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I have a faucet below my deck that is connected to a faucet that is screwed into the railing. They are connected via a 1/2" copper pipe which burst this winter in multiple locations. The simplest fix for me would be to just run some garden hose between the two faucets and bypass the pipe altogether. Is there a reason not to do that?

I could run copper or pex again, but it just feels like too much work at this point.

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  • I wonder if using PEX instead might make more sense. It can probably withstand freezing temperatures better than a water hose
    – Joe Phillips
    May 31, 2015 at 22:07
  • PEX is a bit more tolerant to freezing than copper, but it by no means is rated for such conditions. And anther thing to consider is it is not UV resistant. It'll get brittle and crack in just a couple of years in the sun. You typically run the PEX inside some kind of sleeve for outdoor use. A proper slope and a stop and waste valve inside the house will keep the line clear in the winter. Or a proper below-frost-line burial...
    – Paul
    May 31, 2015 at 22:57
  • Hoses have much better freeze resistance and UV tolerance than PEX by itself, so if it's secondary water, or if water wastage/spillage is simply not an issue in your area, then I see a hose as a viable ad-hoc solution.
    – Paul
    May 31, 2015 at 23:33
  • See my question from some time ago: diy.stackexchange.com/questions/44995/hoses-instead-of-pipes
    – André Stannek
    Jun 1, 2015 at 8:34

3 Answers 3

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I can think of one (perhaps minor) reason. Most hoses aren't designed to be pressurized all the time. And when they do fail, they split and flow at full rate. I flooded my neighbor's yard and gave myself a steep water bill for the month in this way a few years ago.

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    I can attest to this answer. In hot summer it can be observed that there is a lot of diameter increase in a standard garden hose that has its end stopped off with a closed water nozzle. Demonstrating that the hose design is not taking to the pressure very well.
    – Michael Karas ♦
    May 31, 2015 at 22:24
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    That's a pretty big reason. I will go through the extra effort to get the proper plumbing installed.
    – PBG
    May 31, 2015 at 22:28
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    I don't see how you call this a minor reason. It's a pretty big one in my book!
    – Loren Pechtel
    May 31, 2015 at 22:45
  • Some friends of mine are on a well in a wet climate (no water restrictions) and couldn't care less if their hoses split.. :P
    – Paul
    May 31, 2015 at 23:03
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Water from a garden hose is not potable. If you're going to use this water for human consumption, you'll want to install proper plumbing.

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    There are some hoses that are designed for drinking water. You often find them in RV and marine applications such as this one note the application - boats and campers. They are designed for moving potable water into holding tanks for situations where you are going to drink it later. And yes, that is in the 'garden hose' section on Amazon and likely found in the same department at a home improvement store.
    – user1405
    Jun 1, 2015 at 2:35
  • @MichaelT That's a "Boat and Camper" hose, not a "Garden" hose.
    – Tester101
    Jun 1, 2015 at 11:12
  • Also good to know. The water would only be used to water plants and fill a baby pool, but I will keep it in mind.
    – PBG
    Jun 1, 2015 at 12:30
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    I think most garden hoses cause cancer in California, so if you live there you should avoid garden hoses.
    – Tester101
    Jun 1, 2015 at 14:11
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    I drank from our garden hose all the time as a kid - and do now when I'm thirsty and it's what's handy. Hasn't killed me yet.
    – warren
    Jun 2, 2015 at 21:24
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Put in necessary valve to allow draining that section of pipe during cold weather. I would use conduit grade PVC (UV protected, schedule 80.

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