Garden hoses and fittings

https://www.vba.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0014/22361/5.06-Cold-Water-Plumbing-Maximum-Outlet-Pressure-Within-Buildings-Water-Supply-Flow-Rates.pdf

Taking this guide from the Vic Govt that references back to the Building Codes and Australian Standards it appears that 500kPa is the maximum pressure permitted at any tap used in domestic/residential installations.

For SE Qld Unity Water the retail supplier makes a commitment to minimum water pressure.
We have a commitment to supply water to our customers at a minimum pressure of 210 kPA. We operate and maintain our network to ensure water is delivered in accordance with these standards.

Unity Water is a little less specific about maximum water pressure. It is possible that the maximum pressure permitted in the supply line not is not assured by any form of statutory regulation, or may be permitted to be higher than 500kPa?

If you think you have unusually higher than normal water pressure, please contact us.

If you are concerned about your pressure being too high, we recommend that a private pressure limiting device be fitted on your water meter by a private plumber.

This looks like an interesting situation for the consumer.
For consumers with a pressure reducing valve on the household water supply, any failure of the valve to operate reliably, that allows household water pressure greater than 500kPa exposes the consumer to loss of warranty.

If a property due to age or other reasons does not have a pressure reducing valve on the supply and the mains pressure increases above 500kPa it would appear for consumers in SEQ the risk also remains with the property owner.

It may be useful for others to advise if the water supply retailers in other states have made any different commitments?

https://www.unitywater.com/faults-and-emergencies/water-supply-problems/water-pressure-issues

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We have two 30m Hoselink hoses. One has to go around a corner and the tension is so tight for me (a female) to use it is useless. We have gone back to the old one on a plastic reel.
The other one is on a straight run but by the time it is about two thirds out I have to pull it so hard I am practically prostrate
I would not purchase Hoselink again.
PS: I am not a small person


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Garden hoses including the fittings are rubbish. I remember the original nylex fitted nozzle were always good. And hoses never got twisted unlike ones now. Beats me i use a bucket to wash my car now or several buckets.

Like I said, try hoselink. Im now on 10 years or more with mine. I have had one trigger sprayer fail. All hose connections remain solid. For once, the advertising does not exaggerate.

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I had a look. I was wanting connector and hose which they have for normal use. Looks like they have the connection from the tap to hose parts. Hoses are expensive even from bunnings. But if you say that they don’t leak as advertised i might buy a hose and connectors. I just have to buy the right one cos i live in a unit. A communal tap exists to connect the screw part

I just started with one hose, tap connector, and triggered hand held sprayer. After that proved successful i bought another set, plus a connector which let me use my old metal sprinkler., plus another hand sprayer. Covered front yard and back. The hose reel might be nice but its bulky and I doubt I could manage it, so my hoses have been laying around for years and have still not deteriorated.

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I’ve got a hoselink reel that was there when we bought the house, so could be 10 - 25yrs. The labels have all gone, so I am not certain it is Hoselink. The hose is still good. The plastic reel housing is starting to disintegrate, powdering, cracking. The reel part does take some pulling and the lock no longer works, so you have to keep pressure on it to stop it retracting. I use it in the vegetable garden. I put star pickets at corners so that I can pull it around them, otherwise it is taut in a straight line and risks wiping out my plants as I move. The plastic connectors have all failed and been replaced.

The cows chew the hose Mr Z keeps leaving at the shed tap, so I bought a stainless steel hose. They don’t chew it, but being so long, it has ended up from tank to workshop and around. It is in the sun all the time. I bought it 3 years ago. $99 30m from Innovations.

image

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What I have found over the years is that male connectors on taps can vary slightly is shape causing other brands of connectors not to work as well. This is particularly the case between cheaper quality ones and those of different materials (plastics v brass). Other brands may leak or release when the pressure is increased. It might be worth seeing if you can find out the brand of male connector that has been installed on the tap and buying at least one female connector for the end of your hose. This end should be used to connect to the tap. You can also then chose any connector of your choice at the other end.

I wouldn’t recommend replacing this connector with your own as others may face the problem that their hose connection is a poor fit, resulting in leaks/releases.

