A shower hose is a consumable, and it announces its end rather than failing suddenly. Three signs are worth acting on.
The three signs
A permanent spiral. A hose without an anti-twist swivel wraps itself over months; once it holds the shape, it is kinking internally.
A weep at the nut. Usually the cone seal rather than the hose — a bag of them costs almost nothing and is worth trying first.
A visible kink or a bulge. A metal hose that has been crushed has a restricted liner behind the dent, and a bulge in a PVC hose is the reinforcement letting go.
What makes one last
Construction — brass-reinforced outlasts chromed metal, which outlasts PVC — and whether it has a swivel at one end. Length matters too: a hose stretched taut between the outlet and a holder that is too far away works harder than a longer one hanging in a curve.
When you replace it
The thread is G1/2 at both ends and nothing else, so any hose fits. Check that cone seals are supplied, and consider going longer if it is used over a bath.
Questions people actually ask
Is a metal hose better than plastic?
It lasts longer and looks better, and it kinks permanently if crushed, where a PVC hose recovers. Brass-reinforced is the durable end of the family and the heaviest.
Can a hose reduce water pressure?
A kinked or scaled one can, and so can the filter washer in its nut. A sound hose of ordinary bore does not — the restriction in a shower is at the head or the restrictor, not in the hose.
Last reviewed 5 September 2026