We’ve all been in that situation. Your garden hose must be removed and relocated to a different spigot. However, it has become trapped. Nothing you’ve tried so far has worked, from brute force to store-bought lubricants to natural treatments.
This is the truth. There’s a reason why so many of these “solutions” don’t work. Well explain why, and then show you the only guaranteed, foolproof way to free a jammed garden hose.
What Happened to My Hose?
Garden hoses get trapped on outdoor faucets all the time, which is surprising. The most typical reason is straightforward.
Aluminum is frequently used by manufacturers for garden hose connectors. This is the portion that goes into the hose bib on the outdoor faucet. What is the purpose of using aluminum? Because it is less expensive to manufacture and has a bigger profit margin. For the customer, it is not a satisfactory solution.
But there’s one major drawback.
Aluminum fuses to brass (the material of your spigot). It literally merges together. When water is included, the process is accelerated. As a result, a garden hose with an aluminum fitting and a brass spigot is a terrible combo.
Here’s a list of everything you’ll need to get started.
This job will take about 30 minutes once you have all of your tools and materials in place. The amount of time it takes you to cut through the hose connection will determine a lot. So, here is what you need:
- Channel Lock Pliers
- Flathead screwdriver
- Teflon tape
- Hacksaw
- Scissors
- Box cutter/utility knife
- Work gloves
How to Get a Garden Hose Unstuck
Let’s walk through the procedures of removing a stuck garden hose now that you have all of your tools and the new brass fitting. But first, take a look at the following video:
1. Make an angle with the garden hose connector.
The first step is the most frightening and difficult. But believe us when we say it’s not as horrible as it sounds.
Cut into the garden hose connector with your hacksaw (a size that best fits the tight space you’ll be working in) (the fitting that attaches to the spigot). It’s crucial to make the cut at a 45-degree angle.
Important: Keep an eye on your cut at all times. You don’t want to sever the threaded pipe beneath the hose connector by cutting too deep. If you cut the threads on the hose bib on the spigot, you may have to replace the entire outside faucet, which is a much more difficult process.
Ensure the hose connector is severed at a 45-degree angle.
2. Use a screwdriver to pry the cut open.
You’ll want to put your gloves on at this point.
Insert a flathead screwdriver into the hole you just made. It can be used to pry a large piece of the garden hose connector open. Prying open a section of the connector can result in sharp edges, so be careful. Put on your gloves!
Pry your cut open. Soak the connector in water long enough to dislodge it from the hose bib.
3. Using pliers, unscrew the garden hose.
Wondering how to unscrew stuck hose? Unscrew the hose connector from the faucet with your pliers (clockwise). It should now be loose enough to remove the garden hose with a little muscle.
Unscrew the loosened garden hose connector with your tongue-and-groove pliers.
4. If necessary, repeat steps 2 and 3 as needed.
If you’re still having problems, it’s likely that the connector’s cut needs to be pried apart even more. Steps 3 and 4 should be repeated until the hose can be removed.
You’ll be left with a detached — but defective — garden hose once this phase is accomplished. This will be fixed in the next set of instructions.
How to Change the Connector on a Garden Hose
Now comes the exciting part. The fused-on garden hose has been removed. Remove the old connector (that you’ve cut through) and replace it with a new one to repair the garden hose.
Disconnect the old connector.
Use a utility knife or a pair of scissors to cut the paper. When cutting through the hose, scissors have proven to be more convenient.
Connect the hoses with the new hose connector.
Remove the brass portion from the new connector’s clamp. In the hose aperture, insert the pipe end of the brass connection. Make a snug fit. The clamp should then be added and screwed in place, making sure it is tight.
Wrap the threads in Teflon tape.
Wrap the tape around the threads in a counterclockwise direction. Repeat this process 3-5 times. This will result in a completely waterproof seal.
Replace the hose connector on the spigot.
Screw the new garden hose connector onto your spigot using your hands. Tighten it with the pliers once it’s snug. Now check for any leaks. If it leaks, tightens it with pliers again until the leak stops. Take care not to over tighten.
What to Do If Your Hose Gets Stuck
Here are three strategies to avoid having your garden hose stuck:
If it’s aluminum, take it out frequently. Remove your garden hose from your outdoor faucet at least 3-4 times during the season if it has metal fittings. In addition, never leave it on in the winter or throughout the colder months.
Only garden hoses with brass fittings should be used. If you really want to fix the problem, never use an aluminum-fitting garden hose. It will corrode and fuse with your brass spigot over time. Purchase a garden hose with brass fittings to completely eliminate the problem.
Apply silicone grease to the threads. Whether your garden hose includes aluminum or brass fittings, coating the outside threads of the spigot’s hose bib and the interior threads of the hose fitting with a plumber’s silicone grease is an excellent preventative step.
BONUS: How to Avoid Freezing Your Garden Hose
You’ve gone to great lengths to save that clogged garden hose. So, why not ensure that it survives the winter? Follow these basic measures for winterizing your garden hoses to keep it from freezing and splitting open:
Remove any hose attachments (such as nozzles).
Drain the water from the garden hose. Allow water to drip out of one end by raising it higher than the other.
Drain the garden hose once more. I’m sure there’s more water in that hose. As a result, you’ll want to invert the ends (place the lower end up top and the top end on bottom).
Placing the hose-end of an air compressor into your hose and blowing out all of the remaining or surplus water is a surefire technique to eliminate all of the water.
Make a loop in your hose to make it easier to store. Check for kinks in your hose.
Hang your hose in a warm spot (both ends of the hose should be pointing downward). Make sure there aren’t any cold air droughts in the area. It should be at least 65 degrees outside.
It’s not difficult to winterize your garden hoses. To ensure that every drop of water has been removed, all you need is a little patience and the appropriate method.
Conclusion
It takes two steps to remove a garden hose that has been fused or stuck to an outdoor faucet. The garden hose must first be removed. The garden hose’s hose connector will then need to be replaced.
Despite the large number of steps, this is a straightforward project that any do-it-yourselfer can complete. The biggest danger is hacksawing so far into the old connector that you cut the threads of the spigot.
