13
As long as your tap can provide the required pressure to get a decent flow all the way to the end it should work in series, however you will find that running the hoses in series will lead to greater pressure nearer the tap, so I would recommend a splitter to make all 3 hoses have similar pressure and flow characteristics.
8
Here's my experience with connecting soaker hoses. It pretty much supports @Rory Alsop's advice, but it was too long to fit in a comment:
The soaker hoses I bought recommended a maximum of 150' in series using two 75' hoses. I tried connecting a 75' and a 50' hose for each row I had planted. My plan was to double back at the end of each bed. Each hose had a ...
7
After a week of observation and some supplemental watering with a regular spray nozzle, I ended up buying more hose and running two down each bed between the rows. The water wasn't reaching the outermost edges of the beds with only one hose. When I water now, the entire bed is moist.
Side note: It turns out that a regular spigot has problems with supplying ...
7
This is not an uncommon problem that appears to be chalked up to a design flaw (check out the amazon reviews). Quite honestly, I can't say I'm surprised. The website says no tools are required. Few things involving residential water pressures are reliable with "hand tight" for very long, so I'm pretty skeptical.
If it is leaking from somewhere other ...
7
You need to replace the stem packing. The stem that the knob is affixed to the end of is sealed with a packing nut which has either a packing washer or a quantity of packing material under it.
You can buy "string packing" at the hardware store. Loosen the packing nut and jam a few loops of it up under the nut, then tighten it back down.
6
Yes, search for a male garden hose replacement fitting, they are available at most home stores for under $5. They have a barbed fitting that goes into the hose end and a clamp. (On garden hoses and pipes the male end has the threads on the outside and is furthest from the water source, since it goes "inside" of the female end)
http://www.lowes.com/...
5
Spray some WD-40 and then try to move the balls with a piece of rubber, or with your finger wearing rubber gloves. I've used this technique to free a sensor wheel from a thermal heater clogged with mud and debris.
5
I would use a shut-off ball valve (as opposed to a butterfly) such as the one pictured, turned to the required gpm.
5
There's no benefit in installing it low other than that children (and small adults) will be able to reach it.
It may be a typo, and they may mean 150cm (not mm). If you scroll down the page you linked to in your question there is a video with a man and the reel is around head height... It looks too high.
Either way. It's a personal preference. I would go ...
5
Different plants need different amounts of water. Veggies like tomatoes and curcurbits like the warmth and consistent watering. Particularly with tomatoes a consistent watering will help to avoid blossom end rot which is the result of a calcium deficiency that typically happens when watering is haphazard.
The way that I test my containers is to stick my ...
5
Confused a bit by your question. Here's the proper terminology and maybe you can come back and refine your question.
The "tap" is the outside faucet where this unit gets attached to. The product you linked to is marketed as a "tap adapter" it is not a tap.
The picture you posted is sold as one unit but is actually 3 separate components.
There is a Y ...
4
Replace it with drip emitter tubing. Soaker hoses suck. They put out more water in the start of the hose than they do at the end, leading to inconsistent watering that can hurt your plants.
With drip emitter tubing, drip emitters are molded into the tubing. The emitters should be pressure compensating which ensures that you get even distribution throughout ...
4
My experience is similar to others - a parallel set up is better than long single line.
Also - do not mix different kinds of soaker hoses. We bought different kinds and the result was not good. Not sure of the reason for this but I suspect that pressure drops across one section led to starvation of pressure in subsequent.
4
I bought air tubing at the hardware store that was was big enough to fit fairly snug inside the soaker hose. I cut off a 4 inch piece of the air tubing, covered the outside liberally with silicone adhesive and pushed it halfway into one end of the severed soaker hose. Then I pushed the other severed end onto the other half of the air tubing until the ...
4
I recently had a similar problem (different style tap). I believe what you probably need to do is -
turn off the water to the tap (ie at the mains)
Undo the tap by using a spanner turning anticlockwise on the hexagonal
part beneath the tap handle. Unfortunately this is likely to be quite
tight as its been painted over. [ It might be easier to unscrew ...
