Garden Hose Flow Rate How Many Gallons Per Hour

How Many Gallons Per Hour Is A Garden Hose?

Water is essential for the health and growth of any garden and, as such, garden hoses need to be reliable. When it comes to ensuring a steady supply of water, gardeners need to know how much water their garden hoses can provide: that is, how many gallons of water per hour does a garden hose produce?

This article will answer this question by looking at:

The Kind of Garden Hose

The kind of garden hose is crucial to answering the question of how many gallons of water per hour it can provide. Generally, garden hoses come in three types- soaker hose, traditional hose, and sprinkler hose, and each of these offer different amounts of water flow when hooked up to functioning water systems.

Soaker Hoses

Soaker hoses are thin rubber hoses with many holes punched along the whole length or in specific sections, and their irrigation performance may vary slightly depending on how the holes have been punched and the quality of the rubber. Generally, soaker hoses have a water flow rate of 0.025 gallons per hour for every foot of hose, so a 50-foot long soaker hose will provide around 1.25 gallons per hour.

Traditional Hoses

Traditional hoses have an inner lining that allows for more water flow than soaker hoses, but they have fewer holes per foot. This means that the same length of hose will provide more water. On average, traditional hoses produce a flow rate of 0.3 gallons per hour for every foot of hose, which means that a 50-foot hose will provide around 15 gallons per hour.

Sprinkler Hoses

Sprinkler hoses are the best for providing large amounts of water in a short period of time and they produce an average flow rate of 2.5 gallons per hour for every foot of hose. So, if you have a 50-foot sprinkler hose, it will provide around 125 gallons per hour.

The Kind of Water Source

The water source is another factor to consider when looking at how much water a garden hose can provide. Hoses typically rely either on gravity (if they have a high enough elevation) or pressurized water from a well or faucet. A hose supplied by pressurized water will provide more gallons per hour than one supplied by gravity, but this may vary depending on its overall quality and length.

Gravity-Fed Water Sources

Gravity-fed water sources have a limited amount of pressure and therefore provide less gallons of water per hour compared to pressurized sources. A 100-foot gravity-fed hose will provide approximately 1.5 gallons of water per hour.

Pressurized Water Sources

Pressurized water sources have a much higher amount of pressure, which means that the same length of hose (in this case, 100 feet) will provide much more water. A pressurized source can provide up to 3.5 gallons of water per hour, depending on the size and quality of the hose.

The Variables of Water Flow Rate

The kind of garden hose and the water source both play an important role in determining the gallons of water a garden hose can provide, but there are other factors to consider as well. The water pressure, the hose size, and its kinks and blocks affect the water flow rate, and the age of the hose can also reduce its efficiency. It's important to be aware of all these variables in order to get an accurate assessment of the gallons per hour provided by a garden hose.

In Summary

Garden hoses come in three types- soaker hose, traditional hose, and sprinkler hose- and all types have different water flow rates. The kind of water source a hose is supplied by- either gravity or pressurized- and other variables such as kinks, age, and size, all play an important role in determining how many gallons per hour a garden hose can provide. Generally, a 50-foot soaker hose can produce around 1.25 gallons per hour, a 50-foot traditional hose can produce 15 gallons per hour, and a 50-foot sprinkler hose can produce 125 gallons per hour.

what to Expect Next

Now that you have a better understanding of how many gallons of water a garden hose can provide, you can plan your watering accordingly. For more information on gardening and how to make sure your garden is healthy and thriving, check out our other articles.