If you're using your garden hose to fill your hot tub, read through How to Winterize Your Hot Tub for helpful tips on preparing for a soak in chilly temperatures. *The Everlasting Garden Hose is rated for use between -13° F to 149° F (-25° C to 65° C).
While your pipes are typically safe from freezing until temperatures get closer to 20℉ and remain at those levels for 6+ hours, your garden hose can start to freeze in as little as 6 hours once it gets below freezing temperature outside (32℉).
Remember to disconnect your hose
The water inside the hose can rapidly freeze when the temperature drops below 32 degrees.
Winterize your pipes and turn off your outdoor water before air temperatures consistently drop below zero. In most northern regions, this falls between mid-October and early November. Turn your spigot back on in the spring after the threat of freezing temps are behind you, usually from mid-April to early May.
Garden hoses are made from PVC, which has a range of melting points ranging from 100 degrees Celcius all the way up to 260 degrees depending on the additives.
The water temperature can be up to 60°C for short periods. In continuous use, however, the water temperature should not exceed 35°C.
It's better to make sure all hoses are dried out and put away long before the first frost of the season to avoid damages–and to avoid trying to do this tedious chore with winter gloves on!
During Freezing Weather
If you are away for any length of time shutting off the water can reduce the chance of a broken pipe. Leave the home's heat on to at least 55°. Shut off water to the house and open all faucets to drain pipes; flush the toilets once to drain the tank but not the bowl.
Outside faucets – When the outside temperature is below 28 degrees for 4 hours or more.
Hoses can be stored outside as long as you make sure to drain all of the water from the hose. Hoses can be drained easily by running them over a tall place where gravity forces water to exit the hose. This ensures that the hose won't split when any residual water freezes.
Most hydraulic hoses operate safely within a temperature range of -40°F (-40°C) to +212°F (+100°C), with specialty hoses extending this range to -40°F (-40°C) to +300°F (+149°C). Exceeding these limits can significantly shorten hose lifespan.
As soon as the temperature drops to 32℉ for more than six hours, it freezes the water in the expandable garden hose. You'll need to disconnect the hose and store it away before the temperatures drop in order to protect your water line and outdoor pipes.
To avoid a leaking garden hose you should turn off your hose after each use. Coil your hose up and keep it out of the sun whenever possible.
“Most adults will suffer third-degree burns if exposed to 150-degree water for just two seconds,” reports the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The water in your garden hose can far exceed the temperature the CPSC warns the public about.
Overall, it's best that you take heed and drip your faucets when temperatures dip below freezing. A simple trickle of hot and/or cold water—both from faucets inside and outside the home—can prevent you from having to deal with a much larger issue (and bill!) in the long run.
If you live in a climate with freezing temperatures, you'll want to cover your outdoor faucets in the winter rather than dripping them. Even with a vigorous drip, frigid temperatures can travel through your faucet and freeze the connecting pipes. Before using a cover, you'll need to properly winterize your faucet.
Even if you have a “frost-free” spigot, you still need to remove the hose in the winter or run the risk of your pipes freezing and bursting. If you forget to disconnect hoses during the winter, the water that remains within it will freeze and almost definitely cause the lining to crack.
When temperatures drop below freezing, water inside your pipes can freeze and expand, potentially causing pipes to burst. Winterizing your faucets allows air to flow freely inside the pipes, preventing this damage.
Cold shock can be just as severe and dangerous from water temperatures of 50-60F (10-15C) as it is from water at 35F (2C). Gasping for a breath or rapid breathing from sudden immersion can be triggered by water as warm as 77F (25C).
Allowing your faucets to drip will prevent water from becoming stagnant within the pipes, reducing the chances of them freezing. Slightly turning the warm and cold knobs will keep water flowing within your piping system, persevering their structure in freezing temperatures.
The general rule is to keep watering your outdoor plants until the ground freezes solid. Once the soil is frozen, the plants can no longer absorb water, so you can stop watering at that point. But until then, a good deep watering once a week (or more often if it's been dry) will go a long way.
Typically, a good-quality garden hose can last anywhere from 5 to 10 years. These hoses are usually exposed to the elements, dealing with heat, UV rays, and sometimes, freezing conditions, which all can impact their longevity.