4
Hose reels can and do go bad, though yours sounds somewhat atypical. Usually water sprays everywhere (except out the hose) as the rotating seals fail.
Diagnostic one - remove the 2 foot hose from the reel - does water
flow from the faucet to the end of the 2 foot hose? Mud wasps or
various other things can plug up even a very short hose.
Diagnostic two - ...
4
Gardena makes hose connectors that have a built-in water stop. I grew up with these in Germany. The orange & grey design is IMHO questionable at best, but they work like a charm.
Afaik they are available in the US, too, see the company's website here (scroll down a bit).
Apart from that, it's probably a good idea to switch off the tap and release the ...
4
It's a miracle so many of us survived childhood. I drank from hoses all the time, and I've lived to tell the story. Even so, it's not a safe practice.
As you know, there are several "drinking water safe" hoses out there. Using a reel, as I also do, is efficient, but does little to prevent the growth of bacteria in the residual water left in the hose. ...
3
I think you must have got a cheap hose. In my experience, you should be able to pull them apart without trouble. It sounds like you got a hose molded from shredded rubber or something, which explains wht they are ripping. That stuff isn't very strong. When looking for a drip hose, I tend to get the most expensive hose in the style I like. Quality does differ ...
3
Buy two ordinary hose repair fittings and a section of hose (soaker or not.) Cut out a section, replace with the new section and two repair couplings.
3
Thank you so much for the Silicone spray. This worked on the one of three that I found was 'stuck'. It took less time to fix this at the barn than trying to get the rubber washers in the correct way! My horse was happy that he could finally have a rinse off without losing pressure. I have a Nelson brass set that is about 12 years old. The newer ones I ...
3
when I first turn it on in order to water my plants and such, the water seems fizzy or foamy for about twenty seconds each time (well, once a day or so).
Nothing to get excited about. Dissolved gases in water that's cool since it's been in the water mains underground coming out of solution as the water warms up sitting in the hose.
You can see exactly the ...
3
Put a valve at your hydrant, so that you can turn on the hose/sprinkler after walking back to your source. It's the easiest way if you aren't looking for a permanent sprinkler system install.
3
I contacted Gilmore, one of the leading sprinkler manufacturers about this question. Here's what they had to say:
For optimal use, our sprinklers should be used with a pressure of 40-60 PSI coming out of the spigot. Your water pressure remains the same regardless of hose or sprinkler style. If you have 50 PSI coming out of your spigot, you will experience ...
2
Have you considered a french drain or collecting rain water? Depending on your location, tap water can be heavily chlorinated and not as helpful to your plants. If you're going to make the effort to install soaker hoses consider installing a water harvesting system.
If you're serious about even water distribution and arent afraid of a DIY weekend you might ...
2
Depends on where you live, but in general: One hose should be good, but I would bury it at least 3 inches, it probably would require extra top water for seedlings until they get established.
2
There are drip irrigation parts that the soaker hose fits into. The one you want is usually called a compression 'coupling'. They should only be $1 each - some are pricey online (sort of boutique drip irrigation prices). Go to an irrigation supply store, or even some large box stores have them. They are much cheaper than any of the other suggestions, as ...
2
Not sure where you are, but if a soaker hose were left buried for one season here, in the Pacific Northwet, it would be crumbling bits not worth saving. If it has been eight years and you can still identify the hose, you must be somewhere very dry.
Brand new, medium duty soaker hoses are about $12 for 50 feet. It would be instructive to figure out what ...
2
I'd add one thing - your fruiting plants will need watering daily in those temperatures, but the mist setting on your hose isn't really the thing to use, it's the roots which need watering, not the topgrowth. You'd be better off running the water through the hose at a lower speed and inserting the end of the hose inside the pots and giving them a good soak ...
2
The measurement the manufacturers have given is just a minimum clearance between the ground or obstruction and your wall mounted retractable hose. Having used many of these in other people's gardens over the years, the optimum height from the ground is, in my estimation, around 4 feet (120cm), although if you're very tall, that might seem a little low. They ...
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