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Unfortunately it is usually difficult to tell what products mate and which don’t without knowing the brand so it becomes trial and error. Fortunately the parts are only a few dollars, allowing for some trial and error to get it right, at least for most of us.

I have a few non-compatible bits I keep around, and each time I buy something non-compatible with what is on the hose, sometimes I find a pair of old but compatible parts in my ‘parts bin’ I can use.

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Looks great value if it is durable, given all our house hoses are two 15m hoses with a joiner to get to 30m. I use the old fashioned brass inline hose joiners.

We use a simple curved hose hanger at each tap, and loop the hose by hand when finished. The plastic clip lock fittings are replaced as matched pairs. We’ve tried brass, many times more expensive, but as noted by others reliable connection seems to be brand specific. It also gets very hot in the sun, which seems to harden or perish the o-rings.

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The Hoselink retractor is very good but bulky. The hose is a very good quality and lasts a long while. We finished cutting the fitting off the end of the hose so we could better use conventional attachments.
Never leave any hose turned on at the tap for long periods expecting the fitting at the end to stop the flow. Similarly when turning off the tap at the wall always depressurize the hose. That will give you longer life because hoses are certified based on a burst pressure not a extended period of pressure. This is more important with older hoses. Water hoses have a high level of “plasticisers”. Gives the hose its flexibility. Sunlight and leaching of plasticizers due to water affects all hoses.

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I purchased the Ned Kelly kit i tried it no leaks as another community member mentioned. I can See how it is waterproof or leak proof. They mentioned dont drop the nozzle so i will be careful to nor drop it.

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Also they mentioned on tbe tag of the spray nozzle don’t drop it. Othwr non hose link brand could drop and not be damaged

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I purchased hose link fittings and hand held nozzle i tested for leaks seems good. A tag attached mentioned do not drop the nozzle. Seems heavy duty construction. I hope it lasts longer than other nozzles purchased from other garden places. Along with being burst proof. I intentionally turned the tap off once finished using i suppose like any other hose. I didn’t buy the rewind reel. As i have a hose. So far so good.

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I purchased tbe starter kit so far no leaks from the wall or nozzle outlet. Theydo warm do not drop the nozzle so inam carefully using it i just use a regular hose seems fine.

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What are the best garden hose fittings?

A good hose fitting should be able to withstand a range of pressures and pull off forces without leaking.

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Hi @Radiohandflapper, I merged your query into this older topic that itself includes multiple older topics, all relevant. You might find some good leads in the prior posts.

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It is interesting that someone else asked the same question as myself. To date there has not been any other reply.
Is this in the too hard basket. I have now tried Holman brass fitting which seem superior to the plastic ones also the use double O rings to provide better leak control. I await for further comment.

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There were many recommendations for Hoselink products in previous posts.

Re brass I found if one goes all brass with a single brand it usually works a treat, but mixing brands or brass and plastic doesn’t always work well.

All the mass market plastic ones seem to degrade from UV even in ‘sunny Melbourne’ so I keep a few spares of each type. Further they do not always play well together so one needs to stick with a single brand for the best result using that brand/product.

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We also have brass fitting (can’t remember the brand as they are about 20+ years old), and agree that they superior to any of the plastic fittings we have. All together we have 4 brass male and female connectors, and around a dozen or more plastic ones of different makes, models and colours.

The plastic ones are significantly cheaper, but, only at the register. The brass ones are cheaper in the long run as they last forever when cared for. The only maintenance we have done on the brass fittings is to replace the o-rings when they perish/split (which can be prolonged with a little Vaseline from time to time). Plastic ones get brittle in sunlight/over time and break as a result.

The brass ones, being the same brand click together and hold better than plastic ones. They tend to hold under normal (and more extreme) use, where the plastic ones tend to break (such as male connectors on taps) or connectors break apart with force.

The only downside of the brass one is the connectors are great when the same make/model is used, but tend to be less reliable (inc leaks and/or disconnections) when connected with a different brand/model either brass or plastic. We have found the same with plastic connectors as well.

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