Proper Soaker Hose Procedures (houses, landscaping, contractor)

[globe9]

I'm fairly new to TX and a soaker hose was not needed in Nola, so I'm wondering what the proper soaker hose procedures are.
We just replaced all of the old soaker hoses with new ones and we have them about 12" out from the foundation. What is a good schedule to use with them? 3x's a week? How long each time?

[FalconheadWest]

Length of time is going to vary on the season, the direction your houses faces, and if you have 2 story homes on either side blocking sun. There is no recipe that works for all houses. You have to test things out on your own house.

In the summer 3-4 times a week is good. In the Fall and Winter, once a week should be good.

In the hot hot times of the summer, you might need the water on for an hour. When it's not as hot, 20-30 minutes should be enough. If you have a lot of shade from the neighbor's houses, the ground doesn't dry up as quickly so maybe just 10-15 minutes.

The point of soaker hoses is to keep a consistent moisture around the foundation. You need to set the times according to how you can accomplish that.

[europeanone]

Good question and thanks for the answer as I will also be dealing with a soaker hose for the first time next month. Where should the hose lie? How many feet away from the building? Thanks.

[gsupstate]

Originally Posted by globe9

I'm fairly new to TX and a soaker hose was not needed in Nola, so I'm wondering what the proper soaker hose procedures are.
We just replaced all of the old soaker hoses with new ones and we have them about 12" out from the foundation. What is a good schedule to use with them? 3x's a week? How long each time?

OK, I'm new to Texas as well and I'm curious what the heck a soaker hose is? Never heard of this.

[bencronin04]

Originally Posted by gsupstate

OK, I'm new to Texas as well and I'm curious what the heck a soaker hose is? Never heard of this.

Let me google that for you

[gsupstate]

Originally Posted by bencronin04

Let me google that for you

Mighty neighborly of ya. You Texans are too sweet! .
What is "google".

[stephwin]

Originally Posted by gsupstate

OK, I'm new to Texas as well and I'm curious what the heck a soaker hose is? Never heard of this.

It looks very similar to a normal hose, but it's usually black and has tiny holes that allow the water to slowly escape. It has a rough texture to it as well. They can be bought anywhere.

We put ours around the entire house. I don't know how long our hoses are, but it takes 2. I think ours are a foot or so from the foundation? We runs ours the most frequent and the longest on the south side of our house. That's the front of our house where all of the landscaping is. Our neighbors house blocks most of the west sun, so we don't need to run it as long/often there.

[Funtastic44]

If you have sprinklers the why bother with soaker hoses?

[stephwin]

Originally Posted by Funtastic44

If you have sprinklers the why bother with soaker hoses?

Because most cities have no regulations on when or how often soaker hoses can be used. On the other hand, almost all cities have regulations on when or how often sprinklers can be used. When it gets really hot and dry some cities cut back to once a week watering. That is not enough to keep your foundation properly watered. Sure you could stand outside in the 105 heat with a hose and do it yourself (most cities allow this anytime), but the soaker hoses make it so much easier. You also use a lot less water with soaker hoses than with sprinklers.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by globe9

I'm fairly new to TX and a soaker hose was not needed in Nola, so I'm wondering what the proper soaker hose procedures are.
We just replaced all of the old soaker hoses with new ones and we have them about 12" out from the foundation. What is a good schedule to use with them? 3x's a week? How long each time?

One of my good friends is a foundation repair contractor. Assuming you are talking about slab foundations he says they are better about 18" out. I keep mine about 14-18" out and only use them when it's really dry and hot. I soaker water by feel. If the ground looks really dry I'll soak it for an hour.


If you see any gaps between your foundation and the soil - the dirt will feel like dust you'll need to water a bit for a few days in a row to close that gap.