Don’t Let a Hose Leak Add to Your Water Bill

08 Aug Don’t Let a Hose Leak Add to Your Water Bill

A Sacramento Plumber Says “Save It, Don’t Spray It”

Sacramento’s Best Plumber | Hose Leak

Your hose does a lot. That flexible coil in your yard most certainly helps grass and other plants grow. It likely washes vehicles and dogs. It may even cool down a kid or two in the heat of summer. For all the work it does, how do you treat it? Do you stow it away carefully when you’re done with it? Or do you leave it piled in a heap or stretched across the yard?

Hose-related leaks and problems will probably not rise to the level of an emergency. As a plumber in Sacramento, however, Always Affordable Plumbing encourages proper care of any and all water fixtures and features. A small hole in a hose does not just make it a less effective tool. It also leads to water loss each time the hose is used. Lost water is lost money!

Inspect It First

Before using your hose, look it over for obvious cracks. This is especially important if you haven’t used it for a season. If everything looks fine, gently open the spigot. Meanwhile, watch for any signs of water spraying, pooling, or puddling along the length of the hose. If it all looks fine, turn the water as strong as you need it. But if you do see evidence of a leak, you can get a new hose. On the other hand, you can try to repair it with some electrical tape if the leak is small. There are also hose repair kits available for purchase.

If you continue to use a hose that sprays water, you will not only be wasting water. You will also be further damaging the hose.

Prevent Damage in the First Place

Proper maintenance can keep your hose functioning as it should for year after year.

First, know that the elements can break a hose down, no matter the season. Sun shining on it can make it brittle and more likely to break and leak. Conversely, cold weather can cause it to shrink and contract. Freezing temperatures can turn water left in the hose to ice, which can expand and stretch out the hose walls. As a result, the hose can become weaker and—again—more likely to leak.

For this reason, you should always put a hose away when you are not using it. First, be sure it is as empty of water as it can be when you are done with it. Even though a hose is meant to carry water, liquid left sitting in it for lengthy periods can cause deterioration. If the hose has a nozzle on the end, shut off the spigot, then continue to spray water out.

Second, coil the hose to stow it away. Hanging it from a holder keeps it off the ground. This keeps it out of the sun’s glare. Perhaps most importantly, it also keeps it out of the path of oncoming lawn mowers. It also makes it less tempting for dogs looking to play a game of tug-of-war.

Don’t Get Kinky

When uncoiling a hose for use, be sure there are no kinks in its length. While hose material is flexible, the bends caused by kinks stress the material. Because of this, areas where a hose kinks are more likely to develop leaks.

Treat Your Hose Right

With proper care and maintenance, a hose can help a garden grow for years. Remember, every drop counts. Being water wise is good for the environment, as well as good for your wallet.

Sacramento’s Best Plumber

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Get more water-saving tips from the Always Affordable Plumbing blog. Read through the archives to find information on everything from water heaters to leaky faucets. If your house is “water tight” and your bill still seems high, you can also call us in Sacramento for a free inspection. We can find places where you might not otherwise be able to see a potentially costly leak.

Sacramento’s Best Plumber | Hose Leak