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?
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.
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.