Garden hoses aren't cheap, so you don't want to damage yours by leaving it outside all winter. Here's how to keep it in good shape for the spring.
Tips for Storing Your Garden Hose During the Winter
Published on Dec. 02, 2024
When the weather turns cold, and the snow starts to fly, one thing you don’t want to see is the end of a garden hose sticking up from under the snow. Unless you’re really lucky, you probably won’t be able to use that hose in the spring unless you do some repairs, and you might even have to buy a new one.
Any hose that’s just lying on the ground probably hasn’t been drained properly. When the water inside turns to ice, it expands the casing, which turns brittle in the cold. The result is pinhole leaks or actual ruptures. In my experience as a landscaper, I’ve found expandable hoses to be the most vulnerable to winter damage, because their rubber casings are particularly thin (which is what makes them expandable). But ice and freezing temperatures can damage any kind of hose.
Who wants to start the growing season repairing a hose or having to buy a new one? Winterizing your hose is simple and takes just a few minutes. Here’s how.
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Shut Off the Water
This seems obvious, but you might forget. Many hoses — especially expandable ones — have a lever-style valve that allows you to shut off water to the nozzle without actually turning off the spigot. If that valve is closed, and there’s pressure in the hose, you’re in for a soaking when you unscrew the hose from the spigot.
If you have a main water shutoff for the lawn and garden in the house, turn that off. If not, just make sure to fully close all the outdoor spigots by turning the handles clockwise.
- Pro tip: Besides damaging the hose, leaving the hose outside with the spigot open in freezing temperatures can also damage the spigot, and that’s harder to fix.
Disconnect the Hose
Start by squeezing the trigger on the spray nozzle to release the water pressure. When no more water flows, unscrew the nozzle and store it where you’ll find it next spring.
Now, you can disconnect the hose from the spigot. You may need pliers for this, especially if it’s been a while since you disconnected the hose. Some of those connectors can be really difficult to turn with your fingers. Always separate multiple hoses.
If the cold weather has already arrived, the hose might already be frozen. If so, connect the two ends, bring the hose inside to thaw and drain and coil it later.
Drain the Hose
If you have a slope or a flight of stairs on your property, the easiest way to drain a hose is to leave one end at the bottom, carry the other end to the top and let gravity do the work. On flat ground, leave one end near a place where water can safely drain, stretch the hose out, and lift the other end to shoulder height. Start walking while you keep a high loop that forces water out of the end that’s draining.
- Pro tip: Expandable hoses automatically expel water on their own, but it’s still a good idea to drain them this way to get all the water out.
Coil the Hose
Don’t just dump your hose in a pile in the basement or garage. That will produce kinks, and depending on the material from which the hose is made, some of these kinks could become permanent. Coil the hose instead.
To get a good coil, stretch the hose out straight. Make a circle on the ground about two or three feet in diameter at one end while you pull the hose toward you. Continue making more circles on top of the original one until you reach the other end. Finally, tie the hose with a piece of twine to prevent it from unraveling and to make it easier to transport and store.
Store the Hose Indoors
Bring the hose indoors to prevent it from getting brittle and cracking in the freezing temperatures. If you make a loop in the twine you wrapped around it, you can use that to hang the hose from a nail.
- Pro tip: A hose hanger, which you can purchase at any hardware store, makes coiling and storing the hose much easier. If you have one, you don’t need to coil the hose outdoors. Just bring it inside, coil it on the hanger, and leave it there for the winter.
