Soaker Hose Not Watering Evenly? Here's Why

If your soaker hose is not watering evenly then the problem usually has to do with water pressure as I described in this video.
► There are however a few other reasons why your soaker hose is not distributing the water evenly over your garden beds and I go into those other reasons over on my website linked right here: turfmechanic.com/soaker-hose-...
If you have a hose setup already but aren't using a pressure regulator then I suggest picking up a 15 PSI regulator; they perform better for you than larger 25 or 30 PSI regulators.
► Here's an Amazon affiliate link to the 15-PSI regulator I use in my garden: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...
► I prominently show how this regulator works in this video here on the channel: • Exposed: How Much Wate...
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[@TurfMechanic]

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[@willmccrary5372]

What length and diameter size feeder hose do I need to use to hook up a soaker hose?

[@Tricia14412]

2023 it’s amazing just how much the soaker hose has gone up in price in 3 years. From 10 dollars to some cases 50.00

[@devoncsmith2696]

I don't know what the prices were before but I'll be getting one for $70.00 this weekend for a length of 40metres, which I think might be enough to feed plants. I'll just have to wait and see.

[@kevinhdo90]

bidenflation hurts :(

[@jenniferbrower332]

I had 13 five ft arborvitaes put in and the landscape crew added a soaker hose around all of them. They connected it to my regular hose and left in the blue thing the hose comes with to restrict water. A river formed if I put on the spigot at full or half from the connection to the first 4 trees then it leveled off. I got a 10 psi pressure restrictor like the one in the link and added it to the hose/soaker hose part, not the spigot, then turned it on half and no more soaker river on the first four trees and everything is even flow! I even removed that blue tab thing on the soaker hose with a pair of plyers that really is not a restrictor. Thanks for this video and all the comments and helping me to solve this annoying problem!

[@cliffordpayne4795]

Good video, learned a lot. Thanks

[@lawriedignan6794]

mine has a disk in it but still does not work .. first 10' and then not much to the end. FRUSTRATING !

[@willmccrary5372]

What length and diameter size feeder hose do I need to use to hook up a soaker hose?

[@sarahhayes7291]

Can I insert a 1/4 inch drip tube line into this type of soaker hose?

[@getplanted5730]

Hey great info! In regards to running vinegar through the clogged hose, this can actually be done. All you need is a siphon . You hook it up to the faucet and then put the straw end down in the bucket of vinegar water and book your soaker hose up to the other end of the brass siphon (or plastic) and turn the water on. I've never done it, but I'm sure this works. The siphon is used for being able to water from the hose a diluted mixture of liquid fertilizer etc, so why not run a vinegar solution through it to clear a clogged hose? You just have to find out what vinager to water ratio works. Peace in the middle East and in oak cliff Texas 😂

[@dirgesinthedark5637]

Is it bad to bury the soaker and circle it around a plant?

[@tribalwind]

I have discs and i still get 90% in first 5 feet then nothing

[@mikedouglas9535]

Gravity flow to water garden from 275 ibc tote 15ft above garden. Need to run 7 45ft soakers. I will build a water junction for the 7 outlets to spread 20ft. My question will this gravity system push enough water to the end of the soakers. Most of the water will come from rain and pumped from old well. Mike

[@colebriggs7497]

Did it work?

[@Kari22292]

I bought a thin soaker hose and its bursting through at the beginning of the hose.

[@matthewlyons4640]

I’m in Texas and trying to water my foundation and am using two 100ft hoses. Pressure on my home is very strong, but the hoses have the plastic pressure reducer. I get a lot of water at the spigot but there are some areas that barely have any droplets. Is there anything that I can do? Relatively flat terrain, but I did have to take it under a fence a few places...

[@666Necropsy]

those little blue discs are not pressure reducers. there are just limiting flow. pressure in a close loop system is the same.

[@maunalapier4939]

So I took out all of my blue washers to get better coverage at the end section of hose. I not sure it helped what should I look for and should I put them back in? Thanks

[@TurfMechanic]

A lot depends on the length of your hose and the pressure as the water enters the hose(s). If the pressure is too high for the length then you'll get uneven water, if the pressure is too low you'll get uneven water as well. I have three 50 foot soakers working off a 25 psi regulator and I get even water, I also get even water from my 50 foot hose running through a 10 psi regulator. Last point is that it takes a minute or three for a full spoaker system to pressurize and distribute evenly. Its better to run the soaker longer and less often than more frequently for short watering sessions. Hope that helps.

[@maunalapier4939]

Thanks for your reply and I’ll try all your suggestions ✅✅

[@donnadicarlo7560]

Would this be the same outcome if you don't have level ground?

[@paddydobbs2318]

Would a soaker hose work if u use an elevated water cube as a feed

[@jlr1487]

I have a rain barrel that gets filled up in no time. When I connected a 50ft soaker to it, water barely made it out onto the ground. I carefully* removed the blue restrictor and all is fine. * Should we get a long dryspell, I can put the blue thing back and connect to exterior spigot.

