Will A Smaller Diameter Garden Hose Give More Pressure

Increasing the water pressure from your garden hose makes your gardening chores and power washing easier. An increase in pressure allows the water to reach further and with more force, which allows for effective watering. This overall makes your yard-life better and more fun!

Below we will give you the most common reasons as to why your hose may be producing inadequate water pressure output and what sorts of things you can do to resolve this issue.

1) The Diameter of Your Hose Matters

When it comes to your hose water pressure, the first thing you have to know is that the larger the inner diameter of your hose thegreater pressure you will get.

Most hoses will come with 5/8″ or 1/2″ inner diameter which gives good pressure – enough for gardening of course as well as washing your car and patio furniture.

Slightly smaller is the 7/16″ inner diameter hoses which in my opinion do not give that good of pressure. If your inner hose diameter is 7/16″, then your garden hose is better used for watering purposes.

If you want the best water pressure output from your garden hose, then get one with an inner diameter of 3/4″. A lot of commercial hoses will not manufacture their inner diameter at this size however. This size is more suitable for contractors who need immense water pressure output.

So I would recommend choosing a garden hose with 1/2″ or 5/8″ inner diameter for home purposes like watering and washing.

Of course, you may not want to get a new hose just because your inner diameter is not the largest for water pressure, so read below for some solutions to increase your water pressure no matter what the diameter is.

Also, something may be wrong with your hose that is giving lower water pressure than it should be putting out so we'll dig deeper into that as well.

2) Check Your Garden Hose Health

You probably have done this but it's always best to double check. Your hose may not be putting out the pressure it should be because of possible kinks or punctures.

Make sure your hose is not kinked and in a flat position to allow for maximum water flow. Here are some tips to get your garden hose not to kink. Even when you are not using your hose, it should be in healthy position and not tangled nor kinked because when you pick it up to use it again, that will affect the performance.

check hose for kinks

Obviously, check your hose for leaks as well – all the way up the hose, at the faucet, and the nozzle. If you have a puncture, you will need to repair this as soon as possible. Here is how you can fix garden hose leaks.

Also, check the nozzle as a whole. It may be clogged, so give it a good cleaning. Lastly, make sure your hose is turned on all the way to give out maximum water. If that's your mistake, then that's embarrassing (I have done this a couple times before realizing that was actually the problem).

3) Check Connection at Faucet

Even if there are no leaks at your outdoor faucet, it is a good idea to make sure your hose connector is screwed on tight all the way. It may be loosely connected which could affect the water pressure coming from the faucet.

Unscrew it and screw it back on just to make sure and then retest the water pressure.

4) Are Your Pipes in Good Shape?

This is probably the worst-case scenario. Your home's pipes could be faulty or clogged. The first thing to check is to make sure all of your water valves are turned on high (at your meter, spigot, hot water heater).

When you do this, then you know you should be receiving maximum water pressure through your pipes and so if your pressure doesn't change, then it's likely a result of clogged pipes. In this case, you may want to try cleaning your water pipes yourself or get a professional.

clean your water pipes for good pressure

Your pipes may not be necessarily clogged but could be contaminated which could also affect water pressure. Possible reasons as to how this could happen is maybe you have an older home and contaminants have built up over time in the pipes such as lead and calcium, or there has been trouble with your city's water supply recently, or maybe your water is rusty due to your city's water department flushing the water mains.

In this case, it is a very good idea to flush your water pipes which is pretty easy. Once this is done, your pressure may be better.

5) Check With a Water Pressure Tester

If your pipes and hose are in good health and all connections are good as well, then it may be a good idea to check your water output with a water pressure tester.

You can get a water pressure tester/gauge at any home supplies store in your area and this will tell you exactly what your water pressure is. Just attach it to the faucet and turn your water on and you will see where you stand on pressure. Here is what your hose pressure should be at depending on some different factors. Generally, you should be receiving a reading of 40-60 PSI.

6) Get a High-Pressure Nozzle

Chances are you do have a nozzle for your garden hose – but is there a jet-stream feature that gives you maximum pressure? Most nozzles will have this high-velocity feature but some nozzles won't.

If your nozzle is pretty old and all things with your hose and pipes are fine, then it may be time to invest in a better up-to-date nozzle for your hose. Make sure it has a great jet-stream feature.

7) Invest In a Pressure Washer

If you have done all of these things, your best bet may be getting a pressure washer which will automatically increase your water pressure out of your hose dramatically.

If you have never used one before, make sure you use it properly and read the directions beforehand.

8) Other Info & Tips

So that's basically all you can do to try to increase your hose water pressure. If distance is the problem and you cannot reach the water where you need it to go, then try connecting two hoses.

Overall, to avoid problems like this and to maximize water efficiency, you must take good care of your hose, connections, and pipes.

It is important you coil the garden hose into proper position after every use. Coiling your hose correctly will prevent future punctures, leaks, and kinks.

Furthermore, storing your garden hose properly is also important to keep your hose in good shape. During the winter or very hot days, it may be a good idea to store your hose away and you should know how to do this. The last thing you want to do is store your hose away in a kinked position for the whole winter.

coil garden hose properly for good water pressure

Final Thoughts

I hope you found this article informative and can solve your water pressure problem. Before resorting to professional help and spending money, try the tips above and see if you can figure it out.

The problem could be the make of your hose itself (diameter), faulty hose (kinks, punctures), faulty connections (at faucet), or faulty water pipes. If you still cannot increase your hose water pressure after all of this, then maybe it is time to invest in a better garden hose with increased pressure output.

If you have any questions or concerns, please leave me a comment below and I will be more than happy to get back to you to help you with your issue.