I know this sounds like an odd topic because soaker hoses
This happened to me recently as I peered out into the garden one day and saw water shooting up about 3 feet in the air. The bad thing about the situation was that I had just finished laying down the soaker hoses just a couple days prior. I guess that is what I get for buying the cheaper hoses.
The good news is that it is not very difficult to repair a hole in a hose – including soaker hoses. All you need is a sharp pair of scissors, or knife, a Phillips head screwdriver
The first thing you need to do is to cut the hose at the point of the hole with the scissors or sharp knife – be careful with the knife. We don’t want any missing digits or blood.
It can get tough to reach the area as good as you would like, especially if your garden is crowded like mine. Be sure of where you are stepping or kneeling, you do not want to damage any plants.
Once the hose has been cut, you now need to splice it using the hose splicer. Loosen the screws in one of the connectors, and remove it. This should reveal one side of the barbed insertion pipe. The barbing on the pipe is there to help hold the connector in place.
Now push the exposed barbed pipe into one end of the hose. This may take a little force. Try twisting the connector some while pushing. Make sure the hose slides on the way up the pipe until it touches the divider in the middle.
You can now put the connector on the hose on this side. Do not tighten it up just yet – just snug the screws up enough to hold the connector in place. Make sure the connector halves line up and seat properly.
Loosen the screws on the other connector, and remove it from the splicer. I left it on before because it gives you something to grab when pushing the first side on.
Now insert the barbed pipe into the hose as you did for the other side – twisting and pushing at the same time. Remember to push the hose all the way up the pipe until it touches the divider in the middle.
Now the connector for this side can be put in place. Make sure the connector halves line up and seat properly. I put the screws facing the same direction on both sides to make it easier when tightening.
Tighten both screws on each connectors. Do not tighten one screw all the way down. Tighten a screw just a little, then tighten the adjacent screw a little. Keep working back and forth until both connectors are as tight as you can get them. Doing this ensures the connectors are tightened evenly. The sides of the two connector halves should be touching, or very close to touching by now.
It is time to turn on the water and see how well your repaired hose is working. That is it! Your soaker hose is now back up and running with no leaks. Well, no geyser-like leaks anyway.
More Fantastic Vegetable Gardening Articles:
Hi,
http://www.veggiegardener.com – da best. Keep it going!
Elcoj
Very helpful.
I’m curious about using soaker hoses generally. How often and how long do you run water through your soakers?
Hi Dee – Typically I use soaker hoses whenever my plants need water which is about 3 times a week depending on how much rain I’ve received. During the hot, dry summer days I may run it every day for about 2 hours or so. Soaker hoses barley drip water so it can take them a while to get a good soak. Soaker hoses or a drip irrigation system are the best methods for watering vegetable plants in my opinion. They deliver water where they are needed most – at the roots. They help save time, water costs and help to prevent some diseases like blights and powdery mildew.
One tip when using soaker hoses – Turn the water on just enough to create a steady but small drip from the hoses. Turning the water pressure up full blast can creates more bursts and holes in the hose. Also, it is well worth the money to buy top quality soaker hoses, as the cheapies can rupture a lot faster. The soaker hose featured in this article was a cheapie and I ended up repairing five times before I eventually bought a better quality hose.
I hope this answers your questions! Thank you for stopping by and asking about soaker hoses!
Tee
Thanks for this! I just got a hole in my first soaker hose in a long line of 4, and I REALLY didn’t want to have to dig it up! The duct tape fix did not work at all, so I’m going to have to give this a try. Otherwise, garden 1 ends up a giant puddle and the rest get no water!
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Hi Jennah,
This is a handy, easy trick for plugging those aggravating soaker hose holes. One tip if you aren’t already doing it – avoid turning the spigot on all the way. The heavy pressure will cause holes to pop much easier. Just turn the water on enough for a trickle to come out of the hose.
I’m using a new style hose this year (well, new to me) so I’m anxious to see if it works, and lasts, better.
Thanks for your comment and have a great day!
Tee