Can You Repair An Expandable Garden Hose?

There are a number of uses where an extendable hose is a better choice than a standard rubber garden hose. Unfortunately, they are more prone to leaks and breaks than their traditional counterparts. While it may be easier in our consumer society to completely replace the item, can an expandable hose fix it? Many people desire simpler repairs because it minimizes waste and overall costs.Broken garden hose can be repaired. While a patchwork tactic will work in the short term, it is likely to tear again when high pressure is forced through the pipe. The permanent solution is to break the hose and use connectors to join them together.Read: How to Repair xhose For most repair jobs, a expandable pipe repair kit like this one will be of great help. Knowing how to repair hoses can save you time, money, and frustration. Some of the techniques you may have used with a traditional garden hose will not work with an extendable hose due to the rubber material used in its construction.

Why is an expandable tube different?

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Expandable pipes are difficult to repair due to the materials used to make them.

Unlike standard hoses, which are made primarily of rubber, expandable tubes are made from rubber. The “elasticity” of the material is what allows the tube to stretch to 3 times its original length after being pressurized. This is due to the chemical composition of latex.
Most rubber in expandable tubes are made of synthetic and natural rubber and contain between 55-65% water. The material is solidly made by adding Sulfur, carbon black and oil during the manufacturing process. Several layers of rubber are used (2-4 is typical) to further strengthen the hose and provide secure protection should one layer become weak.
When it is pressurized, the latex material expands, becoming thinner in the process. If you’ve previously made turkey bubbles from latex gloves, you may have noticed that the material has become so thin that it’s almost transparent. This is what is happening inside your expandable tube – only with water, not air like a pressurizer. It is these properties that make most repair methods flawed and potentially more damaging.

By understanding the material inside your pipes, you can troubleshoot the material repair solutions at your fingertips much more easily.

Best solution: Repair with connectors

There are two modes of leakage from the expandable hose – either you have a hole in the rubber hose itself, or the connector has detached from the hose at one end. If repaired by “traditional” means, you may end up with ongoing problems. That’s because the repaired pus is now weak and will burst many times.In either case, the best solution is to completely remove the damaged part of the hose and replace it in a simple 3-step process.Expandable pipes consist of two layers:

The inner tube is made of rubber, and it expands under pressure.

The outer tube is a layer of nylon fabric that protects the fragile inner tube.

While the inner pipe is where the leak will happen, you will likely need to remove the outer protective layer first to access the rubber hose underneath it.

1. How to remove the outer layer

Read more: how to organize your itunes library by album Remove the connector at each end and roll the outer layer down so you can access the puncture site. There should be enough slack in the nylon cap to do this. If not, cut the nylon and sew again after the repair is done.

2. Remove the damaged inner tube

There is nothing complicated here. To remove the damaged part of the inner hose, use a knife, garden shears, or box cutter to cut it clean.

3. Create a new connection

Whether you’re using an existing connector or buying a new one, like these are found on Amazon. To create a new connection in pipes, you need to make sure they are clean:

First, remove any old piping (if appropriate) and wipe the connector to remove any residue.

Then use connectors with barbed wire so that the tube will expand around the connector when it is pressurized. Before pushing the metal rod into the tube, use expandable tape at both ends (Teflon tape or plumber’s silicone tape) to create a sealing gasket. Don’t use too much tape, once or twice around is all you need. It will also expand and create a better seal.

By removing the damaged part of the tube, you remove the weakest element. The connectors work well with expanding latex material. That’s why it’s the best, permanent fix for an expandable pipe leak.

The methods won’t work

You may be wondering if any method that works on traditional pipes will suffice for scalable models. The problem is, due to the expansion of the material for the rubber hose, most sealants and tapes won’t patch a leak in the hose in the long run. By stretching the seal and applying pressure to the repair site, most sealants will loosen under tension or the adhesive tape will loosen.

Duct Tape

While duct tape is a common solution to most quick fixes, it unfortunately won’t help prevent your garden’s plumbing leaks. There are two reasons for this.

First, it is not a waterproof product. As a result, the adhesive layer that gives the tape strength will weaken as soon as the faucet is turned on.

Second, duct tape doesn’t have any for; ie, it’s not flexible. The rubber material of the inner tube will want to stretch when it is pressurized. This will put extra stress on the bond between the tape and the pipe. As a result, the tape will loosen and fall off quickly.

Waterproof tape

It makes sense to consider a product based on water resistance for your needs. That way, the glue bond won’t degrade as quickly when the faucet is turned on and water flows through it. However, this type of tape still has the same expansion problem when the tube is pressurized. By layering the tape, you can quickly fix the hose to use right away. However, this sealing layer will not last long.

Leak Sealant

There are several forms of leak sealants available, ranging from spray products to silicone-based pastes. These products will work better than tape because many products have a compound that allows for a little. Therefore, when the tube expands, the sealant will not crack immediately. However, there are two main downsides to these products:

First, it can take up to 48 hours for them to dry and stick. If you are prepared to wait this long to fix your hose, then you should buy the connectors with barbed wire and keep it in place permanently.

The second problem is that the seal will break over time and will not be a permanent solution.

Read more: how to stay in your lane while driving While the above methods can help you in difficult situations, there is no reasonable long-term solution to fixing your dilated hose. If you need to use them, keep the water pressure low (don’t turn on the faucet completely) to limit PSI in the pipes. That way your quick fix will last longer!

Epilogue

When repairing an expandable tube, you need to make the repair permanent – a quick patch job won’t last long. The elasticity of the rubber material in an expandable tube makes most adhesive solutions impractical and temporary. Instead, you should cut away the area of the leaky pipe and use the spiked, fixed connectors to reattach the two pieces of pipe. By doing so, the hole will be fixed and the pipe will be strong again. And, if you decide to just replace the hose, this is my favorite brand (Click to see Amazon listing). I hope you have found this article helpful. Please let me know what you think in the comments section. Thank you for reading!

Can You Repair An Expandable Garden Hose?

Why is an expandable tube different?