You may find yourself needing to transport hot water from one place to another on your property and wondering if a garden hose can handle hot water.
Several questions likely come to mind. Is hot water bad for the hose? Is that water be safe to drink?
This is probably not the answer you wanted but, some garden hoses can handle hot water better than others.
Keep in mind, that’s a different question than if a hose can handle hot weather. Though the questions are related, this article is about running hot water through a garden hose.
Quick Answer:
The best hose you can buy that handles hot water is from Eley, who make some of the best heavy duty hoses on the market. Here’s a link to view the hose on their website.
If the garden hose you own is a standard hose and you don’t recall its temperature rating when you bought it, chances are you’ll need to invest in a new hose to make sure it’s safe to carry hot water.
Below, we have some thoroughly researched hose recommendations to help you with that.
First we’ll talk a bit more about why all garden hoses are not hot water safe.
How Hot Water Effects Garden Hoses
For the most part garden hoses are made from one of 3 materials: rubber, vinyl, or polyurethane. Sometimes it’s even a blend of 2 or more of those materials.
Of those 3 materials, vinyl is the least capable of handling hot water.
According to a 2016 study done by The Ecology Center, the hoses that were most likely to leach chemicals into the water it carried were those made from vinyl, also knows as PVC.
When vinyl heats up, and any other material for that matter, it’s even more likely to leach chemicals as higher temperatures accelerate deterioration of the hose.
The least expensive garden hoses on the market are often made from vinyl. It’s also a more lightweight material than rubber, making it a popular choice for many households.
So if you didn’t put too much thought into your last garden hose purchase, and bought the cheapest one available, there’s a good chance it’s made of vinyl.
Even the rubber and polyurethane hoses, according to the Ecology Center study, were not all perfect when it came to leaching chemicals into the water they carried.
In other words, when you transport hot water through a hose, especially those made from vinyl, you’re going to get more than just water running through your hose.
If your goal is to transport hot water meant for human contact or consumption, you want to make sure it’s running through a hose that isn’t leaching chemicals from it.
Consider What You’re Using The Hot Water For
For most people, chemicals leaching into the hot water you’re transporting should be avoided.
Perhaps you’re looking to heat an outdoor shower or running it to a faucet that will wind up being used for drinking water.
For such cases you’ll want to avoid using a vinyl hose and stick with a rubber or polyurethane hose that is temperature rated.
However, if you’re not going to be using the water for human, plant or animal contact, perhaps chemicals in the water is not an issue.
Some people, for instance, like to wash their car with warm water instead of cold. You could use any garden hose for that task.
“Drinking Water Safe Hoses”
Many garden hoses on the market are labeled “drinking water safe.” This, however, should be taken at face value.
There is no regulation according to what is considered “safe” for garden hose manufactures to make that claim.
What might be considered “safe” by one manufacturer, could be toxic by another. Without those standards in place, such claims need to be further investigated by consumers.
For instance, one manufacturer could say that all that is required for it to be drinking water safe is that it’s lead free.
They may not factor all the other chemicals that could leach from the hose including phthalates, BPA, bromine, among others.
Look for hoses that are not only labeled drinking water safe, but are made of FDA approved or food grade material.
Also make sure that the fittings are lead free.
Characteristics of Hot Water Hoses
As mentioned before, you want to avoid the cheap vinyl hoses that you’re going to find at your local convenience store.
Generally speaking, hoses made of rubber that are labeled “industrial”, “farm grade” or “commercial” are the hoses that can handle hot water.
A lot of these hoses are red or gray in color so as to distinguish them from the standard green home garden hose.
If you have a red hose that seems heavier than the average garden hose, its an indication that it’s a commercial grade hose made from rubber.
There’s a good chance that hose is designed to run water at temperatures up to 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
Safety Precautions
Regardless of whether you buy a hose that’s designed to carry hot water, you can take steps to minimize chemical leaching in your hose.
- Don’t leave you hose out in the sun. Store inside or in the shade on a garden hose reel if possible.
- Don’t consume water that has been sitting inside the hose. When you first turn the water on, let all the water in the hose flush out before you touch or drink the hose water.
- Set the temperature of your hot water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Most hot water heaters go up to 140 degrees but water above 120 degrees can burn the skin.
Our Picks for Garden Hoses That Can Handle Hot Water
One of the hoses below that can handle hot water should meet your needs depending on what you plan to use the hot water for.
Perhaps you just need it to flush your hot water heater from time to time and don’t care whether the water should be drinkable or not. You just want the hose to last.
If you do plan for the water to come in contact with any plants or animals, however, you should choose both a hot temperature rated hose as well as one that is drinking water safe.
1. Eley Corporation Garden Hose:
- Polyurethane hose
- Lead Free Fittings
- Withstands water temperature from -40 to 165 degrees Fahrenheit
- Drinking Water Safe
2. Flexzilla Garden Hose
- Made from a unique kink resistant polymer blend
- Lightweight & lead free
- Rated up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit
- Drinking water safe
3. Continental Hot Water Hose
- Heavy Duty Rubber Contractor Hose
- Highest temperature rating: up to 190 degrees Fahrenheit
- NOT labeled drinking water safe
- Rust Resistant Brass Couplings
Conclusion
Don’t assume that the garden hose you currently own can handle hot water. Many garden hoses leach toxic chemicals when heated water runs trough them.
Unless you know for sure that your hose is a farm grade, or commercial hose, it is probably not designed for hot water flow.
Overall our top pick for the best hot water hose is the one from Eley Corporation.
Although it does not withstand temperatures as high as some of the others, it’s the most versatile, being drinking water safe as well as high temperature rated.
At 160 degrees, it can handle any water coming out of a standard home hot water heater.
