A lot of us can remember the good old days when we took a drink of water right from the hose during the summers. Honestly, I was always a little hesitant about doing that. Turns out there is a good reason. Many of the regular hoses are now known to leach phthalates, BPA, and in some cases lead (source).
Making a conscious decision to switch your garden hose for a drinking water safe hose is a great choice if there is any chance that you or anyone may drink from the hose or if you plan on watering your food garden with it. Yes, the contaminated water can eventually makes it’s way to the food which you eat. A drinking water safe hose is not just a feel good decision, it is a logical decision.
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Food safe garden hoses can be a great part of your backyard or larger homestead. Finding the food grade hose can be a difficult thing especially since the normal hoses are so commonly used. We’ve put together a list of recommended drinking water safe hoses and some helpful tips you should consider.
There are a few things to know about drinking water safe hoses, they are not all created equal. Keep reading to find out which are our favorites and what you should look for in a food grade hose. Be sure to also check out our post of high pressure hose nozzles to complement your new food grade hose.
This guide breaks down the various types of drinking water hoses so you can make an informed, confident decision and select the best food grade hose for your needs.
In a rush? Here are our top picks!
Table could not be displayed.If you’ve ever tried browsing for garden supplies, you may have been struck by analysis paralysis.
Picking the best drinking water safe hose can be exhausting, so we’re here to help. Here are the best food grade hoses on the market today.
Table of Contents
Flexzilla Garden Hose
Flexzilla makes an incredibly affordable and versatile drinking water safe hose. This is our favorite hose to promote, and I’m not just saying that, we’ve switched all of our hoses to Flexzilla after out first purchase.
Not only is Flexzilla guaranteed to be food grade, it is super great quality. As the name suggests, it flexes to your will. You’ll have a hard time kinking this hose. It also doesn’t stay bent in it’s round coil shape. Lots of hoses want to spring back to their original shape but Flexzilla does not keep it’s shape which means it is really easy to handle and maneuver, that way you can take it through your garden and not worry that it’ll spring to life and coil itself onto your plants.
The Swivel Grip is also something to rave about. No matter which way you turn your spray handle, the hose will not follow. This is a good thing because you can independently move the hose and the spray handle without worrying that you need to adjust the hose to spray in a certain direction. Again, super easy to use.
This is truly our favorite hose of all time. Plus they are super durable. I’ve also accidentally gotten our weed eater a little to close to the hose and hit the hose but it’s as if it didn’t even notice the hits because there was not a single cut even after several years of hot sun beating on it.
Camco 50ft Premium Drinking Water Hose
This new Camco hose is drinking water safe. They are available in 50ft and 35ft. It is easy to handle as well, similar to the Flexzilla hose, it does not kink or curl back on itself. Take it straight from your hose reel to your garden without any wrestling.
This customer is extremely happy with her purchase and even shares how easy it is to handle the hose, “As soon as I attached the Camco 50ft Premium Drinking Water Hose I got excited. This beautiful blue hose unrolled easily with NO kinking or curling back up. The water came out clear and clean, NO smell or foam. I felt confident that I could use this hose without harming my backyard animals.” Read the full review here.
ELEY Garden Hose – 50 ft. Drinking Water Safe
Eley Garden Hoses are by far the best quality hose on the market, but they come at a price. However, this hose is a lifetime keeper. Where as other hoses will discolor and deteriorate over the years, Eley has a 10 year guarantee. Here is a customer who swears by his Eley hose in quite a temperate climate, “has stayed new looking for almost a year, even in the Phoenix sun.” Read the full review here.
This drinking water safe hose is also a pleasure to handle, it won’t kink and does not keep a memory so it won’t want to coil back on itself. Moving it around your yard is a breeze.
What is a food grade water hose?
Food grade hoses are design to prevent leaching of any contaminants into the medium being transferred. This means that your hose is not adding any extra toxins into your water.
Most of these hoses will be labeled BPA, lead, or phthalate free. Though it is impossible to be 100% certain that these hoses will not leach any harmful materials, it is a pretty good bet with the hoses which we’ve selected in this post because of their reputable quality.
What hoses are drinking water safe?
There are a number of drinking water safe hoses. Here are our recommendations. Flexzilla, Camco, and Eley hoses are all high quality hoses and also have kink free technology. Check out the top three which we recommend below.
Table could not be displayed.Is a garden hose food safe?
Not all garden hoses are food safe. Some hoses can leach and release materials into the water or fluid running through them. There are a number of great quality hoses available which are food safe and drinking water safe.
How do I know if my hose if food grade?
Food grade hoses can also be referred to as drinking water safe hoses. These hoses can also be labeled as BPA, lead, or phthalate free. If a hose is truly food grade, it will make the claim as it is a pretty big deal for a hose to be used for food or water consumption.
What is the difference between a food grade hose and a normal hose?
Normal hoses can potentially release chemicals are leach their own material into the water. Food grade hoses will never leach harmful chemicals into your water.
Is it safe to water vegetables with a normal hose?
Phthalates are a major concern when it comes to your food garden, normal hoses can contribute significantly to this toxic build up. Phthalates have also been found in vegetable gardens however the connection cannot be 100% proven to be from normal hose use (source).
Angel is a Cuban immigrant who grew up with backyard chickens and a yard-loving abuela. He is our “gear guy” who can never have too many pairs of gloves or weed whacker attachments.
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