Selecting a pool hose
When replacing a suction cleaner hose there are a few things you need to be aware of.
Some of these you may already know and some may not be so obvious.
Length
The length of your suction cleaner hose should be measured from your skimmer box to the furthest point of your pool plus 1-2 metres of extra length. Suction cleaners with a diaphragm or a flow valve such as a Kreepy Krauly VTX7 require the extra 2m length as they follow the hose around in circles. Hybrid suction cleaners are more likely to reach the furthest point in the pool with a shorter hose but it’s still a good idea to have at least 1m of extra hose to increase the probability of it reaching.
Flexibility
The flexibility of your pool hose is very important and the reason why you shouldn’t use a manual vacuum hose for a suction cleaner. The pattern a suction cleaner follows around the pool is heavily influenced by the hose. As such, a hard, rigid hose is not going to allow as much flexibility and will often result in patchy cleaning patterns.
Manual Vacuum Hose vs Automatic Pool Cleaner Hose
Manual vacuum hoses are usually much harder and more rigid than suction cleaner hoses. They are designed to be moved by hand and don’t need to be as flexible. This lack of flexibility coincides with strength and longevity
Curling
When purchasing a hose you should make sure that, wherever possible, the hoses are straight. Hoses that have been stored incorrectly or that have to be rolled up for storage or transport are going to need to be straightened before being used with a suction cleaner. If not straightened the hose will keep curling up and will miss large areas of your pool.
Sectional vs continuous/single-length
Whether you purchase a sectional hose or a single length hose is really down to preference. I, personally, prefer the sectional hoses because they don’t need to be straightened before use. It is also easy to replace a single section of hose when it breaks rather than having to repair a single length hose with hose connectors or having to replace the entire hose.
The disadvantages of sectional hoses are minimal but they do have slightly slower flow than a continuous hose due to the multiple connections. On rare occasions, these connections can also catch debris and cause blockages.
On the other hand continuous hoses can be problematic because they need to be straightened when first installed and quite often they maintain a bit of a curl throughout their lifespan. The lack of connectors doesn’t mean they are entirely immune to blockages either. If you get a blockage in a continuous hose the process to clear it is much more troublesome.
Connections
This is something I encounter all the time. Not all pool hose connections are the same!
It seems like each brand has their own style of connector and they are not designed to work with other brands. Zodiac twist lock hoses are a great example of this. They are designed to attach to zodiac suction cleaners and nothing else will fit without some sort of an adaptor.
If you intend to only replace part of your pool hose be sure to take a section of the existing hose with you to the shop and compare it with what is available. Otherwise expect to be making some adjustments when you get the new hose home.
