Soaker Hose Installation Tips

Length - Soaker Hoses are most effective when run in shorter lengths, use the table below as a guide for maximum run lengths. When irrigating pots and planters, use 4mm Soaker Hose. For smaller gardens, a 13mm diameter Soaker Hose is ideal however, for larger gardens opt for a 16mm Soaker Hose. 

How Often To Run A Soaker Hose? Start by running your Soaker Hose for 10 minutes three times a week and check the watered area to see if it has penetrated the soil’s top layer enough to sufficiently water your plants. If plants require further watering, increase the run time rather than the watering frequency to promote deeper root growth and healthier plants.

Flat Layouts - Soaker Hoses are not pressure-regulated and do not work effectively on slopes. To keep your Soaker Hose watering at its best, it is recommended you use it only in flat areas. On uneven ground, it is advisable to use Drip Line.

Water-Saving Top Tip: Cover your Soaker Hose in mulch to improve the appearance of decorative flower beds and ensure water from your Soaker Hose remains in the root zone and is less likely to evaporate in the air.

Preparing A Soaker Hose For Winter

1. Detach the Soaker Hose from the Water Source

Unlike Garden Hose Pipes, a Soaker Hose and its Barbed Connectors can remain in situ over the winter months. There is no need to bring the hose into the shed or garage – another time-saving benefit of using Soaker Hose irrigation. The porous layers allow water to continually seep from the hose removing the need to drain the system.

Top Tip: Purchase spare Barbed Soaker Hose Connectors in case yours do not survive over winter.

To ensure a longer-lasting Soaker Hose, lightly cover the hose in a layer of mulch. Covering in mulch rather than soil insulates the hose from harsh weather and protects the hose against clogging.

2. Safe Storage

Timers, Pressure Reducers & Plastic Hose Pipe Connectors must be removed from the system and placed in a shed, garage or any frostproof undercover area. These components can be brought back out and re-installed in your system once the weather begins to warm up.

3. Prepare For The Next Garden Watering Season

Looking ahead to when we can get back outside and enjoy our summer gardens, your Soaker Hose system will need some reviving.

You will need to check your Soaker Hose along the length to check there is no wear and tear. If you see any uneven water pooling or water spurting from the side of the hose, cut out the damaged part and use a Joiner to reconnect the hose.

A Soaker hose is porous along its full length and will continue to leak where it is installed between planters or on a patio. In this instance, these in-between lengths are not watering any plants and wasting water. Use a Garden Hose Pipe or LDPE pipe to supply water between planters or from the tap to the area you wish to water. A soaker hose is compatible with the Quick Click Connectors used on your garden hose pipe or can easily be connected to LDPE Pipe using a Barbed Joiner.

Soaker hose is compatible with barbed connectors that fit the internal diameter of the hose, for example, use 13mm Barbed Connectors for 13mm pipe and 16mm Connectors for 16mm pipe. As joins between lengths of pipe will need to be watertight, the barbed connector will require some force to push it fully into the pipe for a secure connection. Once the barb is installed it will lock into the wall of the pipe and prevent pipe dislocation whilst the system is in use. You may notice some flaring around the wall of the pipe but this is normal. Please note: Soaker hose is not compatible with nut lock connectors. 

Whilst soaker hose is highly effective and the ideal solution when watering raised beds and planters, it is not pressure compensated and is not designed to be installed on exaggerated sloped layouts. In circumstances where an area you would like to irrigate is of more challenging terrain, try using a Pressure Compensated Drip Line System.

There is no need to rely on the neighbours to keep your plants watered when you are away on holiday. Simply connect your soaker hose system to a Water Timer for automated irrigation set to specified watering days and frequency. Why not try a water timer to automate your garden irrigation even if you are not due to go on holiday – The ideal time-saving solution leaving you with more time for more important things.

If you already have a soaker hose irrigation system in situ, you can always expand your system to irrigate other areas of your garden. The HydroSure brand offers a range of components such as Barbed Connectors and Valves, Irrigation Supply Pipe and Hose Joiners to build a network of soaker hoses capable of watering more complex garden layouts.

Top Tip: Don’t forget to purchase additional Pipe Stakes for every extra metre of pipe.

A soaker hose is designed to be run in long lengths up to 30-metres. It does, however, require the use of an End Cap to plug any open end of the system and maintain water pressure within the pipe allowing more effective watering along the length of the hose. Whilst a 30-metre run length is ideal for most at home domestic gardens, a larger garden or allotment may have a longer length that requires irrigation. In situations such as this, a soaker hose irrigation system is still an effective method of irrigation but will require multiple lengths to be run at different times. Separate the available water using a Multiple Outlet Water Distributor to water each length independently. Top Tip: Use LDPE Pipe or Garden Hose to supply water to your soaker hose as it gets further away from the tap. This type of pipe contains the water promoting maximum water flow meaning it can be run in much longer lengths.

Soaker hose operates at low pressures and does require a pressure reducer to regulate water pressure to the correct level for optimal functioning. Install a Pressure Reducer directly to the tap before your tap connector to ensure your soaker hose is seeping and not spurting.

Both Soaker Hose and Drip Line are one of the most effective watering methods as they deliver water directly to the plant's roots. Drip Line, however, delivers a uniform application of water and with much longer run lengths up to 200 metres that are both consistent and easily measurable by litre per hour output. Dripline is also available with built-in Pressure Compensation ideal for sloped terrain and Anti-Siphon varieties for reliable protection against root intrusion when installed sub-surface.

A soaker hose is a more flexible irrigation method as water seeps through the porous layers along the length rather than at individually spaced outlets where the drip line is concerned. Whilst the soaker hose is easier to set up as it is compatible with connectors that fit a regular garden hose pipe, it is limited to run lengths of up to 30 metres when using a 13mm Soaker Hose and up to 80 metres when using a 16mm Soaker Hose.

The accurate and reliable delivery of water from drip line requires initial expense and maintenance in terms of additional filters and system flushing to minimise emitter blockages. Soaker hose, however, tends not to block so requires minimal planning when building a soaker hose system.