Garden Hoses

Garden Hoses

Length and storage are the two decisions, and length is the one people get wrong. Measure from the outside tap to the furthest corner you actually need to reach and add slack, because a hose pulled taut at full extension kinks at the tap and drags plant pots over on the way. Lengths here run 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50 and 60 metre. Diameter matters for compatibility rather than performance: 12.5mm, sold as half inch, is the standard through almost the whole range and is what garden fittings are made for, so a hose outside that size will need matching connectors. Storage is what decides whether a hose lasts, since a coiled hose left on the ground kinks, cracks in frost and degrades in sunlight. A wall mounted reel is the answer where the tap is fixed and the hose always runs the same way, keeping it off the ground and out of the weather. Auto retractable reels rewind themselves rather than needing to be cranked, which matters increasingly as length goes up. A cart or trolley is the choice when the hose has to move around a larger garden rather than run from one point. Expanding hoses stretch under pressure and shrink back to a fraction of their length for storage, which suits balconies and small gardens where any reel is too bulky. Discharge and suction hose for pumps and pressure washers is a different product to watering hose and not interchangeable.

Hozelock is the widest range, with starter hoses at 15, 30 and 50 metre in 12.5mm, a 30 metre starter set with fittings, a compact reel with 25 metre of hose and fittings, a 2-in-1 compact reel with 25 metre, an auto retractable reel at 30 metre, a 40 metre AutoReel and a 60 metre hose cart supplied with 30 metre of hose. Karcher covers Performance Plus half inch hose at 20 and 50 metre, a wall mounted reel with 25 metre, a compact auto reel with 20 metre and wall mount, a hose trolley kit with 20 metre and an SH 5 suction hose for pressure washers. Kingfisher supplies a Professional Plus yellow hose at 50 metre and a spray gun set, Aquacraft an expanding magic hose kit running 10 to 30 metre, and Silverline a flat discharge hose at 32mm by 10 metre, with AC Brooklyn adding a 20 metre hose for 50mm petrol water pumps. For couplings, connectors and repair parts see Hose Connectors.