Help & Advice

Garden Hose Pipes: The Definitive Guide

From choosing the right length to watering with ease, master your gardening game with our comprehensive guide to garden hose pipes.

In this guide, we'll take you through everything you need to know about garden hose pipes! It may not be an exciting topic, but we hope this guide will serve you well whist you are shopping for a garden hose that is just right for you and you're garden.

Which is the best hose pipe to buy?

The best garden hose to buy will depend on how you use it in your home. You may wish to invest in a high-quality hose with a higher price tag, but investing in your garden hose will give you excellent quality, tried and tested garden hose pipe to use for years to come. With proper care and maintenance, you can benefit from a good quality hose pipe for years, so it's always worth researching before you commit.

At Easy Garden Irrigation, we have many leading hose pipe brands, such as Hozelock, Tricoflex, Claber and Gardena, and several other hose pipes, hose pipe fittings and hose pipe accessories.

This article discusses what to consider when buying a garden hose to help you choose the best garden hose for your watering needs.

The main types of garden hose you can find include options for gardening pros as well as garden hoses for everyday use. When shopping for a new hosepipe, these are the most common types:

Shop for Garden Hoses

Garden hoses are available to buy without connectors or accessories. If you want to replace your garden hose, purchasing a hose without any accessories may be the best option for you. Garden hoses are available in several different lengths and materials, including rubber, vinyl, composite rubber and vinyl, or from reinforced materials such as knitted or braided PVC or high tensile polyester yarn. This extra support can help manage higher water pressures and make it more resistant to kinking and twisting. Buying a garden hose without included accessories gives you more choice and will allow you to buy precisely what you want and need.

Shop Garden Hose Kits

Garden hose kits include a garden hose pipe and accessories such as spray nozzles, hose connectors and tap connectors. From starter sets to premium options, hose kits are available to help you get started with watering your garden with ease. Garden hose kits are great option when you are just starting out, or when you want to complete replace your entire setup. We find pro landscapers typically purchase premium hose sets for their customers to ensure they have high quality equipment to help water freshly planted landscapes.

Shop for Garden Hose Reels

Hose reels are also popular with homeowners as they make it easier to manage your garden hose for everyday watering needs. With options including a freestanding hose reel as well as a mounted wall reel, hose reels are an effective and tidy way to store your hose when you're not using it. With either a hand crank or electric-operated crank, hose reels allow you to neatly and safely coil up your hose when you're not using it, keeping it out of sight and out of the way. Storing your hose properly can avoid any unseemly kinks that can happen with improper storage.

Garden Irrigation hose

If you're looking to efficiently distribute water over a large area in your garden, two popular hose options are soaker hoses and drip irrigation hoses. Both are types of irrigation hoses that work well with drip irrigation systems. Soaker hoses are porous pipes that release water along their entire length and are typically installed in a garden bed or border. Drip lines, on the other hand, are low-density poly pipes with pre-installed drip emitters that distribute water at regular intervals, ideal for larger areas or longer runs, such as hedgerows.

You can read more about the two options in our handy guide - Soaker Hose or Drip Line - Which is Best?

Can you use a normal hose pipe for drip irrigation?

We'd recommend using the appropriate materials for drip irrigation systems. These include irrigation supply pipe, drip line or soaker hose specifically as opposed to a standard garden hose. Irrigation hoses for your garden shouldn't be used for standard watering either, as they aren't flexible and serve a very different purpose.

If you would like to learn more about garden irrigation systems, read one of our handy guides below:

This guide takes you through the first steps of planning a garden irrigation system, and shows you what types of irrigation system are used for different areas of your garden.

Go to the Irrigation Planning Guide

Learn everything you need to know about planning and installing drip irrigation systems with this easy to follow step by step guide.

Visit the Drip Irrigation Systems Guide

A complete guide to planning and installing Micro Sprays for your garden. Follow the step by step guide to help build your shopping list of components.

Go to Micro Spray Systems Guide

Professional garden hose - which is best?

If you are looking for the best professional garden hose, then you will need to consider the hose's length and how you plan to use it. For example, you will need a sturdy, transportable, reinforced hose capable of handling high amounts of water pressure if you are a professional gardener looking for a reliable hose that will serve you well for several different watering tasks. Professional garden hoses are available in lengths from 25m, to 50m and 100m.

Tricoflex

Tricoflex hoses are the best choice for professional gardeners, as they are sturdy, robust, reliable, and high-quality. Durable, super rugged and with a 30-year guarantee, the Tricoflex hose pipe is suitable for professional, agricultural and industrial purposes. Garden centres, farmers and landscapers regularly use Tricoflex thanks to its robust design, which features anti-kink material that is crush-resistant with a long lifespan. It's also effortless to handle, making it a popular choice for professionals looking for a reliable garden hose. Tricoflex hose pipes are available in 25m, 50m and 100m lengths and, depending on your needs, can be purchased in either ½” or ¾” diameters.

