to water through the areas your garden hose passes through. If you don’t have the budget to purchase a soaker hose, you can manipulate your old leaky hose using a few tools for this. They are best for vegetable gardens and similar areas.
Steps To Bury a Garden Hose
The technique or procedure applicable when burying a garden hose remains the same, regardless of your choice of garden hose, be it soaker or rubber hose.
Step one: Tools and Materials Necessary
The first step is assembling the vital tools for the procedure. They include;
- Garden hose of your choice
- Combination tee for water outlet
- Hose Bib
- Clamps for pipe fittings
- Pipe fittings that suit your demands
- Concrete Tiles
- Hydrant caps
- Heavy-duty hoe
- Shovel and rake
- Hacksaw
- Screwdriver and clamping tools
- Propane torch
Once you have assembled all these tools, you can approach the build in two ways. You can opt to dig the trench fully then install the pipe and its fittings or work on the installation section by section. Decide on the best approach that will work for you. Consider section-by-section building if you need to use the first part of the underground hose before the entire process is completed.
Step Two: Digging the Trench
Hydrants are approximately one foot high, which is why you can take that as your underground depth. Note that this doesn’t keep your underground hose free from freezing, especially if your area climatic temperatures drop very low. Using the various tools, dig up the trench, ensuring that the bottom is levelled off to achieve a uniform depth.
Step Three: Installing the Pipe and Fittings
The next step is unrolling and putting the pipe inside the trench. Weigh it down with some items if it wants to roll up again. Install valves and faucets along the pipe if there is a need to. Install a combination tee where you want a hydrant too. For the tee, it can be quite difficult to get the tee into the pipe. However, applying soap on the connection will ease this up.
Screw in the hose bib also making sure that you maintain the orientation of the hose throughout the trench.
Step Four: Close the Hydrant and Fill the Trench
Make a hole in the hydrant cover to give space for the hose to come in and out. Whilst keeping the hose open, ensure that it doesn’t interfere with mowing, walking or other gardening activities.
Filling the trench is easier if your soil is soft with no rocks. You can use a back-hoe or the front end loader. Avoid putting back rocks as they may apply too much pressure on the garden hose. Due to the loss of soil, you may need to find additional soil to compensate for this loss.
Once the trench reaches level ground, put the turf back, paying attention to areas around the hydrant. Don’t fill in the hydrant space as it will make it difficult to attach the garden hose.
Things to Keep In Mind
When undertaking this process, there are some key things to keep in mind. Among them include;
- It is wise to use large diameter hoses and avoid hose menders. Note that the longer your hose, the more pressure drop between the faucets to the far end of your hose. That said, minimize the pressure drop by using large diameter hoses and avoiding possible restrictions that can be brought by hose menders.
- It is better to use an excess hose and wrap it around the legs of the faucet than cut it off and use hose menders at the end.
- Ensure that you run your garden hose in straight lines. This not only shortens the distance between the source and end but also eliminates guesswork when identifying where the buried lines run through. If you must bend the hose around a house or tree, try making two straight lines and mark the intersection keenly.
Conclusion
Burying your underground garden hose isn’t such a daunting task. Well, you could have your own suspicions over the demanding workload required or climatic conditions. However, these shouldn’t bother you at all. Garden hoses freeze during winter seasons. This is why gardeners are advised to turn off their water supply and blow compressed air through the pipe.
Once installed, the ground will slowly settle and adjust to its original shape. This is why it is prudent to install the hose in a straight line to avoid confusions later. Hydrants may require some adjustments once the soil has settled and wood will also deteriorate with time.
In overall, if you have been thinking about laying down your garden hose to minimize drags and enhance the beauty of your garden, think about it no further. Take action and install your soaker or rubber hose for enhanced gardening effectiveness.
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