Summer promises to be arid, but you absolutely do not want to lose the harvest of homemade strawberries, tomatoes, cherries and apples because of the heat? Agree that timely feeding of tender plants with life-giving moisture can save the situation. If you have lost the old watering hose, then we are ready to help in choosing a replacement.
We will help to deal with a diverse range of products for irrigation. The article discusses the main types of hoses and provides criteria for choosing the best option. Themed photos and video recommendations were selected for future buyers.
Varieties of watering hoses
Of course, without additional irrigation it is difficult to obtain the desired result - it is rarely what culture can withstand the whims of nature, whether it be a tree, shrub, vegetable plant or ornamental flower.
The range of products for irrigation from various manufacturers is impressive - a huge number of hoses, connectors for connecting to garden pumps, adapters, adapters, nozzles, sprayers and other things are presented on the market.
In order to understand all this diversity and understand which hose is best to irrigate plants on a personal plot, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with their main varieties. They differ in color, appearance, technical characteristics, material of manufacture and features of use.
For watering, most often buy hoses made from rubber, PVC, silicone and thermoplastic elastomer (TEP).
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This rubber product is familiar to all summer residents and owners of private houses since childhood. The usual black color inside and out, and in the inner layer reinforcing fiber. You can buy the right length for the cut, is inexpensive, will last 10 years or more, but quite heavy
PVC is a popular type of material called polyvinyl chloride and is often used to make watering hoses. Which strengthen the braid of polymeric materials, giving additional strength to the finished product. But you can also find a simpler option - a single-layer pipe, which is unsuitable for watering
Silicone - such sleeves are also on sale. They are flexible, resistant to fractures, but they are strictly contraindicated in high blood pressure. Therefore, it is better to use a silicone tube for transfusion of fluid from one container to another or for gravity irrigation
TEP hoses are made of thermoplastic elastomer, so the finished products are not afraid of increased loads. Many manufacturers prefer this particular material as the basis for their best designs. At least 1 layer of polymer braid must be added inside to increase wear resistance and improve performance
Rubber watering hose
Polyvinyl chloride hose (PVC)
Silicone watering sleeve
Thermoplastic elastomer hose (TEP)
As for the structural design, the watering hoses may consist of one or more layers. The first option is prone to fractures, resulting in cracks and tears. But the second type has two or more layers in its composition: it is these products that most often are bought by summer residents for domestic use.
The structure of such a product is additionally reinforced with reinforcing polymer threads. And on top of the braid, another layer is applied, designed to protect from the harmful effects of sunlight, precipitation.
Also, hoses designed for irrigation differ in design. Which one is best for you depends on your specific goals. They are ordinary, spiral, corrugated, stretchable.
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The usual version of the hose is the most popular option. It is chosen when a decent length of 50, 100, 200 meters or more is required. But even the lightest material with such a meter will have a tangible weight, so for comfortable operation you will need a reel and a trolley
The spiral design of the watering sleeve is also gaining popularity in recent years. And although its internal diameter can reach only 8 mm, this is enough to refresh the flower beds near the house or even wash the car. And storage does not require much space - after use, the product is compactly twisted into a spiral
Corrugated performance was designed to increase fracture resistance, but in practice it did not justify itself. The product has an extremely low wear resistance and even its low price does not attract buyers who prefer a more durable option.
A stretchable sleeve is an interesting product that consists of a fabric topcoat and an elastic hose inside. Its technical parameters are average, but it is able to cope with the irrigation of shrubs and other ornamental plantings. True, there are many cheap Chinese counterparts on the market that last less than a year, or even a month.
Conventional type hose reel
Watering with a spiral hose with a nozzle
Corrugated Hose
Stretchable Wonder Hose
Watering hoses also differ in the way they are used: some allow you to point water directly to the root system, while others allow you to make a real shower out of a million splashes. Moreover, for the first option, hoses of a classic design are suitable, equipped with a manufacturer of holes of a certain shape. Or made in the form of a tape.
But for plentiful irrigation, types of sleeves of various designs are suitable, which have to be supplemented with a watering can or spraying device of a different shape.
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Oozing Watering Sleeve Option
Drip hose operation
Reinforced sprinkler hose
Using a hose with a watering nozzle
Rules for choosing the best hose
If the numerous offers of goods for the garden and the garden have completely confused you, and you do not know which hose or pipe for irrigation it is better to replenish the cottage arsenal, we recommend that you focus on the main selection criteria and product characteristics. And which ones are more important, now we’ll figure it out.
Criterion # 1 - Technical Parameters
Significant characteristics of the watering sleeve, most manufacturers indicate the packaging.
Among them are the following:
- Diameter. Measured in inches, 1 unit of which is 25 mm. In a water supply system, ½, ¾, 1 is most often used. You need to buy a hose whose diameter corresponds to a summer water supply pipe.
- Operating pressure. Reinforced products are more durable and able to withstand from 5, 6, 8 atm or more, but single-layer - up to a maximum of 2 atm. The first ones are preferable for purchase if water is pumped into the hose by the pumping station, the second - if the hose is connected to a plastic container installed on the overpass.
- Wall thickness. This indicator depends on the number of layers - the more there are, the thicker the sleeve will be. It is advisable to use hoses with a wall thickness of 1.5 mm or more.
- Availability of reinforcement. Almost all modern watering hoses are reinforced by being wrapped in a polymer braid. The thicker the pattern of reinforcing threads, the more durable and resistant to bending will be the final product.
- Material used. Depends on it wear resistance, weight, softness, flexibility and cost of the product. The most expensive is TEP. But such a product is characterized by increased performance, minimum weight and a long warranty period.
