With the intense sun that pours down on many backyards across the country, it’s no wonder garden hoses last even as long as they do. Buying a garden hose, as some may find out with difficulty, isn’t a cheap endeavor. Sure, you can find a hose on sale, or pick up a cheap version of something that will work in a pinch when you’re watering the plants, but don’t you want something that lasts?

No matter how much of a beating the sun tries to give your garden hose, and no matter how brutal the kinks in the hose get, the truth is you don’t need to throw the hose away every time it springs a leak due to wear and tear. If your hose has started leaking anywhere along the line, and there is enough left between two points, then consider doing the minor repair and saving the hose, and the expense of replacing it.

Take a trip to the hardware store, and pick up a nylon hose end, both male and female ends if you need to replace both, or just one if the other end is still in working shape. With a utility knife, slice the broken or cracked end of the hose off, creating a new, bare end to the hose. If you’re replacing the female end (the end that hooks up to the spigot), then slide the coupler over the hose, unscrewing the two screws to allow for it to slide down. Applying a little bit of grease to the insert of the plastic female end, force the tip into the end of the hose now, sliding it into the hose end until the two are completely joined. Now move the coupler down around the very end of the hose, and screw it tight into place so that it holds the female end on.

To replace the male end, simple follow the exact steps as outlined above. This is the end of the hose that you use to spray water onto the lawn, or into your potted plants. With just ten minutes worth of work, you’ve effectively saved yourself the trouble of buying a whole new hose.

(Image Credit: Matty Byloos)