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Choosing the right type of hose pipe to keep your garden watered will make gardening much easier. One popular type of hose is the expandable slinky garden hose. These are perhaps some of the best types of garden hoses that money can buy. This guide will look at some of the main benefits of using such a hose pipe, and also a few reasons why they might not be perfect for you.

Using a Slinky Hose is Easy

A slinky garden hose is extremely easy to use, in fact it can be used in almost exactly the same way as a regular hose pipe. It can be connected to a fast fit connection on your outdoor tap. Then it’s just a matter of turning the tap on and allowing it to fill up with water. As the pipe fills with water it will start to expand to its full size. It shouldn’t take long to expand. With the hose extended you can then drag it anywhere around your garden to water all over.

After you’ve finished using the hose, turn the water off and it will start retracting. Make sure you open the nozzle to allow all of the water to drain out. As it starts to retract and get smaller you can then curl it up and hang it back on the hook or around the tap.

Convenience

Traditional hose pipes on reels take up a lot of space and are difficult to move around. A slinky hose will save a lot of space since it will retract itself after use. Instead of needing to put a heavy roll on the wall or moving it into your shed, the whole hose pipe can hang on a small hook. The hose will take up a fraction of the space.

A slinky garden hose is also much easier to take around with you. If you want to move it from the front to the back garden for example this will be much simpler with a flexi hose pipe. Slinky hoses will also drain all of the water out of the pipe themselves. When they retract the water will be pushed out.

Expanding garden hoses are very lightweight and highly portable. One of the best things about an expanding hose is that it doesn’t kink or twist in the same way as other hose pipes. This will make washing your car much less frustrating since you haven’t got to worry about unkinking your hose pipe every five minutes.

Quality Slinky Garden Hose

Not all slinky hoses are the same, it’s worth doing your homework and choosing a good quality hose which will last for a long time. A good quality hose should have a thick internal pipe. Try feeling the expanding hose and checking the quality yourself. Also it’s important to choose a hose which has brass fittings since these are more durable and reliable. One of the easiest ways to find a good quality expanding hose pipe is to read reviews online.

The only real downside of an expanding hose is that they require fairly high pressure water to operate. If you have low water pressure, or try to use it with the tap only partially open, then the hose pipe won’t expand as it should. This can make it quite annoying to do certain jobs like filling up paddling pools.

Taking Care of the Slinky Garden Hose

Even the best quality expanding garden hose will only last a long time if it’s cared for properly. Be careful when dragging the hose pipe around your garden that you don’t cause any damage to the outer pipe. It can become damaged when rubbing against concrete or asphalt. Also avoid leaving the hose pipe out in direct sunlight for extended periods of time. Sunlight will make the rubber pipe brittle which will cause it to wear out quicker.

When you’re not using the slinky garden hose you must make sure that the tap is completely turned off. Even a slight drip of water running through the pipe over an extended period of time can cause damage. You must also make sure the hose is completely empty of water before it freezes. Frozen water can cause damage to the pipe.

Expanding garden hoses are defiantly worth considering if you are struggling with a standard hose pipe. They have lots of benefits and very few drawbacks. As long as you take good care of an expanding hose then it will last for many years. They will make watering your garden and washing your car much easier.