Help ~ my garden hose is stuck!
Did you see that tiny warning on the label to your garden hose when you bought it? Or did you give it little notice? I never saw it!
On garden hoses with
ALUMINUM end fittings/couplers, there is a warning
(really small print) on the BACK of the package label that cautions users to
remove the hose from the faucet and any attachments a minimum of 3 times
a year! You should remove the couplings from ANY Brass connections as
often as you can think of it (even if every time you use it). If you do
not, the aluminum WILL FUSE to any brass connection! Even worse, if the faucet is connected to a house hose bib, this fusing will cause a
costly repair as the entire faucet body will have to be removed and a
new one installed.
I either totally forgot everything I learned in science, or never learned that two different types of metal will fuse together. Galvanic Corrosion, is a condition that occurs between two dissimilar metals pressed together (aluminum coupler (hose) to brass fitting (faucet). Aluminum and brass are far apart on the “dissimilar metals” chart and will corrode/fuse quickly. The more water there is present, the faster the corrosion/fusing.
I discovered this problem myself by leaving a sprayer attached to
a hose for a couple of months.
When I went to replace the sprayer with a new one I could not remove it from the hose. Pliers, nope; plumbers pipe, no go; heat method (heating one side with hot water so it expands and loosens) I don’t think so! Calling the neighbor, the burly one with muscles, (very embarrassing). Nothing worked. I had to cut the hose beneath the attachment and use a repair kit.
Repair kits are not created equal either. Be sure to get the one for the size hose you have. 5/8″ to ¾ “ is also different from lightweight and for light use! I spent several trips to BOTH Home Depot and Lowes before I got it right. I got a tad bit smarter and also used a detachable coupling so I can remove the spray head when not using it. Finally, my new sprayer is attached and I can resume watering the garden.
Now what to do about the fused connection between the faucet and the hose bib? I’m calling a plumber!