Expandable Hoses?

[starcrwzr]

I'm really tired of my white 50' fresh water hose kinking and having to wrestle with it to put it away. Has anyone used one of those expandable hoses for their fresh water hose? I see ones on Amazon that are safe for drinking water.

[rk911]

a couple of ideas...


- coil your hose in a bucket leaving both ends exposed and pull only what you need
- or use a hand held hose reel again with both ends exposed and pull only what you need
- if you don't need 50' of hose most of the time try using a pair of 25's or a couple of 10's and a 25'


as i see it the problem with the collapsible hoses is you have to use all of it even for short runs.

[CamperDC]

I have a lot of trouble with the expandable hoses bursting when they are under constant pressure. As long as the water is flowing I have no issues however. I would worry about them bursting.

[powercat_ras]

X2 on expandable hoses bursting if they are left under pressure constantly. I had this happen even with a 40 PSI pressure regulator on the faucet.

[AJMike]

We used one of those expandable hoses in our backyard, but it soon burst. We then bought one that had outside support to prevent bursting, but it soon developed pinhole bursts and we had to replace it as well. We now use regular hoses. I suspect using an expandable hose in an RV would be even a bigger issue because the hoses get coiled and expanded regularly.

[corjaguar]

I use a marine grade coil hose approved for drinking water........expensive but reliable

[Wayne M]

I have never had a problem with a white hose kinking and here is what I do. (Or yellow or any hose)

I use a bicycle inner tube. I cut straight across on both sides of the valve and throw that piece away. Then I cut up the seam all around the tube. Then I cut about 1/2 inch strips the length of the cut tube. Cut a section of the 1/2 inch in lengths and then tie a double not in the ends. The knot acts as a stop (think of the plastic ball on a commercial bungee) when wrapped around something and pulled through its own loop.

For the hose. Unhook both ends. Start a coil holding the hose in one hand and looping the hose with the other. As you get a couple turns use two of the "homemade" bungee tube strips to secure the partially wrapped hose, one opposite the other. Make a few more wraps or as many as your had can handle. Remove one bungee and reposition it around the hose. do the other with the other side bungee. Continue wrapping the hose until it is all in one coil and finally re-doing the inner tube bungee around the hose. Once you pull on the knot of the bungee the rubber tube will cinch up on itself and not slip. Rubber sort of does that.

Next time you stop un-cinch the spigot end and screw it on the spigot. Walk the hose back toward the RV letting it uncoil. Turn the hose to make it lay flat. When you reach the RV leave enough of the connection to reach up into the compartment. Re-cinch the hose in two places and leave it neatly on the ground.

Don't forget to send me money for the wonderful idea
I carry a baggie of 1/2 inch wide homemade inner tube bungies. I use them on hoses, electrical cables, RF cables, you name it. They are cheap to make and work extremely well. Once you get the hang of it you'll know how much to double over and tie a double knot. You can use thinner cuts on household extension cords, etc.

[NeilV]

I have never used an expandable hose that did not burst if left outdoors. Even the flat fire type hoses made popular by Toro with the reel for squeezing them flat and rolling them up in a 16" spool do not last long when left out in the sun and under pressure for extended periods of time.


Just get used to neatly rolling up the standard drinking water hose and you won't have any problems plus they will last for many years.

[Jim_HiTek]

Expandable hoses aren't for drinking water I don't think. Also, they burst all the time from what I've read and observed.

[bigb]

I have been experimenting at home with expandable hoses. Convenient for watering and car washing, but reliability is sort of unpredictable. We bought one at Ace that bragged of it's high quality on the box even though it has plastic ends, that one is actually holding up well now for 2 years. Another one from Amazon, a blue one with brass ends is also about 2 years old now but it has a small pinhole leak somewhere under the outer covering, very minor. Both hoses are kept in the shade and not dragged across rough surfaces too much, mostly smooth concrete and some red brick pavers.

Now, a good alternative to rubber hoses are some of the new lightweight fabric hoses. They don't expand but they are smaller and lighter, and the one I bought a Ace is very tough and has held up to job site use for two years now with no leaks. It is a kind of canvass looking blue fabric much like a miniature fire hose and you can either wad it up and stuff it into a bag or roll it up into a flat coil. As soon as it is pressurizes it straightens out kink free. I don't remember the brand but I am going to look next time I go to that Ace. It has a lifetime warranty but who knows what I did with the paperwork

As far as drinking water safe I don't remember if it said that but who actually drinks tap water anymore without filtering it?

[David K]

I no longer use the white hoses. I have a pressure gauge that I attach at the campground hose connection and also have one permanently mounted on the motor home -- both set at 45 PSI. I now use the stainless steel hoses that have been lined and have no problems with kinking or stiffness. The stainless steel hoses are very flexible and have no taste of metal when the water goes through them. I am very careful about draining all water from the hoses prior to storing them and when I hook up at the next site, I always run water through them to flush out before hooking to the MH. You can literally tie them into knots and they are not effected in any way.

[LKANER]

I have been using the Zero-g RV Marine Hose for the last 2 years and have had no issues with kinking or leaking and recommend it. There are a number of stores that carry this product in 25, 50 and 100 foot lengths.

[maryinreddin]

We use the Zero G hoses. They make them for drinking and for as auxiliary hoses. We found they are great for storage.

[maryinreddin]

I just looked at those stainless steel hoses and there is no mention of drinking out of them. I don't think I would take a chance....

[greyeagleb]

I have been using the Zero-g expanding hose that I got at Lowe’s. It is 50 ft, and lead free, good for drinking water. I have used it for five months including two months during Jan/Feb and really like it. They have two diameters, get the larger size, 5/8s. No more problem storing the hose, I actually leave it connected in the motor home.

[greyeagleb]

Check out the Zero-g hose sold at Lowe’s, it is drinking water safe and has no lead.

[legolas]

X3 for the Zero G hoses. I had tried the off the shelf at Home Depot expandables for use at home and found the quality lacking, pin holes leaking etc.,. I always HATED the standard Camping World-Walmart white (or yellow) hoses. Difficult to store and always messy in wet weather. I am very particular about having the hoses put away clean and dry and never had good luck with the White ones. I had been using the better quality expandables in the TT for a year and had pretty good luck, no leaks no pin holes. When I traded my TT in March for a MH and the dealer had the Zero G. THe quality was far better that the ones I had and so I bought two. Marked one for black tank flush and one for drinking. Easy to use, easy to store and easy to clean. I would recommend them.

[starcrwzr]

Thanks for all the input everyone! I decided to go with the Zero-G Marine hose, got it from Amazon for $33 for the 25' one. It was very easy to just gather up, put a velcro strap around it and throw it into my wet bay. I will carry the old white hose just in case, but everyone here and on IRV2 think the Zero-G will last a long time.

[Rossi6998]

I have the Zero-G hose also. It has it benefits and I definitely like being able to wrap it around my forearm to coil it up and put it away. I did notice a slight decrease in water pressure. To me, it appears the diameter of the hose might be slightly smaller than the typical white drinking hose. I would probably buy it ago if I had to.