Pressure Washer Hose Buyer's Guide

How to Pick the Perfect Replacement Hose

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High-pressure hoses take a heck of a beating from the pressurized water they contain.

 

After so much use (or misuse), they eventually wear down and need replacing. We recommend using a replacement hose that can handle the pressure. The durable materials in these hoses will not kink and curl like a simple garden hose.

There are four things you'll need to consider when choosing your replacement hose:

1. Length: This will help you decide how portable you'd like to be with your washer.
2. Diameter: Diameter is trickier. Hoses come in three widths: 1/4&#;, 5/16&#;,  and 3/8&#;.
3. Material: This will determine how flexible you'd like your hose to be.
4. Connections: Will you twist or snap your hose connections together?

 

 

Length

Are you washing in your driveway or around the whole house? Is your washer electrically-powered and needs to stay close to the outlet? Do you need to clean a second story? Choosing the right length for your hose can mean the difference between carting your setup around the job site and simply walking freely to where you need to work.

 

Diameter

Small (1/4") hoses are the most common. They are designed for consumer-grade electric and small gas power washers with pressure ratings up to 3,200 psi.

Mid-sized (5/16&#;) hoses are the least common. They are rated for prosumer-grade gas pressure washers that can withstand pressures between 2,700-3,600 psi.

Large (3/8&#;) hoses are designed for all professional models and some prosumer-grade gas pressure washers. These hoses can withstand serious water pressure up to 10,000 psi. Plus, they&#;re thicker to allow greater water volume (more gallons-per-minute).

 

Material

High-pressure hoses are made from three types of materials: PVC Plastic, Rubber, and Polyurethane. Deciding on a type of hose material will determine how flexible and durable they are, as well as if they'll end up leaving markings on your driveway or deck.

 

PVC Plastic hoses are the most common. These hard, plastic hoses do the job, but they&#;re not very flexible. If you get frustrated fighting your hose, you should consider upgrading to rubber or polyurethane.

Rubber hoses are heavier and more flexible than ordinary plastic hoses. They don&#;t kink and curl as often. However, rubber hoses tend to mark up the surface you're working on with black streaks as you slide them across the concrete.

Polyurethane hoses are relatively new to the market. The steel-braided hose is covered with a clear, bendable plastic casing. Professionals love these hoses because they offer the flexibility of rubber without the marring.

 

Connections

Every hose has two connections: One connects to the pump, and the other connects to the spray gun. There are also only two ways you can connect a hose to the pump: you can either twist or snap them together.

There are many ways you can connect a hose to the gun: Male M22, Female M22, Male QC plug, Female QC plug, and a female 3/8 inch NPT. Take a good look at the inlet on your gun. Most have a threaded male connector sticking out, but some are female, and others are quick-connect plugs.

If your gun has a male thread, you simply need to buy an ordinary replacement hose with two M22 threaded (female) connectors. One end screws into the pump the other screws into the gun.

If your gun has a male quick-connect plug, you simply buy a professional-grade hose with a 3/8&#; female snap coupler.

 

Replace, Don't Repair

High-pressure hoses are meant to withstand immensely powerful pressure over long periods of time. If your hose simply isn't holding up anymore, you need to replace the hose, and not attempt to repair it. It may seem tempting to try and fix it yourself, but no amount of water sealant or duct tape will ever be enough to beat out the original integrity of your hose material. 

 

Xinshun contains other products and information you need, so please check it out.

By Jim O.

Pressure Washer Expert

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Copely offers a wide range of watering hoses, specialising in not just gardening, but a number of applications. When looking for a hose suited to watering, it can be difficult figuring out which one is the ideal fit for your needs.

What Is a Watering Hose?

A watering hose is designed for the application and transfer of water in mind. Watering hoses are normally only suitable for the conveyance of water, unlike over hoses that are able to transfer various other liquids such as, chemicals and oils.

Purposes

Watering hoses aren&#;t just for gardening. They can be used for a variety of applications in a number of industries. They can be used for landscaping, watering large amounts of land; they can be used for clearing debris and dust in industrial sectors, such as building sites; they can also be used to hose down stables, and for general domestic use.

