But Problem Two is much more insideous. The old hose is full of water, so
it's almost impossible to heat. I'm now trying to decide if I should drill
a hole in the hose to let the water out, then heat it, or try to cut it
off without damaging the fitting.

Lloyd


You want to throw the old hose away, right? If it were my job to do, I'd take a
hacksaw to the hose just an inch or two beyond the end of the fitting at each
end. Throw the belly of the hose away. You now have to stub ends to deal with,
more room to work, and a better chance to see where the fitting is.

Slice the stub ends lengthwise, being extrememly careful not to slice into the
fitting. A mini hacksaw with one free end might be just the tool for this, or
use a hideously sharp knife. Once you have all but sliced through the hose, use
heavy duty pliers to get a grip that spans from the slice at (let's say) 12 o'
clock to a point at perhaps 3:30 or 4. Close the jaws of the pliers and wiggle
the hose. It should fail at the weak spot; the slice.

Most of us are better at busting something apart than we are at putting it back
together. :-)