A Guide to Selecting an Expandable Garden Hose
A garden hose is a great convenience for washing your car or yard or watering your lawn or garden. But a typical garden hose is made from stiff synthetic rubber, PVC, or plastic. They can be resilient enough to withstand getting punctured by rocks or thorns. But their stiffness makes them a bit hard to roll back up when you’ve finished watering your lawn. You may have to resort to a garden hose reel to roll the hose back when you’re finished. And you may have to keep it in a hose hideaway to keep it away from the sun and cold.
Expandable garden hoses, on the other hand, can help you avoid a lot of the problems of the standard garden hose. They are more compact, being able to expand to three times their length when they fill with water, much like how a balloon expands when you fill it. And when you turn off the water pressure, the expandable material of the hose contracts, squeezing the water out. It’s a lot easier to store a 25-foot hose than a 75-foot hose! Also, if there is a kink in a typical garden hose, it will interfere with the flow of water. An expandable hose is more flexible, and won’t kink on you!
We’ll go through some of the offerings in the Best Reviews Guide list of the best expandable hoses. They come in a range of lengths, and with a variety of nozzles for different streams of water. And you’ll see that you can enjoy the advantages of an expandable hose for practically the same price as a standard garden hose!
FAQ
What kinds of expandable garden hoses are there?
We’ll see that expandable garden hoses differ in their materials. Some expandable garden hoses are made of latex, while others are made of a flexible material like PVC.
What are the advantages of an expandable garden hose?
Firstly, an expandable garden hose is more compact and easier to store away. That makes them more portable as well. Also, since an expandable garden hose is more flexible, it won’t kink during use.
What special treatment do expandable hoses require?
-
Experts recommend closing the hose’s nozzle when you first turn on the water. This way, it will expand fully before putting on the water full-blast. That will prevent damage to the hose.
-
Also, refrain from yanking the hose, since it may be more susceptible to tearing when pulled.
-
Like any garden hose, make sure that all the water drains out of the hose after use, if there is a chance that it will be exposed to freezing temperatures.
-
Try to keep the hose out of direct sunlight as much as possible.
Types of Expandable Garden Hoses
Looking over the Best Reviews Guide of the best expandable garden hoses, we see some differences in their construction:
-
Latex: Most of the expandable hoses in the Best Reviews Guide list are made from several layers of latex rubber. For example, the FlexiHose Expandable Garden Hose is made of 4 layers of latex, and an outer protective fabric that is 3750 deniers thick. This will allow the hose to be impervious to thorns, punctures, and other sharp objects.
FlexiHose Expandable Garden Hose
-
TPC: There are also expandable garden hoses made from a class of elastomers called “thermoplastic copolyester elastomers”. It softens when heated, and then hardens again when it cools. But TPC hose is more for high and medium-pressure hydraulic systems than for consumer use. An example is the Fitt Flow Patio and Garden Hose.
Fitt Flow Patio and Garden Hose
What reviewers say
Here are some of the impressions of customers regarding their choice of an expandable garden hose:
-
Check the length: We have already mentioned that these expandable hoses expand to 3 times their size when they fill up with water. However, be aware that when you purchase a 50-foot hose, that’s the hose’s length when it’s full of water! In reality, the hose will be 16.67’ in length when you purchase it!
-
Good for people with limited strength and mobility: A person who bought the Vieneci 100-ft Expandable Garden Hose said that he was pleased with the fact that it’s easy to move the hose around, owing to its lightweight construction and flexibility. He even bought one for his 90-year-old mother!
Important Features
Here are some tips and essential features to look for when selecting an expandable garden hose:
-
Trigger or button operated: You’ll notice that some nozzles use a trigger operation, which is the most common. But your hand may get tired if you have to keep the trigger pressed for a long time. The Knoikos Expandable Garden Hose uses a thumb-operated on-off button, which means you don’t have to press it all the time to keep the water flowing.
-
Brass connections: Experts say that it’s important that your garden hose use brass connections at the ends, where you connect your hose to the faucet, and where you connect the nozzle. Brass connections are less prone to wear and tear, and won’t corrode or rust. Just make sure that the hose that you buy matches your faucet. Most hoses have a ¾” brass fitting, although some require a ⅝” brass fitting. At the very worst, if you buy the wrong size garden hose, you can buy an adapter to attach a hose to your faucet.
-
Comes with nozzle: You can purchase a nozzle for your garden hose separately, but many expandable hoses already come with a versatile nozzle that can spray water in a number of patterns. For example, the Aterod 50-ft Expandable Garden Hose can be set for 10 different spray patterns: cone, shower, mist, jet, and more!
Aterod 50-ft Expandable Garden Hose with Nozzle Settings
Final Verdict
We surveyed some of the features of expandable garden hoses. Whether you need it for an RV, for washing your car, or for watering your lawn or garden, an expandable garden hose is a big convenience. When you compare the price per foot, you’ll see that they’re not much more expensive than the traditional garden hoses. Check out the length of hose that you need, and purchase one today!
