Do kink-free hoses really exist?
Juttah
13 years ago
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mangledmind
13 years agoMaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
13 years agoRelated Discussions
Hose free gardening...
Comments (21)I hand water from plastic rain barrels, lol. I have looked into alternate means. I'm quite convinced that a mixture of permaculture practices and food forest gardening can reduce the effort of watering, and the need for water carrying mechanisms (to some degree). I think your question is an excellent one xhalestarz. It reminds some of us that if we are interested, we should perhaps consider what our hose is made from, where it is made, how it gets here, who makes it etc. I am in the process of dividing up my garden. Areas where I am growing perennial fruits will be more permaculture guild planted. Current wide open spaces that will eventually have trees will be slowly food forested in all the most sloping areas (slopes are an advantage here for many tree fruits). I am building in some raised beds, built of broken concrete (I am "filling" them with any living matter I can find that composts well) behind them there will be swales to direct water, and hold it in the soil a bit longer (we have dumping rains here that are brief and water tends to scour instead of soak in). I designed everything in a spiral (the end is a drain) so that excess water could flow down the swales and round and anything not needed go back into the water system again. I have an area that in large rains collects a lot of water. Between some large trees I am going to add dry wells (constructed from a mixture of rubble rock/stone and old branches etc). I am also planning a dry creek that feeds a natural pond. The pond will filter water, hold water and be an excellent place for water loving plants to surround. Excess water will drain from this into the drain. I will be using some hose. I will have some drip irrigation (needs much less frequent replacement of parts here than does a soaker hose), but my other efforts minimalize. Heavy mulching minimalizes. Water is held in underground cisterns for watering. Near the more traditional vegetable gardens currently have rain barrels and a hose if needed. The hose isn't used very often, I tend to tote water in cans. That can be done, it's still a manageable size to do but I must do a bit every single day in a rotation to keep it moist. Eventually we are planning an interior (to the house) water containment with a solar pump and short hoses with drip systems. We will be increasing one time purchases (or few time purchases, for the most part) of plastic hosing and drip irrigation however the long term planning, and the carbon offset of producing much of our own diet makes it worthwhile and sensible. Food forests and urban reforestation in general is also helpful to vanishing urban ecosystems. I think your question can be answered in a very wholistic way. Instead of just focusing on the hose, in general, focus on the big picture, the entire garden, it's purpose, your needs, it's needs....See MoreKink free water hose
Comments (2)We only use Gilmore brand, 'flexogen' at our nursery. In my opinion, theres a great deal of difference in your hoses. Any hose will kink if you try hard enough, but flexogen is pretty difficult to kink. It lasts a lot longer than anything I've used, and if you can find the crimping tool, you can replace the fittings when they get bad. (usually, in our circumstance, from being driven over) If you just need a decent hose for around the house, I would take a look at that black 'craftsman' hose from sears. Its a bit cheaper, and a pretty good hose for regular use. Won't kink. If you need something for heavy-duty use, like a nursery, I really can't recommend anything but the flexogen....See MoreKink free garden hoses and hose storage
Comments (4)I have hose troubles too. I have had really bad luck with every hose I have bought from OSH recently. The regular hoses kink horribly. The "Kink-free" hoses sprout leaks in them after just a few months. They are also stiff and hard to handle. For storage, I have one of those boxes where you turn the handle and the hose reels itself in. I also use a nozzle on the end of the hose where you can turn the nozzle to shut off the water. I think the water must build up pressure in the hose when I turn the nozzle to 'off.' Maybe that is stressing the hose fabric too much, so it develops leaks? (And it is not like we have good water pressure either). I'm taking the hose I have now back to OSH because it developed leaks after only 3 or 4 months. It is supposed to have a lifetime guarantee, so I want my money back OSH!...See MoreLead-free bathroom shower hose (w/o Prop 65 warning)?
Comments (21)I support the intent of Proposition 65, but that doesn't mean that just because a compound is present in a product then all uses of the product are dangerous. For example, it's one thing to continually drink hot water from water pipes and/or fixtures that contain lead; it's another thing to shower in it. The intent of Proposition 65 is to alert people that certain products contain certain harmful components (which is good) so they can make individual decisions about exposure and risk...which most people aren't equipped to do. An inability to know how to interpret the warning can mean people are fearful of anything to do with a product when, in fact, proper use of it may pose absolutely zero risk. If vinyl asbestos tile were still being produced it would deservedly carry a Proposition 65 warning even though it is safe to have in your home -- as many millions of people do -- as long as you don't decide to do something stupid, like remove it with a floor sander. There's a proposition 65 warning on gasoline, and I try to avoid inhaling fumes when gassing up my car, but I haven't stopped going to the gas station (nor do I think it will give me cancer). What this thread illustrates is that we pretty much all agree certain materials are harmful, but we don't agree that just because they are present in some trivial quantity it constitutes a risk. A basic tenet of risk assessment is to look at paths of exposure: just because something is present doesn't mean you are being exposed to that material in a way that poses a meaningful risk. So, for me, the fact that something has a Proposition 65 warning may be useful info, but the next question is what does that really mean? And more specifically, it doesn't tell me that a shower hose with a Proposition 65 warning poses a risk if all I use it for is showering....See Morera
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