The humble garden hose is used for a variety of purposes around almost every home in America.
But they get a far greater workout on a working homestead, and are commonly used all day long during the hot seasons.
The expandable garden hose is fast becoming one of the most popular hoses for the job. Super light, extremely flexible, and easy to store, it is no wonder they are such a hit.
But these hoses seem different enough from others that users might have questions about connecting them together. How do you connect two expandable hoses?
Most expandable hoses should easily connect together and function normally by simply screwing them together with their built-in connections. Standard garden hose male and female connections on each end should be compatible with counterparts of the same size, although differing sizes or special hose configurations may require an adapter connection to join them.
Especially if you have two hoses of the same brand or two hoses with the same size connections, there really isn’t much to it.
However, as always there may be a few specific problems to watch out for. I’ll cover everything you need to know in the rest of this article.
What’s the Difference Between an Expandable Hose and a Standard Hose?
To ensure that everyone understands precisely what we are dealing with before we continue, it might be helpful to define what these hoses are.
An expandable water hose is a specially constructed garden hose that performs much the same as a regular solid vinyl rubber hose, with one major difference.
These hoses are made up of a flexible inner tube that expands as it carries water, and is surrounded by a woven fabric sheath that protects it from abrasion and damage.
When not in use, these lightweight hoses collapse down on themselves and become incredibly flexible for easy transport and storage.
But when pressurized the inner hose expands, taking on the same form factor, more or less, as any other typical garden hose.
These hoses connect to spigots and other garden hose-compatible equipment normally and will function as usual with sprayers, sprinklers, bubblers and all your other home and garden equipment.
These hoses are so light and easy to handle compared to the old-fashioned ones it is tough to go back.
They are also so much more convenient to store and move when empty compared to standard, shrinking down into a bundle that is easily gathered up and stashed or hung up.
They also retract when the water is off, greatly reducing problems with tangling or kinking when winding them up on a reel or by hand, end over end.
What is the Best Way to Connect Expandable Hoses?
Connecting standard expandable garden hoses intended for home and garden usage is the same as any other garden hose.
The vast majority of these hoses, regardless of their size, will have the familiar male and female “GHT” or garden hose threaded ends that you should be used to.
These are typical connections compatible with your spigot, hose reels, and other things.
If you have two of the same expandable hoses, all you have to do is screw the female end of the second hose to the male end of the first, attach your sprayer or connect to your device, turn on the water, and get to work.
Chances are the only difference you will notice is that the now-lengthened hose will take a little longer to fully fill.
Since there is now a greater interior volume than it takes longer to completely stretch out to its entire length.
You might notice a slightly reduced initial pressure at first if you open the valve on the far end of the hose immediately, but this is of little concern for most people.
When you are finished, it’s up to you whether or not you want to disconnect the hoses and store them separately.
In my experience, there is no disadvantage to leaving them connected if you know you will need the extra length all the time.
How to Connect Expandable Hoses with Differently Sized Threads
Assuming you have standard-sized, identical expandable hoses intended for household usage, you should be able to follow the method outlined above with no issues.
However, it’s certainly possible that you have two expandable hoses with different connection sizes or different styles of connectors.
In either case, you’ll need an adapter to make a solid connection between the two if you want to link them.
Garden hoses that are commonly sold for home and garden use may range anywhere from ⅜”, ⅝”, ¾”, or 1″ inch diameter.
If you have two hoses with the same size connectors, even if they are different brands, you should expect them to work.
But if the threads on your hoses differ in size, you’ll need a separate adaptor to fit between them.
The simple way to figure out which adapter you’ll need it to connect one of your hoses to the spigot you’ll be drawing from and then attach your sprayer to the other hose.
Compare the loose ends of each hose where they come together: your adaptor must mate to each for it to work.
For instance, your leading hose might have a 1” male threaded end and your second one could be a ½” female threaded one. Your adapter should have a 1” female side and a ½” male side to bridge the gap!
You don’t need to worry too much since any well-equipped hardware store will have every variety you could possibly want.
If your hoses don’t have the appropriate seals or o-rings for either end, make sure the adapter comes with them or you pick them up separately; you’ll have non-stop leaks otherwise.
Also, consider purchasing a connecting adapter made from aluminum or brass instead of plastic: plastic won’t corrode, but it does not fare well under constant UV exposure and they are more likely to chip or break compared to metal.
Connecting Copper Bullet Hoses
Copper bullet hoses are a touted as excellent for garden use, but can you connect them? Absolutely, provided they have the right fitting. This will typically be specified on the presentation page.
Disclosure: if you visit an external link in this post and make a purchase, I may earn a commission. Read my full earnings disclosure here.
If you do your homework, go for copper bullet hoses like these that have larger fittings as these will allow for an improved flow of water.
Can You Connect Pocket Hoses Together?
The Pocket Hose is a brad that brags to expand to three times its normal length with the water turned on. And yes, you can connect two such hoses together just like you would with normal hoses.
Problems with Pressure
When joining two expandable hoses, one typical issue reported is a significant loss in peak water pressure.
This usually manifests as a dribbling, weak spray, or inability to operate pressure-dependent tools like sprinklers, sprayers, and pressure washers. This is especially common when utilizing “wide” or high-intensity settings on the device.
Although commonly reported, I don’t believe the issue is quite as problematic as some think.
Considering the hose itself, the inner hose’s elasticity requires a specific amount of water pressure to overcome.
If the supply of water is not of sufficient speed this manifests as a reduction in output pressure: water that is being dispensed through the sprayer weakly because the flexible inner hose is acting in opposition to it.
I once ran into this issue with two 50 foot expandable hoses. The property where I was using them had decidedly low water pressure, so that didn’t help anything.
I found success by switching the two hoses out for smaller diameter ones (maximizing internal pressure) and allowing them to fill up completely before opening the sprayer nozzle.
If you suffer from poor water pressure at home, you might want to stick with smaller-diameter hoses.
Once I moved the problem disappeared entirely and I was able to use the originals with no trouble.
You Can Connect Your Expandable Hoses with Ease
Expandable water hoses are an excellent upgrade for all your outdoor chores, and you can connect them together the same as you would any standard water hoses.
If you have hoses of differing sizes or with different connector types a standard garden hose adapter may be used to connect them.
Tom has lived and worked on farms and homesteads from the Carolinas to Kentucky and beyond. He is passionate about helping people prepare for tough times by embracing lifestyles of self-sufficiency.