Have you used Soaker Hose?
Question:I live in Decatur, MI. We are suffering from an extreme "local" drought. Meaning that there hase been rain around and close to us but nothing in town for months. We keep just missing it. So, I already gave up on my lawn, but my hedges started dying. I bought soaker hose, but of the 5 bundles I bought, only one worked right. The rest all leaked out at the begginning. Are you having the same problem? Know a brand thats better than the others? Whats the longest line of soaker you have run that still works like it should throughout? The store I bought it from got me new hose to try. Maybe the stuff i got was old. Is there something like it that works better? Someone told me to drill very small holes in a regular hose and use that.
Answers:
Soaker hoses are a joke to me! I have always used an old garden hose with holes poked into it after it starts to leak & no longer works for the use of a regular sprinkler or hand held sprayer/nozzle. It very easy to convert. You don't need to "drill" the holes, but you can if you want to. I just use any sharp pointed metal object to poke holes from one end of the hose to the other every inch or so, depending on how much water you want to drip out! I use an old ice pick that I re-sharpen when I need to. In the past, I have used 10 penny nails, old steak knives, & a retractable cutting knive/blade to make holes in worn out & damaged hoses. I tried a soaker hose only once & I did not like the way it delivered water & was afraid that it would fail under the faucet pressure. I don't need to worry about stuff like that when I make my own drip system! Oh, I cap the end of the hose off with an old spray nozzle OR an end cap from the hardware/plumbing department! My longest is 75 feet & it works like a charm if I keep it on low for 3 days at a time, then move it to a different location every week.
Yes, I have used them before but only one at a time. I just move the one every hour or so. Never had one fail. Holes in a rubber hose sounds difficult to get right to me.
I used to work in a garden center, and leaks were the number one complain on soaker hoses. If the leak it coming out of either end, it may be possible to seal the leak with some sealant or rubber cement. Drilling holes in a regular hose can work as well, but can be time consuming and cause the hose integrety to be compromised, thus making it easier to break or tear.
I'm not sure I understand your problem. My soaker hose "leaks" at the faucet end, too. The entire length of the hose allows for the water to escape and drip irrigate. I have used two lengths of soaker hose joined together but right now my watering needs only require one length. I would have to measure them to tell you the exact length. I love them. They water my shrubs perfectly.
Did you put a good washer in at the faucet end? The ones that come with the hose usually fall out long before you get them.
If you use the flat type with holes, cover it with mulch. Then you can just let it trickle into the soil and not spray into the air where it will evaporate. And I've never found a hose that doesn't spray from both sides, no matter what they tell you. I prefer the all black "sweaty" hoses that ooze water from the entire hose, rather than holes.
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