At the same time I’m not naive enough to think that somebody threw away a garden hose because it was in good working order.
I ended up finding a small hole in the hose. But for $1.92 I fixed the hose and now it works perfect.
Have you thrown out a garden hose that has a hole, or because one of the ends got run over by a car or the lawn mower?
Does it drive you crazy if you see a little drip coming from one of the ends?
Stop fretting over your hose and fix it yourself!
Confession time. I just learned how to fix these common problems… The good news? So can you!
Fixing the Female End
Most hoses are 5/8 inch or 1/2 inch. If it’s dripping where the female end connects to the spigot or hose most likely you need to simply replace the rubber washer inside.
You can get a 10 pack for under $4.
You replaced the washer and it’s still leaking. Many times it leaks on the metal ribs of the hose. If that’s the case you need to fix it.
- Make a clean/straight cut through the hose
- Purchase a female mender for your size hose. Not sure of the size? Bring a piece of your hose to the hardware store.
- I like the metal ones that use a simple hose clamp, picture 1 (much cheaper than the metal clamp with screws, picture 2).
- Put the clamp over the hose and then push the mender as far as it allows.
- Tighten the clamp about a quarter of an inch below the top of the mender and tighten along one of the ribs.
Fixing the Male End
Once again start with a washer check. It’s always a good idea to replace the washer if unsure.
- Make a clean/straight cut through the hose
- Purchase a male mender for your size hose. Not sure of the size? Bring a piece of your hose to the hardware store.
- I like the metal ones that use a simple hose clamp, picture number one (much cheaper than the metal clamp with screws, picture 2). I ended up using one similar to picture 3 because I had an extra lying around the house.
- Put the clamp over the hose and then push the mender as far as it allows.
- Tighten the clamp about a quarter of an inch below the top of the mender and tighten along one of the ribs.
Fixed Male End
Fixing a hole in the middle of the hose
- Make a clean/straight cut through the hose.
- Purchase a mender for your size hose. Not sure of the size? Bring a piece of your hose to the hardware store.
- If the hose doesn’t have a line make one with a Sharpie marker. Combine the line to keep the same curve in the hose otherwise the hose will not want to wrap properly.
- Make sure clamp is nice and tight (use a socket wrench if you can’t tighten enough with a regular screw driver.
I prefer using metal because they last longer and have less problems even though they cost a little more.
With the first mender you need to know the exact size of the hose but costs a lot less than the second mender.
They also come in the plastic variety like picture 3.
Hello buddy,
I really enjoy your blog and your work is quite interesting.
I have to appreciate your work andefforts..
It is incredible.
Best regards,
Balle Hessellund
cool
I rent a small apartment attached to my landlord’s house, wish I could have a hose. I would love to learn to grow some flowers and a few vegetables.
Thank you for the great information and helpful tips..They are very useful.🤗
I keep parts on hand, hoses are going to mess up sooner or later. I have switched mainly to the flexible hoses. I keep repair parts on hand for them to. I like the flexible hoses because they are lighter and easier to drag around. Downside is they aren’t as durable as the standard garden hose.
I leave all this stuff to my husband 🙂
Great post! Thank you!
Great info I always just got rid of and got a new one, never even thought to try to fix it.
Thanks for the tips! I always throw away hoses when they have holes in them, never thought about fixing them
Thanks for the tips Love to learn more
Havent bought a hose in years because my neighbors know to give me their broken ones som I can fix them..
very helpful, thanks!
This is good to know. I didn’t realize they have repair kits.
great tips for keeping it out of the landfill
You have no idea how many hoses I have thrown away.
I always seem to wind up with a hole in a new hose. I swear, I don’t abuse it, lol, but I manage to damage the hose every time, usually in just a few weeks. Buying new ones can get pricy.
I didn’t know you could do this, I’m happy I read your article, thank you very much.
Thanks for the information! I love the fact you go step by step and have photos.
Thanks for the tips!
Thank you I always end up with holes in my hoses and now I can go back to this BLOG! Very helpful!
Thanks for the helpful tips. I have thrown out several garden hoses.
Good article could very easily come in handy, thanks
Have a garden…have a garden hose!
I rent so the landlord would just replace it
Thanks for the tips a lot cheaper then throwing them out like I do .
We have fixed several ….I guess depends on how many holes there are. Eventually it seems you have to get a new one.
Thanks for the helpful tips!
Frugal advice!
Great tips. Thank you
Thanks for the info!
Thanks for the advice. I usually have to buy new hoses every summer.
No matter the brand or quality of the hose I seem to be able to puncture it. Your tips are great!
This is the first I have ever been on your site. Interesting.
Great information, thanks for sharing!
Great tips! Thanks for sharing.
I have quite a few of these lying around that need to be fixed. Thank you for the valuable info!
Great tips.
could use the side table….thanks for the opportunity to win it!
great info! thanks
nice
thanks for the tip
Interesting. I never thought about fixing a hose, just replacing it.
Thanks for the useful tips!
I’ll have to forward this to my husband who is always looking for a way to keep our old one rather than buy a new one
I have repaired mine over the years as well.its easy and is such a cheap fix. I like the information you gave its easy to follow is you have not done it before.
You have such helpful tips & tricks! Thank you. We have done this too!
Good advice! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I didn’t realize they have repair kits.
This is so useful, thanks. I have had need for this fix up and ended up just getting a new hose darn it.
Awesome! I had no idea you could fix a hose like this!
Great post! I need to get me some repair kits to fix some hoses I have.
These are some great tips. Usually we just go and buy a new hose.
My husband does it all the time. He is pretty handy to have around!
great information
We have thrown out a garden hose that has a hole. So this is wonderful advice and information that my husband would appreciate.
Thanks for the great information, always love new helpful ti0s.
Appreciate the tips. Thank you.
We have had broken hoses. Either the kids had a hand in breaking them or a lawn mower ran over a couple of them. I know
my husband has fixed a nozzle or two. His favorite fix it tool is duct tape. We keep a lot on hand.
Thank you for sharing this diy money saving tip!
This is good to know because sooner or later we all have this happen to us.
Thanks
I always have trouble with leaking hoses, partly because I have to use 3 hoses linked together to reach my big flower gardens. Now, I know how to fix that!
Great info! I have a couple that need repair right now.
Thanks for the tips. Also for reminding me to get a new hose!
can not wait to get my garden going
Great tips for repairing those leaky old hoses!
I am a money saver and I love fixing things myself! Thanks for the info!!!
I am also a dumpster diver.
It has been a combination of both, depending on the size, number and location of the damage.
Thanks for the info. Reuse is my mantra!
Have done this many times. Hoses are expensive to replace! It really doe work for quite a while.
Thank you so much for the great tips.
My husband has repaired many hoses himself before. Great way to save money and reuse items.
Great hose repair tips! Thank you!