- Length. Watering hose can be bought "cut" or a finished bay. In the first case, the desired sleeve footage corresponding to the size of the area to be watered is cut off at the store, and in the second case, the specific footage of the hose is already packed and the manufacturer indicates this value on the package.
- Temperature mode for operation. It all depends on the type of material, for example, rubber withstands from -30 to +90 ° C, PVC - from -5 to +50 ° C, TEP - from -50 to +90 ° C, silicone - from -20 to +40 ° C.
By the way, with the diameter the situation is as follows - domestic manufacturers prefer to indicate the inner, but foreign ones write the outer diameter of the product on the package. This fact should be taken into account when selecting hose nozzles and connection parts.
When using non-standard devices, an adapter may be required, which is advisable to immediately pick up and buy with a new hose
As for pressure, many manufacturers sin by indicating large values on the package - 20, 30, 40 and more Bar (1 Bar is approximately equal to 1 atm). The fact is that this is the maximum withstand pressure preceding the rupture. And to get the normal working pressure from this figure, you need to divide it by 3. For example: 20/3 = 6.67 Bar.
Preferably, the result is 6 atm or slightly more. This indicator is considered the maximum for the pressure of the autonomous water supply, in which there is a pumping station or an automatic pump. Experts do not recommend to exceed this value to extend the life of the domestic water supply.
Another important characteristic is safety. Before buying, you should make sure that the product is made of non-toxic compounds that are not able to harm health. When watering plants from a safe hose, you can be sure that no harmful chemical elements get into the water.
Now almost all multilayer products are covered with a layer designed to protect the product from penetration into the ultraviolet rays. And some manufacturers, for example, Hozelock, apply a special protective layer inside the product - against the formation of algae
Criterion # 2 - configuration features
Before buying, you should pay attention to the equipment, especially if you liked the exclusive version. Often manufacturers offer connectors along with the product to simplify the process of connecting to the water pipe to the user.
When buying the latter, it is advisable to pay attention to a rather useful function - “Aquastop”. This function prevents the flow of water when the supply of the latter is stopped.
Watering sleeves can be equipped with nozzles or multifunctional spray guns having 3-5 or more irrigation modes. To install them, you will need a special device - a connector
If we are talking about a hose of a small diameter, for example, a spiral one with d = 8 mm, then it is not out of place to check the presence of an adapter, because the tap from the water pipe is most often made with a larger diameter pipe.
In addition, when buying a 100-meter bay or an even larger footage, it is advisable to immediately take care of your own convenience. To do this, take a closer look at the reel for storing the product in the unwound state, and the trolley for its transportation.
If the site is large and the length of the hose is 30 meters or more, then it is more convenient to stock up with a coil twisting it. Some manufacturers offer a ready-made irrigation system, equipped with a trolley, reel, directly a hose roll of a certain meter, connectors and nozzles
Criterion # 3 - product life
To buy the best hose, oddly enough, you should not save. If you plan to use it for a long time, you should buy durable goods, paying attention to the manufacturer's warranty.
For example, Karcher recently released products with a 12, 15, or even an 18-year warranty. Such long lines and the possibility of free replacement already speaks in favor of product quality.
A manufacturer's warranty confirms the reliability of the product. If something happens before the end of the line with the hose, the company is obligated to exchange it for a new one.
Therefore, when calculating the benefits of buying an expensive hose, you need to take into account the guarantee - the price tag of the product will be divided into years of warranty and the result will be equal to the cost of one meter.
Then compare this value with the price tag of a cheap plastic hose, which is enough, at best, for 1-2 years. And at worst - for a month or two of operation. The benefits will become apparent.
Rehau products also deserve special attention. The link https://www.rehau.com/ru-ru/dlya-doma/sad/shlangi-dlya-poliva presents garden hoses for irrigation of various configurations from this brand.
Among the companies with a reputation for manufacturing reliable products, in addition to Karcher and Rehau, Gardena, XHOSE (only original products with direct delivery from Germany), Palisad, ZUBR, Green Apple, Fitt, Hozelock and others should be noted.
Care and maintenance recommendations
To ensure trouble-free operation of the hose, it is advisable to take into account your needs when choosing it. If your personal plot is divided into zones - a garden, raspberry, the area under strawberries or tomatoes, a flower bed, shrubs, then for irrigation of such a variety it is better to stock up on several options.
If it was necessary to wash the car, then in the presence of various options for hoses, you do not have to unwind a 30-meter huge. You can use a convenient stretchable product, the capabilities of which are quite enough to wash the car
Also, regardless of the temperature regime indicated on the package, the watering sleeve must be stored correctly. To do this, it is recommended to twist it when the irrigation work has been completed and the summer water supply is being preserved. Preliminary checking for blockages inside and rinsing with clean water.
Weeping systems and drip irrigation pipes are also undesirable to be left in / on the ground for the whole winter - it is better to rinse, twist and send these hoses, as usual, to the garage.
An inexpensive reinforced watering sleeve, despite the declared characteristics, does not tolerate frosts and sudden changes in temperature. In spring, one can observe how from flexible and resilient it became oak and brittle
The first video clip will familiarize you with the guidelines for choosing a hose depending on operating conditions:
Expert video recommendations for future buyers:
Having determined the main goals of using the new watering hose, you need to measure the diameter of the water pipe where it will be connected. And also the length of the site that he will have to maintain - that’s the exact meter you need to buy.
When buying, you should not save and take the cheapest option, it is better to choose a multilayer reinforced product from a reliable manufacturer with a guarantee of 10 years, with protection from UV rays, and which can withstand pressure up to 6 atm.
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