Fixing A Hole

Yesterday I started watering our newly-sowed grass seed and discovered the hose had sprung a leak.  I was on a tight time frame and didn't have time to stop everything and go to the store for a replacement (besides, it's a quality hose and.didn't just want to throw it away). However, the problem didn't go away by itself; as I moved the sprinkler around the yard I noticed there was more and more water coming from the leak.  After I finished the job and put everything away I changed my clothes and headed towards my local big box hardware location to see if they had anything that would fix the problem.

In the hose department they had several options, ranging in price from just under two dollars to just over ten.  As I stood there pondering the array, a store associate came up and asked if I needed help.  He was very helpful, telling me the cheapest plastic mender had been working in one of his hoses for four years.  Based on his recommendation I made my purchase.

The mending kit had three pieces-a black plastic tube that slid into the hose pieces and two clamps (one for either end of the tube) that held it in place. The repair steps sounded simple enough: cut out the damaged section, slide a clamp on each piece, shove the tube into the pieces as far as it would go, slide the clamps up until they were over the tube, and tighten them securely.

After lunch it was time for Operation Hose Repair.  I gathered my equipment--a pair of kitchen shears to cut the hose and a Phillips screwdriver.  Before I went outside I loosened the screws on both of the couplers, then put everything in a custard cup so it wouldn't get lost.  When I got outside  I turned the hose on to find the exact spot it was leaking, then marked it by setting the kitchen shears next to it while I turned the water back off.  The scariest part of the whole job was cutting into the hose, knowing that if I made a mistake I'd ruin it.  However, once that was done the rest was easy.  Son Donald was in the garage, and I pressed him into service to maneuver the hose on the tube the last little bit and hold it there until  I tightened the clamps

Once the job was finished I attached the hose to the sprinkler, crossed my fingers, and turned on the water. My repair worked!  There were no leaks.

finished product

Five years ago today: I'm So Excited