You shouldn’t leave garden hose outdoors over the winter in cold climates. Source: saudiawebdesigncompany.com
It’s time to think of bringing your garden hose indoors if you live in a climate where water freezes in the winter.
A garden hose is typically guaranteed between 3 and 20 years, depending on the model, but if you want to shorten its life while voiding the warranty, just leave it outside during a cold winter.
The damage comes not so much from any fragility to cold when manipulating it in cold weather, although that may be a problem with some poorer quality hoses, but rather that the water remaining in the hose will freeze.
If you remember back to high school physics, water expands as it freezes. Therefore, a hose full of water can split or tear when temperatures drop below freezing. It’s always best to bring your hose indoors or into a heated garage during the winter.
It isn’t necessary, however, to bring soaker hoses in for the winter. They drain after each use because of their numerous perforations and so will be empty of water during the cold months. You can just leave them where they lie.
Hoses drained and stored in the barn for the winter. 🙂 Good reminder.