I want to buy a 100 foot hose that will be used both for filling troughs (so it has to be drinking approved) and for hosing down horses etc. Willing to pay for quality but there are lots on the market these days so looking for your recs and input! Thank u!
I hate hoses in general, but I do like my zero g hoses.
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what you need to look for is a “potable water hose” These hoses are made of a safe materials that complies with government regulations to certify that they’re free of lead.
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Flexzilla all the way. I have other hoses around the property but eventually I’ll replace them all with Flexzillas.
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Check out the Big Boss Aqua Stream garden hose ( quite the name, eh?).
I’ve had several for years from another manufacturer, and was happy to find this on Amazon. The beauty part of this hose is that it’s self draining and lightweight, so I can carry 150 feet on one arm. Makes it easy to use in the winter as it can be brought into an above freezing area. The bad thing is that it can and will kink, but for me the tradeoff is worth it. We have one in the barn aisle year round to water the horses, I use them at my house, and we use 150 feet to water the ring. I have no affiliation with this company!
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Thanks for the suggestions! I’m curious… do you prefer 5/8" hoses? Or the slightly roomier hose, 3/4"? I know 5/8" is standard, but I’m seeing lots of 3/4" ones on the market and I wonder if more “room” for the water in the hose would be advantageous enough to overrule the additional cumbersome-ness. In our case, the hose doesn’t really need to be carried around… it would stay connected and extended to the barn which is not close to the water supply (hence the 100 foot necessity)
Gotta ask this. Why a special potable water hose for horses? I cannot recall ever seeing a barn equipped with blue or white RV type water hoses to fill buckets or troughs.
These days in barns, most water flows through polyvinyl chloride or polyethylene tubes or pipes before it gets to the hose bibb anyway.
I use a traditional 3/4" hose to fill the water troughs in the fields. They fill faster than the 5/8". I recently (last couple years) bought the bright orange one Home Depot sells and have been happy with it. It’s pretty light for that type of hose, doesn’t really kink, and remains easy to coil when it’s cold.
I use an expandy hose in the barn to fill the stall tubs. It’s light and convenient and coils down to nothing. Flow is significantly lower than a traditional hose, and they last a year with my use before they blow up. At ~$20-30 each, I’m cool with just expecting to purchase yearly.
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Eley! You will never have to replace it – their stuff is very strong. https://www.eleyhosereels.com
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LCDR: most commercial hoses contain (and leach into the water) lead and other toxins
Who knows how/if it’s affecting our horses’ health, but, since there are now hoses being made that are made to be “drinkable” then, thass cool
Frugalannie: No 100-footers 
Splitrockfarmnc: I was looking at those! Many of the reviews - many many - complained that the end hardware would eventually break off or pop off. That gave me pause. Obviously you haven’t had that experience or you wouldn’t recommend the Flexzilla… how long have you had it?
Also, I heard that the water (at first) comes out with some sort of green slime in it. I didn’t give much credence to that, but I was left with that lovely mental image
Alfonsina - those look FAB.
I wonder why they don’t have a 3/4" option though?
Have to admit…I’ve never used a potable drinking water hose for anything, including the horse tubs which are currently fed via a underground conduit with a hose snaked through it. Probably should. Something to think about.
Maybe that explains me…I spent years drinking from the hose at the horse farms I worked at all through highschool and college. And those were definitely not anything other than your standard hose.
It is a good thought though.
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Welcome to my club. I’m the only one I know who has potable water hoses for my horses. I’ve never seen 100 ft ones, I have a variety of 25 and 50 foot hoses. Some of mine came from WalMart. I ordered 2 blue ones this spring and I can’t remember if they were on Amazon, Menards, Home Depot, or WalMart. I believe these ones were medium duty, less likely to kink. My white ones haven’t been a big problem with kinks either, it helps if you don’t have someone kinking them. (I’m blaming all kinks in one hose on my helper wadding it up one time.) I also do not think I’ve seen potable water hoses in 3/4", but I’m not sure what my 2 newest hoses are.
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Oh ew, no I never had any green slime! And nothing broken either. I have one that stays in a shady sheltered area and one that is out in the sun 24/7. Both are fine! I would say I’ve had them over a year at this point.
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I know old thread but I saw no one answered your question.
The problem with use of a regular garden hose is when the hose is allowed to have water in it while being exposed to UV sunlight .
lead is used as a stabilizer in PVC
One consumer test to see just how much lead was in hoses tested 16 hoses representing popular brands from national chains. Four were labeled safe for drinking, six had warning labels, and six had no labels either way. After leaving water in the hoses for 20 hours, they measured concentrations less than the acceptable levels set for drinking water by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for all of those labeled as safe. Water taken from all the rest had levels 10 to 100 times that allowed.
That sounds like rubber hoses may be safer to use. They will be slightly more expensive and are more prone to damage from UV radiation in sunlight. Hose fittings may also contribute to lead poisoning. Many are made of brass that may also contain lead. Plastic or nickel-plated fittings are safer.
Buried water lines are not exposed to UV thus much. much. much less an issue
I recently installed a hot water heater in my barn and therefore wanted to find a hose that was both drinking water safe and hot water safe. This was surprisingly difficult to find, but I ended up getting this:
I like it so far. My only complaint really is that, despite its claims, it kinks like crazy. It only comes in 25’ and 50’ lengths, but 50+50 = 100.
I have a 100ft Swan hose (not that model) and I curse it daily. I have never owned anything that kinks worse than that hose. The only reason I’m still using it is because I figure it’s only a matter of time before it springs leaks from all the kinks and I can justify throwing it away.
The best hose I have used is call the “Tuff guard hose” or “the perfect garden hose”. I love them because they dont kink (which can be an issue if that is how you turn them off) and are the only hose I have found to hold up in the wash rack. I show clydesdales and have borium on the shoes, so I used to go through a couple standard hoses every year. these hoses last 4-5 years easy. They are not cheap but if you are not picky about the color I have found them on ebay for a great deal from time to time. Totally worth the extra cost in my mind. also they are pretty light compared to “heavy duty” hoses