[@scottiebumich]

Why on Earth would you buy another device to restrict the flow. Just don't turn the hose all the way on

[@TurfMechanic]

That's the simplistic way of looking at the situation. I can run all my garden beds from one spicket. Each of my ten beds has a shut off valve at the bed and a flow (pressure) restrictor installed so no matter how many beds are "turned on" all I have to do is start the water full blast and each bed gets the right amount of pressure every time. Also, if you have a garden bed zone setup on your automatic irrigation system the pressure regulators keep things in check since your irrigation cant be turned on "a little bit". These flow restrictors or pressure regulators are worth buying and cost a drop in the bucket over the long haul IMO. Thank you for the question; gave me a good way of explaining this to other viewers in the future.

[@omeednabavi8325]

I bought three 50ft soaker hoses and connected them together for my newly planted 40 emerald green thujas about 6ft tall. I snaked it down one way and back so it does a figure 8 around each tree. Off the hose I have a 2 way connector and have the soaker hoses on a closed loop. Main connection is hose, 1 outlet is the start of the soaker hose, which connects to two more 50 for soaker hoses and ending back at the 2nd outlet in order to close the loop 1.) Is it necessary have a soaker hose running on both sides of the tree? 2.) Is snaking the hoses into a figure 8 wrong? 3.) 70ft fence line is on a gradual slope, I noticed the soaker hose is dripping more water near the garden hose connection than at the opposite end. Appreciate any help in advance!

[@666Necropsy]

did you connect the water to go back into your hose? you could introduce dirty water from the garden into your kitchen drinking water. i know many area have codes with a water backfeed preventer. im not sure if what ur doing is right. you should not be connecting two outlets together to form a loop. 1 feeding line. nothing should be going back to your house.

[@mikehonda7310]

@@666Necropsy Your over thinking it man.

[@fullmetalx225]

Hi! I have tried to set up a soaker hose system at my home and its not working well at all. I have a melnor 2 prong timer and from each timer I have a 25 psi regulator. From the regulator I have a 15 foot garden hose that then attaches to my soaker hose. I have cut the soaker hose into smaller pieces to cover what needs watering and split the sections up with poly hose that doesn't drip to link between the soaker hose sections. I thought that it would work well but almost no water comes out. I wonder if I should take off the regulator at the spigot since the soaker hose attachments still have the blue discs inside. This project has gone on for weeks now and I keep seemingly making it worse. I wish I could just hire someone like you to come show me where my mistakes are.

[@jlr1487]

Having at the same time a pressure regulator and blue disc is too much. I say one or the other.

[@VitorMadeira]

Excellent video. So sad the sound is so low... Anyway, thank you and greetings from Portugal.

[@darrelldunman3627]

I couldn't hear it.

[@thatdeafguyuk]

That's an easy fix, switch the subtitles on.

[@jac9392]

The dog yelping is disturbing, but I did learn not to turn my hose on full blast lol

[@666Necropsy]

i found the little blue disc does nothing beneficial for me. taking it out and just cracking the water valve worked much better. i got more even water through hose. you cannot go up any kind of hill without dumping 90% of the water in the first few feet. now where this soaker hose will work good for you is if you place it down hill. run the feeding hose all the way to the top of your hill. place the soaker hose inlet at the top of hill and water downwards. this helps big time. even doing this you will still get more water coming out closer to the inlet. i dont believe there is anything you can do to make this product dispense water evenly. its just the way its designed, all of them. a drip type of system is going to be the only way to get more accurate watering. the problem with them is many are made very cheap. stepping up to agriculture grade quality stuff really helps. in any garden tools. if you want something tuff and lasting avoid many of the big box store items. buy products actual farmers are using. it will be more costly though.

[@acme855]

Can't hear you

[@CNNLA]

You have either the wrong impedance mic, or you've turned the record level way too low. Music at the end is the only part I could hear clearly. Otherwise, pretty informative content.

[@carmelaazzaro6646]

Unfortunately, the sound is compromised by the wind's sound.

[@msromike123]

Well maybe being outside and recording with non-professional equipment could be the cause. I heard every word he said, without any difficulty.

[@MissLibertarian]

I’m worried the hose will fill up with earwigs if I leave the end uncapped between uses. Once in a while, I open the endcap and flush it out.

[@maddisonpatrick8902]

I never knew this was a problem

[@MissLibertarian]

@@maddisonpatrick8902 Ignorance is bliss, they say! 🐛

[@ianjcasul8843]

Audio is not clear.

[@thatdeafguyuk]

Just turn the subtitles on.

[@noahp3219]

You don't even have a garden you have sod so I don't even think you know what you're talking about swear to be so blunt but think about it

[@TurfMechanic]

We have nine garden beds and 13 chickens, 5 garden beds when this video was made. Our last average frost date is June 10 so our plants that we mostly grow from seed go in the ground after that time- high elevation cold climate gardeners here. We can our excess, web make jams, pickle our cucumbers and radishes etc. Our gardening skills are there. This channel however is mostly about the lawn and many people instal sod. Ours was installed in April of 2018. Many sod installs look terrible after a few years, many look terrible after a few months. You don't have to trust I know what I'm talking about but don't come at me with comments like that; I live and breath this stuff every day, I know what I'm talking about and stand behind it all. Thanks for the comment though it should help other people new to this channel understand who I am and what I have experience in.

[@jonathanthomas7059]

@@TurfMechanic don't worry, it's probably somebody trolling or being immature. Thanks for the tips!