How To

Summer Tip: Prevent a Fused Garden Hose

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The next time you need to purchase a garden hose, we have a strong recommendation for you. Buy a permium hose with brass fittings. Never buy a cheap garden hose with aluminum fittings. Why? There is a good chance the aluminum fittings will FUSE to the brass faucet that is installed on the outside of your home.

Next time you are in a Home Depot or Lowe’s, take a look at the packaging on a garden hose with aluminum fittings. There is a warning printed (in small print) on the back of the package. The warning cautions users to remove the hose from the faucet and any other attachments at least three times a year. What??? Who does that? (They say this to protect themselves because aluminum will fuse to brass.)

Galvanic Corrosion

The reason a water hose may fuse to the spigot on your house is a result of Galvanic Corrosion. Boring, we know. You didn’t come here for a science experiment. Stick with us… Galvanic corrosion occurs when two different metals are brought into contact in the presence of water. Let’s assume you have a brass water faucet on the outside of your home. Now imagine connecting a water hose with aluminum fittings to it. If you actually use it, you have introduced water. The very definition of the environment that causes the two metals to fuse together if left connected long enough. Crazy, right?

The problem is that many of us get busy in life and might forget to disconnect the water hose as often as we should. We know people that have left a water hose connected to the side of their home all year long. When they tried to remove it, they couldn’t. This turned into a costly repair bill because it required the entire faucet body on the side of the house to be replaced. And it is a somewhat complicated process that may require a plumber.

Simple Solution? Buy Garden Hoses with Brass Fittings

If you buy garden hoses with brass fittings, you won’t have this problem. We still recommend that you remove hoses from your spigots when not in use seasonally, but at least you won’t have to worry about the hose being stuck to your faucet for eternity.

If you are a current renter with Home Rental Services and you discover that there is a hose you can’t remove from an exterior faucet, please submit a maintenance request or send an email to propertymanagers@home4rent.com.