[frames to panes]

I would treble check the water isn't squirting from the hose under the metal clip and travelling to the connector giving the impression that the connector leaks.

[m b shaw]

alex we ve had the same problem and only today i ve ordered some replacements from you,i know it s the female end on the microbore because i changed two over and back to perfect.i just assumed it was grit getting in the fitting and one of those things you have to put up with,i must admit we don t really take as much care with them as we should.it does help if you put two of alex s nice little balls on instead of just one.    cheers mick

[Alex Gardiner]

I usually get about 6 months use minimum out of a female connector and 12 months from a male connector.

I did wreck one once by dropping it 4 storeys from a balcony. It was slightly stiff to use after that!

I have started using a Protecta-Ball on the microbore side as well as the pole side.

[Pole2pole]

Not trying to affect Gardiners sales at all(  ) but any old tennis ball on the microbore end is so much better as it keeps the connector that little bit higher off the ground, but yeh a protectaball on the hose side. I even found a GIANT protectaball in one of my custys gardens the other day. It was lookin like it had been discarded and had been there for over a month so i've "borrowed" it for further analysis 

[Londoner]

Just a thought, were the two parts ( male and female) bought at the same time?

My pole came with a male connector already fitted and it has worked with the existing female connector on the end of my hose from day one. But suppose it hadn't?

Is this a compatability problem?

[Moderator David@stives]

I have gone through about 40 EZ connectors in the last 3 years, just treat them as diposable items.

[NWH]

I have gone through about 40 EZ connectors in the last 3 years, just treat them as diposable items.

So do i they don`t last 5 minutes.

[Moderator David@stives]

Got some balls off Alex today to protect the EZ , see if they fair any better, used the before but lost them

[alanwilson]

I have gone through about 40 EZ connectors in the last 3 years, just treat them as diposable items.

So do i they don`t last 5 minutes.

??

We have 4 poles going all day and have only managed to scrap 10approx in the last 3 years (we've been using them longer than most  )

[NWH]

Dave they don`t make much difference as it`s the actual connecter that fails,the bearings retract and stick.Sometimes if you push the outer ring in and out it does release it but most of the time once the bearings get stuck they`ve had it.

[Moderator David@stives]

Alan

Ae have four poles going as well

NWH

I know they fail for all sorts of reasons, today i had one fall to bits, that was a first.

They get damage whan you drop them from height, some stop retracing , some get clogged with grit etc.

We used to push then in manually to fill our bucket, and if you pushed them in too far they would stick.

The most trouble we have is with them warping when dropped from balconies etc, now i usually take them down the balcony with me instead of just dropping them.

[Alex Gardiner]

I have gone through about 40 EZ connectors in the last 3 years, just treat them as diposable items.

That's because you didn't buy them from us and you bought cheap Chinese rip-offs 

Seriously though, I will be interested to see how long the one I fitted for you yesterday lasts.

[Moderator David@stives]

your on , date fitted 18-03 08

1 day and counting

[Ian Lancaster]

Like everything else, they last better if you treat them better.  If you tread all over them while you're working you will seriously shorten their life

The male fittings seem to suffer most - if they get worn, or damaged by dragging along the ground they won't fit properly and the female won't close properly around them

I  carry a few spare male fittings and if there's a problem I just swap them.  As there's no pressure in the pole hose, you don't need any sort of hose clip just push the fitting into the hose.

The female fitting on the end of my microbore is the original one - 2 and a half years so far

[frames to panes]

Just changed mine after a year. I do tend to go through a lot of pole valves though. The gas tap ones. It's always the little flanges on the tap itself that break off so you can't find the stop point easily. The valve body would last for years, it's a pity you can't source the tap levers for a few pence instead. Would save me a small fortune.