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Why Does My Garden Hose Keep Bursting?
Picture this scenario, if you can. You’re busy watering your garden, enjoying the warm summer breeze brush across your face. All is going well, until you suddenly feel a strange vibration coming from your water hose.
With seemingly no reason for it at all, your hose starts shaking a little more than usual. All of a sudden, you hear a loud rip and your hose just split in two, sending water all over your garden and yourself!
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You’re puzzled. You were just watering your plants. You weren’t doing anything unusual, per se. Everyone waters their plants. You weren’t playing jump-rope with your garden hose, nor were kids handling your lawncare equipment roughly. What on earth is going on here?
Before you panic, try another hose.
Sometimes, a burst hose can be a one-off occurrence that’s a result of casual wear and tear. This is not your fault, as almost every hose will eventually break to the point of no return. If you believe this to be a one-off situation, buy another hose and try again.
If you notice that your new hose is about to burst, that’s when you should get a little more proactive about the issues going on with your hose. Turn it off, and keep reading to figure out how you can prevent another hose from popping.
What Causes Garden Hoses To Burst?
The most common reason for a garden hose bursting is wear and tear…or having a clog that makes it impossible for water to escape any other way. Things like trying to water your garden while stepping on a water hose, for example, are common reasons why you might have a burst.
That being said, there are other reasons why you might have a hose that bursts. These include:
- Bad equipment tied to the use of the hose. Getting clamps that aren’t the right size, or getting fittings that aren’t meant for the hose, can both cause your equipment to burst. If you are using an old clamp on a new hose, you might be causing your hose to burst due to mis-sized equipment.
- Using your garden hose for a purpose it’s not meant for. If your garden hose is being used with a water spigot that pumps out water at a pressure above that of a typical hose’s tolerance, you should expect a burst to happen.
- External damage to your hose. Wear and tear might cause external damage, but there’s more to damage than the wear that comes with regular usage. Things like cuts from a lawnmower blade, cracking as a result of freezing temperatures, and drying can all add to a hose’s propensity to breaking.
- Poor repairs to your garden hose. Did you have a pinhole leak earlier? If you fixed it and later had a hose burst in this area, a bad fix job might be to blame.
- Poor workmanship. Much like with any other piece of equipment, garden hoses are more likely to fail if they are badly built. This is why spending money on a quality hose makes sense.
How To Prevent Your Hose From Breaking Again
Let’s face it. Garden hoses are pricey, and no one wants to have to take yet another trip to the hardware store. Doing your part to prevent another burst can help you avoid additional lawn care equipment costs, not to mention mud puddles.
So, let’s talk about how you can prevent your hose from having another burst. These tips can help:
- Before you actually start watering your garden, inspect the hose for rips and tears. Even new hoses can get rips from errant lawnmower equipment or wild animals. A single rip is all it takes for a good hose to burst at the seams.
- Store your hose with care, away from sunlight and extreme temperatures. There’s a reason why many professional lawn care groups choose to store their garden hoses in boxes. Boxes help keep your hose safe from elements which could speed up drying, cracking, and otherwise weaken your hose.
- Check your water outlet’s pressure before you attach your hose. Most garden hoses will burst if they are expected to funnel water at too high a pressure. Lowering the rate at which water escapes from the spigot can be enough to prevent your next burst.
- Make sure that any fittings and clamps you use with your hose are the correct size. Poorly-fitted equipment can make a brand new hose burst at the seams. If you’ve been using the same clamps on hoses of different sizes, chances are high that this is why you’ve been struggling with bursts.
- Don’t step on your hose, and lay it flat when it’s in use. Bursts are more likely to happen when there are kinks and heavy twists in your garden hose. It increases the water pressure inside the hose. By keeping your hose loose and flat on the ground, without heavy folds involved in its path, you drop your chances of having a burst.
- Do not twist hoses that you’re installing. Looking to make your hose a permanent fixture? If so, don’t twist your hose while installing it. This can cause you to lose up to 90 percent of your hose’s lifespan.
Are There Burst-Proof Water Hoses Available?
If there’s one thing that you have to credit modern engineering with, it’s its amazing level of innovation. For decades, a burst-proof water hose has been the Holy Grail of lawn care equipment—or at the very least, a highly sought-after invention.
While there are no garden hoses that are completely burst-proof, there have been some options hitting the market that are truly difficult to break. This hose from Hammacher Schlemmer, for example, is made of metal—making bursting a highly unlikely outcome.
That being said, most homeowners won’t face bursts as long as they make an effort to find a high-quality garden hose. If you’re a serious gardening aficionado, getting a water hose that boasts excellent workmanship is an investment, not a splurge.
