As we know, plants are composed mainly of water. Due to this, they live, receiving hydrogen and oxygen. However, after analyzing the situation with the amount of precipitation that has developed in recent years, we can draw a disappointing conclusion: the amount of life-giving moisture that the soil receives is clearly not enough for the normal functioning of plant organisms.
That is why each gardener should have their own irrigation system in the garden or at least several tens of meters of rubber gut. In today's article, we'll talk about how to choose
watering hoses. Reviews and expert advice will help us make the right choice.
Reinforced or unreinforced - which is better?
Depending on the conditions available on the site, the gardener may need either an intake or watering hose. The first is used if a well has been drilled nearby and there is a well in the garden. As a rule, in the manufacture of intake hoses, rigid reinforcement is made. Thanks to this, the product lasts much longer and does not deform.
Watering hose can also be reinforced. In this case, the risk of creasing the product is reduced to a minimum. Reinforced hoses are much more convenient to work with. Compared to their counterparts, they never crack and withstand a lot of pressure inside the system. Often, such products can withstand loads of up to 40 bar. However, they are very difficult to deform.
As for the design, reinforced hoses have 4 inner layers, which provide hardness and durability to the product. True, they have their own drawback. It consists in weight. Such hoses are several times heavier than their unreinforced competitors, which makes it very difficult to carry them over long distances. Therefore, these products are used most often in small household plots.
Unreinforced analogues
And what are the features of unreinforced watering hoses? Reviews of gardeners primarily note their low weight (wall thickness is not more than 3-4 millimeters), as well as low cost. Such products are very light and flexible, and therefore compact. True, they are used only when the water pressure does not exceed 5 bar. Also unreinforced hoses are very afraid of temperature extremes. Therefore, in winter they need to be stored in some kind of warm room, so that a thin layer of material does not crack in the spring.
There are also plastic irrigation hoses . Reviews of gardeners very often criticize such products, since they are very fragile and unstable to mechanical damage. But that is not all. Over time, a plaque of lime forms on their walls. After that, they become simply unusable.
So what to choose?
Based on the foregoing, the best option would be reinforced hoses for irrigation. Reviews say that such products are virtually maintenance free and impossible to cut. In terms of service life, such hoses are many times superior to their vinyl (unreinforced) competitors. Depending on the intensity of use, these products can withstand up to 10 or more seasons of operation, while vinyl analogues last for a maximum of 1-2 seasons.
About length
How long should a stretch irrigation hose be? Reviews say that the optimal length needs to be selected for each gardener individually, due to the large difference in the area of the personal plot. It is very simple to choose the required size - just measure the distance from the tap (or other water source) to the extreme point of irrigation. The obtained value will be that ideal length (it is desirable to round it to tens, mainly to the larger side). Today in the markets you can buy products from 7 to 100 meters, so there will definitely not be problems with choosing the right option.
Spiral hose for irrigation - reviews of gardeners on the choice of diameter
If there are no special problems with choosing the required hose length, then in the case of choosing its diameter, you need to remember a few rules. Firstly, these parameters are interconnected. That is, the greater the length of the product, the larger should be its diameter. Otherwise, you will reduce the amount of water supplied, respectively, the time spent in the garden will increase several times. Secondly, if your pressure system is not able to provide a normal flow, you should still pay attention to hoses with a smaller diameter. Thus, it is necessary to consider not only the length, but also the pressure level. Most often in the markets there are products with the following diameter values:
- 13 millimeters.
- 19 millimeters.
- 25 millimeters.
Operating pressure
As we said earlier, reinforced hoses can withstand pressure up to 40 bar. But does it make sense to overpay for an unnecessary number of layers if the pressure in your system is, for example, 10 bar? Of course not. Therefore, before buying, be sure to ask the seller how many layers a particular hose has. With each new coating, the product is able to withstand 5-6 bar more pressure.
Compare this figure with what pressure your pump gives out, and choose the most optimal option. But what if it is a single-layer plastic hose for drip irrigation? Reviews of gardeners say that such products are very vulnerable to
water pressure, so when using them, you need to vary the position of the handle of the tap, so as not to tear their walls.
Temperature Range
When choosing, pay attention to the maximum and minimum temperature that the hose is able to withstand so as not to lose its performance. And if you think that in winter its storage in the barn will protect the product from deformation and cracks, you are deeply mistaken. Some (usually poor-quality and cheap) hoses crack already at minus 10. And with each new temperature difference, the strength and elasticity of the layer (s) decreases. Therefore, we should choose a product with a wide range of uses. A good vinyl and silicone watering hose (the reviews about them, however, are rather ambiguous in terms of durability and reliability) tolerates temperatures from minus 20 to plus 40 degrees Celsius. The reinforced ones hold steady even in 30-degree frost.
Degree of transparency
Few people know, but transparent hoses that do not have special reflective pigments quite often undergo flowering inside. The sun's rays easily penetrate into such a product and contribute to the formation of algae on the remaining water after use.
Soon, such a pipe becomes clogged and starts to emit an unpleasant odor. Therefore, when choosing, you must pay attention exclusively to opaque options.
Food products
Reviews of watering hoses contain information that not all products can be used simultaneously for watering and pumping drinking water from a well. For the latter case, you will need a special, food hose. The rubber from which it is made does not contain tar, paint and other chemicals that penetrate water under sunlight and then enter our body. But for simple watering, it is not necessary to use products made exclusively from environmentally friendly materials.
So, we found out what are the hoses for watering the garden and the garden, what are their main characteristics. The choice is yours.