Shop for Tricoflex Hose

Just ask, we're really friendly

For more about our range of garden hoses and to discover which is the right choice for you, contact our team - we’d be happy to help.

hello@easygardenirrigation.co.uk

+44 (0) 1646 402 050

How to choose the right garden hose - top tips

Below are some of the key things to consider when choosing the right hose for your gardening needs.

Water pressure

Depending on how you use your garden hose, you may require a particular amount of water pressure (usually measured in BAR). The average UK home has around 2 BAR pressure. Most hose pipes can handle a standard amount of water pressure that will suit most gardening needs. For a power washer, you may need to invest in a hose capable of higher water pressure. As a rule of thumb, the smaller the inner diameter, the lower the water pressure will be. For best performance, invest in a ¾” garden hose.

Durability

Durability is essential for your garden hose. Not only do you want it to last longer than a few years, but you want it to be reliable and sturdy enough to handle consistent water pressure and everyday use. A good strong, durable hose will also consider features such as anti-kink design and weather resistance (although we still recommend avoiding exposing your hose to the midday heat).

Long Warranty

Always check the warranty of your garden hose, if it has one. Some professional hoses will offer a 30-year warranty, such as the Tricoflex hoses. Other hose pipes and hose pipe brands may offer a 10, 20 or 30-year guarantee. If a garden hose doesn’t offer a warranty, you may want to steer clear of it.

Length

It can be tempting to just buy a longer hose, but it’s best to buy the size you need. The longer a hose is, the more it will impact water pressure and can be difficult to drain and be heavier to carry around. Only buy a longer hose if you need it.

Fittings

Think about the additional accessories orhose pipe fittings you’ll need and whether they come with the hose. Extra fittings such as tap connectors or garden hose nozzles are readily available to fit with the standard sizes of hoses in the UK. Most garden hose sets come with lower quality fittings. It might be worth looking around for the fittings you want and buying them separately.

Diameter

Standard garden hose pipes you can buy in the most UK box stores have a diameter of 1/2" (12.5mm). If you want to get the best performance from your hose and your hose accessories (garden sprinklers, spray guns etc.), it will be better to opt for a larger diameter hose, such as a 3/4" (19mm) garden hose.

Kink resistance

In our opinion, anti-kink technology is essential! Nobody wants kinks and twists when using their hose. This is because a kink can lead to further long term damage, causing cracks to appear with continued use which in turn can lead to holes in your hose pipe. Always aim to store your hose pipe properly after each use and flatten it out to ensure there are no kinks before you coil it up. Anti kink, anti-twist, crush-proof… you name it, all very important features for your garden hose!

External finish and colour

Depending on your personal preference, garden hoses come in a number of colours and textures. Some hoses feature external linings that help offer grip for hose pipe connectors, and some garden hoses, particularly expandable hoses and Hozelock hoses, come in bright colours such as yellow so they can easily be seen on grass or driveways. If you’re keen to let your hose blend in, a more subtle dark green, black or grey is a good choice. For professional use, it is worth buying a high visibility hose for safety purposes, such as the bright yellow Tricoflex hose.

Weight

Depending on how you’re planning to use the hose pipe, you will find heavier hose pipes harder to move around. Lightweight hose pipes are usually cheaper, and always remember to drain your hose pipe after each use. Heavier hose pipes may be more suited for a hose reel, which does the hard work for you and lets you manoeuvre your garden hose with ease.

How to connect a hose to a garden tap

Connect to garden tap

There are lots of different options for connecting a hose to a garden tap. In the UK, the most commonly used type are quick-click connectors (pictured) to make the connection. It comprises of two parts; a connector fitted to the end of the hose pipe, and a connector fitted to the garden tap. These are universal across different manufacturers, so there is no worry about compatibility. Our collection of garden hose tap splitters offers you more scope for your irrigation needs, and our brass hose fittings are very popular, offering a sturdy solution with the durability to handle constant use.

Best hose pipe for large gardens

For larger gardens, aim to buy a longer length hose pipe. 100m length hose pipes are available from Tricoflex and are popular with professional gardeners as well as homeowners with more ground to cover. If you are looking for a Hozelock or Claber hose, the length of the hose pipe will be shorter, but it is possible to join two hoses together using a hose pipe connector.

Something to be wary of when watering larger gardens is the water pressure within your garden hose. Water pressure drops the further it travels along the pipe. For context, using a 100m length of ½” pipe, the pressure drops by at least 1 bar pressure from entry to exit due to friction. This is a big difference, and for a typical home, this reduces the water pressure by half. The ideal solution is to use a larger diameter hose, as the extra space in the pipe allows water to flow more smoothly and lets more water pass through at once. Smooth inner walls are something to look out for, too. You can find reinforced nylon hoses with additional metal mesh for additional strength and support, but always check the material of the inner lining.

Best hose pipe for small gardens

½ inch hose pipes are a good choice for a reliable garden hose for your small garden. For an all-rounder, we recommend the Claber Kiros hose reel and pipe kit, which is good value for money and will suit most gardening needs. Compact hose storage systems or hose reels are also popular for smaller gardens, with lengths of hosepipe available between 10 to 50 metreswhich should do the trick.