They can also be used for the watering of plants and produce in agricultural, horticultural, and gardening sectors. We have a number of watering hoses, for a variety of applications. Suitable for the occasional gardener to the more professional landscaper.

Industries

Watering hoses aren&#;t just suited to the gardening industry alone. Any application that requires the conveyance of water would benefit from one of these hoses. They can be used in a number of industries, from industrial to agriculture. Anything from industrial-scale farming to domestic use. Our watering range includes a wide variety of products, suited to a number of industries.

Material

All of our watering hoses are manufactured from PVC. Watering hoses need to be lightweight, flexible, and extremely durable if they are being moved frequently and dragged across the ground. PVC is the ideal material as it includes all of these features.

PVC is also versatile and can have a number of properties add to it, meaning that the finished hoses can be designed to suit and specialise in different applications. A few properties applied to our watering hose range are:

• Flexible &#; Hose made from a flexible PVC can be handled and stored with ease. PVC hoses are also able to be stored easier, with a reduced risk of kinking.

• Phthalate-Free &#; Phthalates are chemicals, primarily used on PVC hoses to make them more flexible and durable. It is a lingering chemical and so has a chance of passing onto whatever substance is being transferred through the hoses, because of this is it not REACH-approved. Phthalate-free hoses are ideal for watering hoses, especially ones used in the horticulture, agricultural, and the gardening sector, where hoses are used to water plants and food produce. This is why the majority of our watering range is phthalate-free. Our Aquaflex® hose, which is specialised for horticultural and agricultural applications, has a higher strength of phthalate-free PVC than the rest.

• Anti-Static &#; Hoses with an anti-static inner wall are used to reduce the risk of electrostatic charges, especially ideal for the industrial or construction industry.

Our watering hoses also contain polyester fibre reinforcement, making the hose more durable and sturdier, reducing the risk of abrasions.

Dimensions

It&#;s important to consider dimensions when selecting the ideal hose for your application. Our watering hoses come in a wide range of sizes.

The internal diameter ranges from 12.5mm to 50mm, whilst the external ranges from 17.25mm to 62mm.

When choosing the right diameter, it&#;s important to consider the amount of volume that will be needed for application. The higher the volume, the bigger the diameters should be. An application that requires a high volume of water, such as landscaping, will require a larger diameter compared to an application that requires a smaller amount, such as watering a small domestic garden.

If you need help working out the right diameter for your needs, we have handy interactive tables at the bottom of each product page. These tables allow you to work out the internal and external diameter, maximum working pressure, minimum burst pressure, weight per meter and bend radius.

Length

The length of a hose will need to be considered for the type of application in mind. For example, agricultural applications, which involve fieldwork, would require a hose with a lot of length, compared to hose needed for a standard gardening application, which would only need a few metres.

Most of our hoses are available in 25m, 50m, and 100m coils, so there is a length available for every type of application.

The only exceptions of the hoses from the Eden Garden Care range which are available in 15m, 30m, and 50m, as these are best suited for gardening applications.

Eden Compact is also only available in 20m, including the cassette, due to its space-saving properties.

The Ellbraid Reinforced Water Hose is available from 15m to 100m, depending on the dimensions needed.

Weight

Watering hoses are usually lightweight for both flexibility and ease of handling. Wight is especially important when working with large lengths of hose.

Our hoses will the smallest diameters weigh as little as 0.114kg, while our hoses with the larger diameters only weigh up to 0.672kg.

Colours

Most watering hoses come in a standard green, as this allows them to blend in with the grass and landscape. Whilst our range does include a number of green garden hoses, we are also able to offer a red reinforced hose, which stands out and is ideal for construction sites. Our range also includes yellow and topaz, as their unique colours make them easy to spot amongst greenery and dirt.

Accessories

Whilst our range of hoses are compatible with all standard watering equipment, our Eden Garden Care range also features a range of accessories including spray guns and connectors. They compliment the Eden Garden Care hoses but are also compatible with our full watering hose range.

We hope you have found this guide useful. We offer a wide range of watering hoses for a number of industries and applications, meaning that it&#;s easier than ever to find the right product for you. Please feel free to browse through our product range, or if you have already found what you are looking for, please feel free to get in touch with a member of our friendly sales team for a free quote.

For more information, please visit Industrial Flex Hose.