Although our Farm School posts have ended,
I'm still going to The Hill every weekend to work with Faye & Lynn
on their 4,000+ square foot container garden.
There is still so much to learn.
Lynn showed me his way of repairing broken hoses.
Squirrels have been busy gnawing away on this one.
This is what is customarily used to repair hoses.
The clamps that usually come in the kit are bulky and can rust.
As usual, Lynn has found a way to create a longer lasting, more effective solution.
Like us, he tends to live outside of the box,
so coming up with these remedies is just a matter of time.
With just a few tools, you can permanently repair any garden hose.
The key is using this tool
which can be found in the automotive section.
Lynn prefers these clamps because they are less likely to snag on things,
won't rust and fix the problem forever.
The damaged section of hose is cut away.
It can still be used for other purposes,
like being used as a hose guard around planters,
or cushioning a metal bucket handle.
The brass fitting is inserted into one of the severed ends.
So far, so good.
The clamps are placed on either side of the connector.
These will form a tight seal and give the hose years of new life.
The banding tool is a cumbersome rascal.
The loose end of the clamp (I call it the tail end),
is fed through the slot in the tool.
A ratchet is placed on the opposite side over the nut.
The tail end encircles the slotted side.
The turning of the socket wrench tightens the clamp
until it's snug as a bug.
Then, by moving the banding tool up and down,
the end of the metal band is snapped off.
It takes some patience and a lot of coordination.
A couple of extra hands helps,
but you'll end up with a fantastic seal that will never budge.
You may never have to replace a hose again!
It just goes to show,
there's always a way to improve on the way things are done.
And if it saves you money at the same time,
it's a win-win.