Expandable hoses

Expandable hoses are popular with UK homeowners as they are a lightweight, pliable, and sometimes a cheaper alternative to a traditional garden hose. With a scrunchie-like appearance, expandable hoses usually come in different bright colours measuring a 1/2 inch in diameter. However, proceed cautiously; expandable hoses are notorious for not contracting correctly over time. This leaves you with an awkward hose that's difficult to store away.

Expandable hoses can take on a fair amount of water pressure for watering your garden but can only withstand about 8 BAR (up to 14 BAR for higher-quality options). These hoses are also known to shrink as the water pressure decreases, so they can be a frustrating product to work with, depending on how you plan to use them. If you want to pursue this option, we'd recommend the Hozelock Superhoze. Hozelock have taken their time to develop a superior expandable-hose offering that has addressed the common issues found with expandable hoses. With a 5-year guarantee, this is a better purchase than a cheap version found on discount websites.

Can my garden hose support a power washer?

Watering alone won't require a super strong hose with high maximum burst pressure. However, durability and strength are essential for a power washer, and steer clear of expandable hoses as these are not recommended with pressure washers. Consider a reinforced hose with additional support if you plan to use it with a pressure washer. Our favourite option is the Hozelock Ultimate Garden Hose with a maximum burst pressure of 35 BAR.

What material is best for a garden hose?

Basic vinyl is a lightweight, cheap option for your garden hose, but it can split or degrade quickly when left in the sun, which is something to be aware of. Most garden hoses are made from PVC; an excellent eco-friendly option is choosing a garden hose made from recycled PVC. For a long life garden hose made from PVC, look for options made of multiple layers with either a braided or knitted structure for added strength.

Rubber hoses are a reliable choice of hose pipe material. A rubber hose pipe is the best choice for a hard-wearing, reliable, high-quality hose but will come with a higher price tag. They're less likely to crack or wear in the sun and are supple enough to coil into a reel once you've finished watering the garden.

How long does my garden hose need to be?

Our best advice is to choose the shortest length of garden hose that will serve your needs. Think about what you will use your garden hose for, which areas of your property you will be using it in, then measure how far it is from your garden tap to the furthest corner you will be taking your garden hose to. This isn't only to save money but also to ensure you get the best performance from your garden hose.

The average garden hose length is typically 30m. You can find hosepipes in lengths of roughly 15m, 30m, 50m, and 100m from most reputable suppliers, depending on your needs. Avoid opting for a hose length beyond what you need; extra hose pipe will hinder you rather than help. This is because longer hose lengths result in a drop of water pressure and flow, so aim for a shorter hose to ensure a good performance.

Choosing the right length hose for your garden

To find the suitable length hose, measure the furthest distance your garden covers from the water source, and allow for a little more lag than this length. This will mean the hose won't be tugged or stretched and therefore damaged while in use. Be mindful of water pressure, which will decrease as the hose length increases.

Hose diameters

Hose diameters can impact the overall performance of your hose as they can affect the water pressure and flow. A larger diameter hose will work better for more extensive gardens where longer hose lengths are needed. This is because a larger diameter allows more water flow through and maintains pressure over long distances. The most standard and popular hose diameters include ½”, ⅝” and ¾”. Hose diameters are measured from the internal diameter, excluding the outer layers. The larger the hose diameter, the more water is delivered.Consider purchasing a ¾” garden hose if you want better performance from a garden sprinkler or if you require a longer length hosepipe.

Half inch hoses are the standard size and a good option if you are concerned about the weight of your hose and carrying it around. They are lightweight, with a smaller diameter letting less water though at once, and are ideal for light-duty watering tasks such as watering containers and hanging baskets. Half inch hoses won't work well with high-performance watering needs, such as using multiple sprinklers simultaneously.

Garden hose fittings

Hose pipe fittings allow you to connect your hose pipe to the tap as well as to your hose reel or other irrigation equipment, such as a spray nozzle or lawn sprinkler. Tap hose connectors can be universal, meaning they will fit to any hose, but be sure to find the correct hose pipe connector with the suitable diameter to your hose. The most common fittings are ½” (13 mm), ¾” (19 mm) and 1” (25 mm). The diameter measurement is taken from the internal diameter and excludes the external layers of the hose.

The most common type of hose pipe fitting is the quick-click hose connectors. These go by many names, such as Hozelock style connectors, automatic couplings, quick-release hose connectors, snap-on connectors, E.T.C.. These type of fittings are usually universal and compatible across different brands. We stock a large variety of Hozelock hose fittings and Claber hose fittings.

Less expensive hoses will have plastic couplings and fittings included. These can work well and will manage daily use, but be careful about leaving cheap plastic exposed to the sun as this could cause problems pretty quickly. Metal or brass couplings are a strong and sturdy choice for your hose pipe fittings, which wear better in warmer weather and can withstand more abuse.

Explore our helpful guides for more help and advice for all things garden irrigation. Otherwise, explore our garden hose pipes and garden hose reels collections. Feel free to get in touch with any questions about our products.