Heated Hoses - 2025 edition

[Hilary]

I do not have water in my barn in the winter. 1860s bank barn built on ledge. To plumb a hydrant would cost more arms and legs than I have. It is connected to the house with an ellway so I don’t need to get wet or shovel snow to get to the barn - it has it’s charms.

I checked to see if heated hoses had been discussed, and yes, they have, but the most recent I found was 2015 and no one was raving. Have there been any improvements? Any new users? The distance from the house to the barn is about 100 feet. I have electricity at both ends, but would prefer not to have to drain the hose. That would be harder than what I do now. I only need to fill buckets, so turn on, fill, turn off. And then the next day, do the same without a thawing procedure.

I am in NH and after a few mild winters where we got spoiled this year got cold December 1 and has been 25 or less since then. We’re getting a reprieve tomorrow and then back to single digits for a week.

I am not complaining too much - it’s not burning, it’s not icy. There are no wild boars or scorpions. But getting water to the barn in an easier way would be lovely. TIA!

[kt]

No real advice but if you do decide to get a heated hose, use with caution. I have a friend who posted on FB just last week that the new one she’d bought on Amazon literally caught on fire in front of her while on the reel in her barn. She had used another one for years with no issues. There were multiple comments on the thread from people saying they’d heard of this happening to others as well. Super scary.

[Mouse_amp_Bay]

I have found that my “curly” hoses work really well. The stretchy ones that curl up into a small hose when they are not full of water. My 75 foot one doesn’t quite stretch out to that long (more realistic is about 50 to 60 feet), but the upside of it fitting in a small bucket is very much worth it for me! I’m wondering, given the distance you’re mentioning, whether two 75 or even two 100 foot hoses can do what you want … and since that easily fits into a drinking pail the inconvenience of having to drag it in is minimized.

But I confess I haven’t tried heated hoses (too worried about risks and why not keep it simple) so perhaps my solution is a bit off topic to your request!!

[Texarkana]

I use an expandable hose in the winter. Instead of “draining” it, I just throw it in a bucket and bring it inside when I’m done with it.

They make them 100’ long and longer, although the length is usually measured when fully expanded with pressure, which only happens when the water is on to the hose but it is “closed” by a valve or sprayer. As soon as the water starts flowing, it usually snaps back and shortens. So if the distance is 100’ from house to buckets, I’d get at least a 125’ expandable hose if not longer.

[ZuzusPetals]

Yeah, I vote for expandable. They’re expensive and not wonderfully durable but so much easier to use in winter. Rather than super-long one, maybe purchase shorter sections and attach to one another, so if a hole develops you don’t have to trash the whole thing.

[Texarkana]

My replacement 100’ expandable hose finally arrived. This is all it takes to carry it to and from the house.

[OnAMission]

That’s what we use too, we throw it in a bucket and carry it to and fro.

[Hilary]

Thank you! I definitely don’t want anything catching fire spontaneously! I look into those collapsing hoses - I have one for horse shows and love how light they are - what I didn’t want was lugging around 100 feet of regular hose but these could be a game changer.

And now we know that 10 years of COTH knowledge still stands.

[endlessclimb]

If you try and don’t like the expandable one, try a ZeroG hose. They are super light and easy to handle, and don’t do that annoying snap back when you open the nozzle.

[PonyRiderMom]

I don’t know if I’m allowed to say this or not, but I will.

As a PSA, buying unbranded or weird-name products on Amazon is a really bad idea, especially if it’s something even remotely breakable, electronic, mechanical, or at all potentially dangerous. Will you save money? Yes. Will the product work? Possibly, for a little while. Possibly not. Possibly, as noted in this thread, it will catch fire or otherwise do something terrible. If anyone wants a novel, I am happy to go into details about the reasons for this.

It’s the same on Walmart now. Just don’t buy this stuff.