Buying the best hosepipe doesn’t necessarily mean buying the most expensive!! When choosing the hosepipe to suit your garden consider the following points to help you make the right decision:
Hose Diameter
The most common diameter of hosepipes in the UK is ½” (13mm), with ¾” (19mm) diameter hoses also available. When deciding on which diameter hose to choose remember that the larger the diameter the more water it will deliver – a ¾” hosepipe will deliver up to 2½ times more water than a ½” hosepipe in the same time.
Hose Length
Don’t be tempted to buy a really long hosepipe because it’s cheap! As the length of the hose increases the water pressure decreases – so ideally you should purchase a hose long enough to reach to the bottom of your garden. And, if you think you’ll need a longer hose occasionally, then purchase an extra hose which you can connect onto the first to provide more length.
Hose Material
Most garden hosepipes are made from PVC – PVC has the benefit of making the hosepipe lightweight and flexible. However, being flexible can mean that the hose will be liable to kink, so you should look for a hose which has been reinforced to prevent it from twisting or kinking.
Hose Quality
The better quality hosepipe which you buy the longer it will last. However, this doesn’t mean that the most expensive hosepipe will be the best for you to buy! Rather, consider all the points above and choose the hosepipe best suited to your requirements – length, diameter, colour etc – and for peace of mind you can always buy a hosepipe with a guarantee – such as the hosepipes made by Gardena – where their Premium hosepipes are guaranteed for up to twenty years.
Hose Colour
Hoses are available in a wide range of colours – often the colour of the hose is one of the least important factors when you buy your hosepipe. However, if you want a hosepipe which will blend into your landscape choose a darker colour (black or green). If you want a hosepipe which you won’t miss – so you won’t run over it with the lawnmower! – then choose a bright coloured hose instead.
Hose Couplings & Connectors
Hose couplings come in a wide range of sizes and types and are used to connect your hosepipe to the source of water – such as an outside tap – and to connect a watering device – such as a spray gun – to deliver the water to your plants. Hose couplings are also used to join lengths of hosepipe together, or to split hosepipes so they can go in different directions.
The most important thing when buying hose couplings is that they provide a secure, leak free connection – everything needs to connect together from start to finish and stay watertight!
For convenience you might want to purchase connectors which stop the flow of water when you disconnect them – these are perfect for if you want to swop from one watering device to another as you won’t need to go back to the tap to turn off the water.
Hopefully the points above will help you when choosing your garden hosepipe. If you have any questions or need any further assistance please call us on 01246 451077 and we’ll be happy to help.