What if you left your garden hose out for a whole winter?

I left my green garden hose connected to the spigot all last winter in Chicago. Went to use it last week and it had turned completely stiff, like a frozen snake. The sun and cold basically turned the plastic brittle. Now I have to buy a new one. Anyone else have a random household item get totally wrecked by the weather?

3 comments

3 Comments

ellis.hayden4d ago

Tried to save a hose like that once. Brought it inside, let it thaw in the basement for a week. It got flexible again, but it was never right. Sprang a leak the first time I used it the next spring. The cold just puts tiny cracks in the plastic you can't even see.

piper_reed4d ago

Yeah, that's exactly what happened with my last one. It felt okay when I coiled it up in the garage, but come April it was just a sprinkler. You're right about the tiny cracks. It's like the plastic gets brittle and holds a grudge all winter. I've given up on saving them now, it just delays the trip to the hardware store.

the_lee4d ago

Honestly my buddy tried that thaw trick too, @piper_reed. His hose looked fine but just split open like a zipper a month later.