SHARING SECRETS: Non-Kink Hoses

Edited by Tina Ivany.

With our driest months coming up, Cheryl Nichols asks: “Is there really such a thing as a non-kink hose?.” Alternatively, do you have any tips for avoiding or fixing those kinks?

Dale Rekus: Ross Stores has/had a twenty-five (fifty?) foot hose encased in a metal coil which looks almost like the old-time electrical conduit. Comes on a plastic reel and costs $15. Three of us bought it. One person bought several, and we are all pleased with them. They do not kink and remain relatively untangled. Well worth the price. Ace Hardware has a similar product.

Marilyn Wilson: I do not know of a no-kink hose, but here is what I do: buy an expensive hose with warranty, save receipt and cardboard cover disk with warranty printed on it, exchange for new hose as often as need be.

Joselle Spinoza: I have a 50' coil hose that looks like an extra-large old phone cord. It never kinks, but resists full expansion. If you really need to take it 50', I'd suggest the 75' one. ALSO, really important is how you put it away! I keep it in a large nursery planter that an indoor tree came in (15 gallon), but when I first piled it loosely and let it cascade back into it, it got tangled just like those old phone cords. So, now I lay it at my feet in a U-shape and gather the two parts with both hands to lower it - U-first - into the pot. Then I take the whole thing out as one, in the same manner. NO more tangles. No kinks.

A friend has a black, “knit” exterior, flexible/expanding hose, but she's on her second one in less than two years and now it's leaking too. I got a green fabric one for the other side of the house. It looks more like canvas than "knit," and it is still working fine for me after 2 years. It can kink briefly, but I only need to let off the water, so it can fully re-expand. You need to be careful what you drag it over (I try not to), but I love the ease of use and storage. So lightweight and minimal and doesn't trash plants as you walk with it. (You have to keep them out of the sun and fully empty the water before storing!!) I think I got it at Dixieline. Same for the coil one mentioned above.

Charlotte Getz: Hoses are a challenge, whatever type you use. If you use a hose box that you reel the hose back into, you must do it carefully and look at it as you reel it back into the box. I like a large coil hose and I lay it back in the ground in a snake-like fashion, which is much faster than reeling a hose back into a box. Hose pots are the worst to deal with. They look great, but are not functional. Dealing with hoses requires patience. Good luck!!

Gerald D. Stewart: Over the decades, here's what I've found: No hose is totally kink free. Leaving the hose fully extended helps avoid kinks, because you can see if you've twisted the hose. Hanging the hose also works, because as you hang it, you can get the twists out. Same goes with coiling the hose when not in use. Older hoses get stiff and kink, but for a while they are fine if used when they are warm. As mild as our winters are, early morning use of an aging hose increases kinking. I have, since the 1980's, used the grey 100' hoses at Costco because they are the same color as my graveled areas. When my Aunt, and then my Mother, moved, I got their large number of one-of-a-kind hoses. From them I learned the softer the hose, the less kinking, again, until they get old. Over the decades I've discovered, much to the dismay of my thriftiness, hoses need to be replaced regularly if I don't want to have to fight with them.

Madhuri Jarwala: The best solution I found is a green colored hose that is already coiled so there are no kinks! I bought it on Amazon. The downside is it comes only to 75 ft. It has been great not have to reel back the hose.

Barbara Patterson: I don’t remember where I learned it, but ‘coiling' your hose in a figure eight instead of a circle (on the ground, of course) helps to keep it from kinking. I’ve tried it and it does work pretty well. Sadly, it also takes up twice as much space. I’ve also found that the fabric hoses that simply collapse when there’s no water in them don’t kink, but they don’t last very long either. I’ve had the best luck with a black rubber hose. It has been extremely durable and remains flexible. Always tradeoffs, right?

Cathy Tylka: I really hate to answer this way, as I know you won't do it, but to coil up a hose, pull the entire hose straight to remove any twists and kinks; then roll it up. Even better, put the far end of the hose downhill so it drains as you roll it up. And that's it!

Terry Chamberlin: The Silver Bullet fabric hose is extra sturdy and even if it does kink, there is no impact on water flow. As it is not a rubber hose, it is very easy to manipulate when watering, and I have a decorative pot that I can throw it in when done.100’ hose is $49.99

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