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How to use an expandable garden hose without shrinking it

Updated: 22 October 2026

You have fitted a long expandable hose to a UK outside tap, opened the spray, and the hose has crept back towards the house. That shorten is normal once water is flowing. It is not, by itself, a split. This page is the sequence for the 150 ft kits in the [50m flexible garden hose comparison](/hub/garden-watering/50m-flexible-garden-hose): check a hosepipe ban, seat the washer, fill with the gun shut, then drain the same day. Peter F. used the saved amazon.co.uk listings from 20 October 2026, Hozelock’s Superhoze notes and Which? hose-care advice. There was no filmed fill. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have fitted a long expandable hose to a UK outside tap, opened the spray, and the hose has crept back towards the house. That shorten is normal once water is flowing. It is not, by itself, a split.

Our top picks

MOXTOYU MOXTOYU 150 ft expandable hose

Best overall

MOXTOYU MOXTOYU 150 ft expandable hose
5.6/10about £29.99
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LUFENG LUFENG 150 ft expandable hose

Rank 2

LUFENG LUFENG 150 ft expandable hose
8.0/10about £44.99
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Tafunkun Tafunkun 150 ft expandable hose

Alternative

Tafunkun Tafunkun 150 ft expandable hose
1.0/10about £26.99
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On this page
  1. 1.Before you open the tap
  2. 2.Let it grow, then open the gun
  3. 3.How you move it
  4. 4.Drain it the same day

Before you open the tap

If your water company has a temporary use ban, do not start a garden water or a car wash with any hose. Thames Water’s notice from 23 July 2026 and South West Water’s from 8 August 2026 are examples, not a live map. Check your own supplier before you connect anything. Seat a flat washer before you chase a leak. MOXTOYU’s box lists three rubber washers and PTFE tape. LUFENG and Tafunkun do not itemise washers, so a spare from a tap-connector pack is worth having. Hand-tighten, then a small nip. Cross-threading a painted fitting is how the first drip starts. Close the gun, then turn the tap on fully. Hozelock says that below about 2 bar an expandable hose may not reach its advertised length, and that the advertised length is the expanded maximum. Which length you needed is on the buying guide.

Let it grow, then open the gun

With the gun shut, the hose should lengthen towards the stated 150 ft. Open a mist or a jet only after that fill. The end then retracts a little. LUFENG reviewers describe a clearer shrink once the nozzle is open, so the usable length is under 150 ft while you spray. Walk the hose out before you open the gun. A weep at the tap joint after the washer is seated is a different problem from shrink. So is a jet from the middle of the fabric. Do not keep watering through a split. Turn the tap off. That diagnosis is on expandable garden hose leaking.
MOXTOYU MOXTOYU 150 ft expandable hose

Testsieger

MOXTOYU MOXTOYU 150 ft expandable hose
5.6/10about £29.99
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How you move it

Hold the hose, not the gun. In the LUFENG reviews, pulling by the nozzle is one of the ways people say they snapped an earlier tube. The latex core is what stretches. Keep the line off sharp brick, rough gravel edges and the corner of a step. Which? notes that expandable outers snag, and that the core breaks if you overstretch, drag on rough ground, or leave the hose out in freezing weather. Lift the hose over the corner instead of sawing it across the edge. WaterSafe says not to drink from a hosepipe, not to submerge the end, and to disconnect it after use. Do not fill a hot tub from warm water that has sat in the hose. Never connect this tube to a pressure-washer outlet.

Drain it the same day

Turn the tap off, open the gun, and walk the hose so the water leaves. Which? says drain after every use and especially before a freeze, because ice splits hoses. Store the hose inside, not on the wall in a January frost. Empty it before you use the bag. LUFENG and MOXTOYU include a bag. Tafunkun does not itemise one. A hanger that holds a full hose in the sun is the wrong place for an elastic core. If a drip remains after a new washer, or the jacket jets in the middle, stop using it. A professional is the right call if the tap or the pipe in the wall is what leaks, or if you need backflow protection for fertiliser. The hose kit does not include a double check valve.

Common questions

Why does the hose get shorter when I open the spray?
Pressure in a closed hose is what holds the latex at its long length. When you open the gun, flow drops that pressure and the hose retracts. Hozelock describes a small pull-back in use, and LUFENG reviews describe a larger loss against the 150 ft claim. It is expected. It is not the same fault as a split.
What order do I connect the tap, washer and gun?
Put the washer in the joint, screw the connector onto the 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch tap, attach the gun, and start with the gun closed after a brief air flush. Turn the tap on fully so the hose can expand, then open the spray. These boxes are not all the same click-fit system, so follow the thread you were sent.
How do I drain it for a frost?
Turn the tap off, open the gun, and lift the hose so water runs out, including low loops by the path. Bag it only when it is empty, and keep it indoors before a freeze. Which? treats ice as a split risk for hoses in general, and expandable cores are the ones that suffer if they are left out full.
Can I run hot water or a pressure washer through it?
Do not run hot water through it. One saved LUFENG review cites a no-hot-water note on the paper sheet, and the other two listings do not clear hot water either. Do not connect the hose to a pressure-washer outlet. BBC Gardeners’ World advises against expandable hoses for that use.
What if my water company has a hosepipe ban?
Do not start. A ban covers an expandable hose as well as a reinforced one. Thames Water and South West Water published 2026 notices as examples. Your supplier’s current notice is the one that applies to your postcode, including any exemption you think you have. If the exemption is unclear, ask the company before you water.

Related pages

Expandable hose or a standard hose

50m flexible garden hose

Best expandable garden hose UK: three listings here

50m flexible garden hose: what to check before you buy

Expandable garden hose leaking: washer, split or gun

Sources

Public UK sources for backflow, tap threads, expandable length, hose care, hosepipe bans and the 30-day right to reject. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines saved on 20 October 2026. This is not a lab test.

  1. Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, Schedule 2 (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  2. Water Regs UK — hose union taps (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  3. WaterSafe — hosepipe backflow (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  4. Thames Water — temporary hosepipe ban notice (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  6. Which? — garden hose care (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  7. Hozelock — how to use a Superhoze (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  8. Hozelock — measure your tap (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  9. BBC Gardeners' World — garden hoses (retrieved 20.10.2026)