Hose Health
June 23, 2006 9:50 AM Subscribe
How do I keep our garden hoses from corroding and sticking together?
Every time I need to unhook the hoses, I find that one or more of them has corroded and won't come apart. I read the Meta advice on how to unstick the hoses, but what do we do to keep them from sticking in the first place? Is graphite a good answer? Or WD 40 or some other oil? Will these things damage plants if they come in contact with them, or is the amount so small it won't matter?
There must be a very simple answer, but I couldn't find it.
Every time I need to unhook the hoses, I find that one or more of them has corroded and won't come apart. I read the Meta advice on how to unstick the hoses, but what do we do to keep them from sticking in the first place? Is graphite a good answer? Or WD 40 or some other oil? Will these things damage plants if they come in contact with them, or is the amount so small it won't matter?
There must be a very simple answer, but I couldn't find it.
Vaseline ought to be harmless to plants. (That means like, don't get it in your lungs, but for this sort of problem, it ought to be OK.)
Have you tried Teflon plumbing tape?
I use plastic quick release couplers on everything, so I don't have this.
posted by unrepentanthippie at 10:10 AM on June 23, 2006
Have you tried Teflon plumbing tape?
I use plastic quick release couplers on everything, so I don't have this.
posted by unrepentanthippie at 10:10 AM on June 23, 2006
On preview, great minds.....
posted by unrepentanthippie at 10:11 AM on June 23, 2006
posted by unrepentanthippie at 10:11 AM on June 23, 2006
Response by poster: Haven't tried either one, but would be willing to give them both a go - we have more than one hose. How well do the quick couplers work? Do they leak around the couplings?
posted by clarkstonian at 10:40 AM on June 23, 2006
posted by clarkstonian at 10:40 AM on June 23, 2006
Depending on the brand (and there are multitudes) most of them leak a bit, but I just try to arrange that part over a tree base or something, and the water goes to a good cause.
posted by unrepentanthippie at 10:45 AM on June 23, 2006
posted by unrepentanthippie at 10:45 AM on June 23, 2006
Teflon tape, unless you unhook them often- then it's kind of a pain since you have to redo it every time.
Do your hoses have brass or galvanized couplings? Brass usually won't get sticky, but galvanized will.
posted by oneirodynia at 3:06 PM on June 23, 2006
Do your hoses have brass or galvanized couplings? Brass usually won't get sticky, but galvanized will.
posted by oneirodynia at 3:06 PM on June 23, 2006
I use brass quick release couplings on my hoses and accessories, mostly because that makes it much more likely that I will put them away when I am done with them.
posted by brianogilvie at 9:46 AM on June 25, 2006
posted by brianogilvie at 9:46 AM on June 25, 2006
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Opposite George at 10:07 AM on June 23, 2006