Garden hoses and fittings

Thank you all. Now the decision is do I get the white one or the green?

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I would tend toward the white one. White generally reflects more light (esp. infrared) where as green is more likely to absorb. The more light absorbed, potentially the quicker the hose will harden/age. This assumes that both have the same compositionā€¦just different colour.

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Thanks, didnā€™t think of that.

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I buy all Hoselink products. They might be dearer but excellent quality ā€¦ dont burst off or leak. Their hosereels work well too. 10 yr guarantee Aussie company. Check them out online. Iā€™ve totally given up on other gardening products.

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The hose warranty may be longer than the connectors which only last a couple of years before they fail if plastic or twice that if brass. Most hoses will fail after five years due to abuse like running over with the car etc. unless they retract into a covered carrier protected from UV rays. Regarding using a hose with a pressure unit, the hose should not pressurise as it is on the supply side of the unit. If it is under pressure then the gerni or whatever is faulty as pressurising a garden hose is actually quite dangerous. Suggest you get the pressure washer checked over before bits of your garden hose become UFOā€™s.

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No, the pressure unit has nothing to do with the hose pressure. Iā€™m sure a normal hose would be blown to bits by a pressure unit. We came here from a country town which had fairly low water pressure. I could not believe the pressure from a normal tap. I watched a neighbour clean his eaves and thought he was using a pressure unit but it was just straight water pressure out of the tap. This extra water pressure Iā€™m sure shortens the life of the hoses but it just seemed to me that the splits seemed to be happening for more often than a few years ago when hoses were thicker.

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No problems with splitting. In relation to popping off the connectors, I have found that the brass connectors are much better at holding onto the hoses. Sometimes the hoses come with plastic fittings. If they are the thin plastic varieties I replace them with brass immediately. If they are the thicker name brand ones, they can last quite a long time and do seem to grip pretty well, but not as well as the brass.

My most common point of failure is the female connector end, where the plastic teeth inside perish and snap. Also, the o-rings need to be checked and replaced on the male end as they can thin out considerably.

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Iā€™ll second that, but I also found the brass fittings are not as compatible with the plastic ones as might be expected. Some (not all) plastic males will randomly jettison from a brass female fitting under even modest pressure. Likewise a brass male can get stuck in a plastic female. Very minor differences in measurements and edge design can have consequences. Bottom line is if ones goes with brass it can be an all or nothing exercise.

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Iā€™ll third that. We have even accidentally driven over a brass connector which survived, unlike a plastic one.

We have also fund that the plastic fitting tend to get brittle and the male fitting tend to break at the bottom of the shaft. We have brass fitting which are about 20 years old and still going strongā€¦albeit with rubber o-ring replacement occasionally.

Unlike @PhilT, we find the male brass fittings tend to jettison or leak profusely from a female plastic fitting. The plastic flanges which grip on the shaft seem to be the wrong shape or donā€™t protrude enough for the brass ones.

The only downside to the brass ones is one need to regularly tighten the fitting as they loosen faster than the plastic ones.

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I use loctite or a similar sticky compound on the thread to stop the loosening. I have also used a smallish drop of silicone sealer on the thread to achieve the same result, too much and it is very hard to undo when needed but just a smidgen does a great job.

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I have two hoses from Bunnings both on reels, both bought several years ago,one has plastic fittings, the other brass fittings.I have had no trouble with either of them because I look after them. By this I mean I keep them in the garage, pull them out when I go to use them, and put them back afterwards.
Lazy people who leave them all over the place in the sun, and then run their cars over them are sure to have trouble with any product. Like anything, look after it and you will be ok. It takes no time at all to wheel them out and back in afterwards.

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What is required is for proper tests to be done on all the hoses and fittings available.
My guess would be that 50% would fail the ā€œfit for purposeā€ test.
Of the rest most would not meet the warranty specified on the product.
But then governments donā€™t see themselves as providing or enforcing any meaningful consumer protection.
At least we have Choice.

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Actually itā€™s the opposite as far as UV absorption.
Youā€™re probably thinking, ā€œWait, I thought dark colors attracted the sun!ā€ Interestingly, although they attract more heat than light hues, they actually offer greater UV protection, because the rays canā€™t penetrate the fabric as well. Darker material has a higher ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) rating, which measures the amount of sun protection certain fabrics provide. For instance, a dark green cotton shirt has a UPF of 10, whereas the same exact shirt in white has a UPF of 7.

While colour does affect UV transmission, colour can affect its absorption. It is the absorption that will cause damage as the energy of the absorbed UV waves is what denatures the material. Other factors affecting the UV absorption are type of material, reflectiveness and its thickness and density etc.

For plastics, latex and rubber compounds, the additional of UV stabilisers is also likely to influence product life/UV exposure resistance. A similar product with UV stabilisers will last longer in a UV environment to one without.

UPF is also different to damage caused by UV. If your example is correct, the white shirt is likely to have a longer life in UV environments as more UV will pass through/reflected by it. The dark green cotton will absorb more UVā€¦of which will denature the fabric quicker resulting in a shorter comparable life. Initial denaturing may be colour loss and surface fabric deterioration.

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UPF = UV protection factor! Dark colours resist UV degradation. Itā€™s why they recommend darker coloured water tanks that sit in the sun all day. Have a read here:

We purchased 3 Hozelink retractable hoses for our new home and another 2 for our daughters, & all additional fittings. The rewind is quite hopeless, seems to pull to one side so doesnā€™t fully retract on at least 2 of ours, the 3rd doesnā€™t get used very often so havenā€™t noticed if it is also difficult. My daughter has complained about hers as well. The fittings seem to be affected by the weather so we canā€™t change the settings on them. Previously we purchased retractable hoses from Bunnings and whilst they were not ideal they are a 3rd of the price of Hozelink, plus much easier to return to Bunnings than trying to return a Hozelink. Donā€™t think we will bother with Hozelink againā€¦

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No, UPF does not suggest longer life. For clothing, it corresponds to uv transmission through the fabric. Lower upf means more transmission of uv light.

The black tanks in the link have carbon added to the moulded plastic, while I havenā€™t researched carbon effects in plastic, taking face value of what is on the tank website, the carbon acts as a uv stabiliser.

If one paints a house white (or even a car) for example, white paint will last longer and in better condition that an equivalent black paint over the same period.

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Looks like weā€™ll have to agree to disagree phbriggs! I would encourage anyone following this thread to google the information and make up their own minds. Please have a look at the link re water tanks I have provided. Those people would be in the forefront of what this thread is covering. Have a great day ph! My input on this is at an end!

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I got sick of hoses splitting, kinking etc so I bit the bullet and purchased a Hoselink brand retractable hose and fittings. So far so good. I love it!

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I w?onder if the thin hoses are imported from China. ?