Fix a leaking garden hose

How a garden hose connection seals

A garden hose seals at each connection with a flat rubber or vinyl washer seated inside the female coupling, the end with the swiveling threaded collar. When you screw the hose onto a spigot or another hose, the washer gets pressed between the end of the spigot and the bottom of the coupling. The threads only hold it there; the washer does the sealing. Over time washers flatten, crack, harden in the sun or fall out, and then water sprays out around the threads no matter how tight you turn the coupling.

The other common failures are mechanical. Couplings get bent when the hose is stepped on, driven over or dragged, and an oval or dented coupling won't seal. Cheap plastic couplings crack. The hose itself develops pinholes or splits from age, kinks, sun, freezing with water inside, or being cut by a mower or sharp edge. Each of these has a simple fix: a new washer, a replacement coupling, or a hose mender that joins two cut ends. If water comes out at the faucet handle, the spigot's own packing or washer is the problem.

Why the hose leaks

Let's fix it

1. Find exactly where it leaksTurn the water on with the nozzle closed so the hose is under pressure, and look closely along the hose and at each end. Don't leave a weak hose pressurized in hot sun, since it can burst. Spray or a steady drip right at the spigot connection usually means the washer. Water coming out from under the faucet handle points to the spigot. A fine mist from the hose wall is a pinhole; a bulge or split is a weak spot about to fail. Also check the nozzle end; nozzles have washers too. Turn the water off and squeeze the nozzle to release pressure before you take anything apart.
   Done

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2. Replace the hose washerUnscrew the hose from the spigot and look inside the female coupling. You should see a flat rubber washer seated at the bottom. If it's missing, cracked, flattened or hard, pry it out with a small flat screwdriver or needle-nose pliers. Press a new standard garden hose washer in (US hoses use 3/4-inch fittings), pushing it evenly all the way to the bottom so it sits flat. A washer that's in place but leaks anyway is often just not seated flat, so take it out and press it in again before buying new ones. Washers come in multi-packs for a few dollars; thicker rubber ones tend to last longer than thin vinyl. Screw the hose back onto the spigot straight, hand-tight plus a little, and turn the water on to check.
   Done

   Something went wrong?

   • The new washer won't sit flat It may be the wrong size or tilted in the coupling. Standard garden hose washers fit 3/4 inch hose threads; push it in evenly with your thumb or the back of a screwdriver.

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3. Seat the connection straightIf it still leaks with a good washer, the coupling may be going on crooked or not far enough. Unscrew it, line the coupling up straight with the spigot threads, and turn it backward until you feel the threads click into place, then forward. It should spin on easily by hand at first. Tighten firmly by hand; pliers can crack plastic couplings or crush the washer. If you use a quick-connect adapter or a splitter, check its washers and O-rings too. A hose that pulls sideways on the spigot can break the seal, so let it hang straight down or use a short leader hose.
   Done

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4. Replace a bent or cracked couplingA coupling that's oval, dented or cracked won't seal. Cut the hose straight across just behind the coupling with a sharp utility knife or hose cutter. Buy a replacement coupling (female for the spigot end, male for the nozzle end) that matches your hose's inside diameter, usually 1/2, 5/8 or 3/4 inch, printed on the hose. Soak the cut end in warm water for a minute to soften it, push the coupling's barbed stem fully into the hose, and tighten the clamp screws or crimp it as the package shows. A dab of dish soap helps the stem slide in. Fit a new washer if it doesn't come with one.
   Done

   Something went wrong?

   • The stem won't go in The size is wrong, or the hose is cold and stiff. Check the hose diameter and soak the end in warm water longer.

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5. Splice a hole or split with a menderFor a pinhole or split in the middle of the hose, cut out the damaged section with two straight cuts, keeping the piece you remove as short as possible. Get a hose mender sized to your hose, a short barbed tube with clamps on both ends. Push one cut end fully onto each side of the mender, past all the barbs, and tighten the clamps. Turn the water on and check for drips. Self-fusing silicone repair tape wrapped tightly over a pinhole can work as a temporary fix, but a mender lasts much longer. If the hose has several weak spots or bulges, it's time for a new hose.
   Done

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6. Fix a leak at the spigotIf water comes from around the faucet handle when it's turned on, the packing nut under the handle has loosened or the packing has worn. With the water on, try tightening the packing nut (the nut right under the handle) about a quarter turn clockwise with an adjustable wrench. If it still drips from the handle, or drips from the spout with the handle closed and no hose attached, the spigot needs new packing or a washer, or a replacement. See the guide for a leaking outdoor faucet. Before winter, disconnect the hose and follow how to winterize an outdoor faucet.
   Done

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Watch it done

Repair a Garden Hose Leaking at ConnectionBy Know How Now on YouTube. Their method may vary a little from ours.

Watch on YouTube

If it comes back

If washers wear out fast, the hose is probably being left in the sun under pressure or overtightened. Shut the spigot off when you're done, store the hose coiled in the shade, and hand-tighten connections.

If the spigot drips even with no hose attached, see the guide for a leaking outdoor faucet. If the outdoor outlet nearby stopped working or tripped its breaker, see the guide for an outdoor outlet that isn't working.

If water pools near the house where you water or where the spigot drips, see the guide for water pooling near the foundation.