Had a pressure washer hose burst on me Saturday, so the job got canceled... do you push through with a patch kit or just call it a loss?

I was halfway through cleaning a two-story driveway in Arlington when the hose gave out right at the coupling, and now I'm stuck deciding between a quick repair that might fail again or buying a new $60 hose and losing the whole day's pay - what's your take on patching vs. replacing mid-job?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_jennifer23d ago

Man that's rough, I feel for you. "Halfway through cleaning a two-story driveway" is the worst timing, you're already committed and now you're stuck. I've been there with a pressure washer hose giving out right at the coupling and it's just frustrating because you know that spot always takes the most abuse. Honestly I'd say call it a loss and get a new hose. I tried patching one time with a repair kit and it lasted maybe 20 minutes before spraying everywhere again, just wasted more time and made me late for the next job. It sucks losing the whole day's pay but a failed patch will just cost you twice as much in the end. Better to eat the loss now and finish the driveway another day than risk making a mess and having to explain to the customer why their driveway is covered in water again.

joel_hall1723d agoMost Upvoted

Ha! @the_jennifer nailed it, I once tried patching a hose with electrical tape and it EXPLODED in my face.

ray13623d ago

Wait, have you ever had a patch job go so bad it actually made the situation worse? Idk, maybe it's just me but I feel like @joel_hall17's exploding electrical tape story is basically the official mascot of "trying to save money on a hose." I mean, I tried that same repair kit thing once and it was like the hose just decided to die harder out of spite. At some point you gotta accept the universe is telling you to just buy a new one and move on.