Help & Advice

Complete Guide to Hosepipe Fittings

Connect with ease: Your ultimate guide to finding the right hosepipe fittings

Garden hose fittings can be found in various styles and materials, with multiple names and purposes to match.

With the help of this guide, you can confidently navigate the world of hosepipe attachments so you can be sure you’re purchasing the right type of hose pipe connector for your gardening and irrigation needs.

What are hose fittings?

A hose fitting also referred to as a hose coupling, hosepipe fitting, or hose pipe connector, is a piece of equipment used in gardening and irrigation to connect and join hosepipes to faucets, adaptors and other equipment. Hosepipe couplings come in many forms, sizes and styles, and depending on your needs, there will be a certain hosepipe fitting suited to your hosepipe watering system.

What are hosepipe fittings made of?

Most commonly in the UK, hosepipe fittings are made of brass or plastic. Both materials have their advantages and disadvantages, and we will discuss these in more depth in this article.

Plastic hose fittings

The use of plastic in hose pipe attachments has helped to reduce the cost of hose pipe connectors over the years, and today, you can purchase a wide variety of good quality plastic hose pipe fittings that are durable and reliable. Depending on their usage and external conditions, hose attachments can last for years and years, but as with any outdoor irrigation equipment, harsh weather conditions and continual use can reduce their sturdiness over time. When buying plastic hose fittings, you need to inspect the quality of the plastic used. Cheaper hose fittings will use a cheaper plastic, whilst more expensive hose end fittings will use ABS plastic, much tougher and more durable that will perform well for years rather than only a few months.

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Brass hose fittings

Brass hose couplings are usually more expensive than plastic hose couplings, as they are a heavier, sturdier material and cost more to manufacture than their plastic counterparts. Sometimes they are chrome or nickel plated for extra protection and durability.

If you are looking to invest in hose attachments that will last for a long time, brass hose fittings will be your best choice. The quality of brass hose fittings vary massively. Cheaper brass hose fittings don't share the same attention to detail as their more expensive counterpart. Cheaper brass hose fittings tend to fall apart after heavy use. We only stock the best brass hose fittings money can buy.

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What’s the best material for my hose attachments?

This will depend on various factors, including your budget, your personal preferences, and how much you plan to use your garden hose fittings. Brass is considered the best type of metal to use for hose attachments, and plastic is also a great choice as it contains no metal so has no risk of water damage. However, some plastic hose fittings are better than others, and depending on how much you're happy to pay, the stronger, more durable hose pipe fittings will cost you more.

Do brass hose fittings corrode?

Brass is a corrosion-resistant material, which is great for gardeners who live in wetter parts of the country where they can expect a lot of rainfall. Unlike some metals, brass doesn't rust due to its low iron content. Its corrosion-resistant qualities mean the fitting will be long lasting as opposed to some other less durable options on the market, such as aluminium or steel.

What are the most common types of hose pipe connectors?

Versatile, hardwearing and designed for optimum use, hose pipe connectors service different purposes depending on your exact irrigation needs. Below we take you through the most common hose pipe fittings and provide examples of when you may need them while gardening.

Types of hose pipe fitting

Hosepipe fittings are either classed as male or female. The female hose connectors are used on the ends of hose (hence the name hose end connectors), and the male is used on the taps and watering accessories such as spray nozzles and lawn sprinklers.

Hose fittings can generally be used for the following purposes:

To connect your hose to an indoor or outdoor tap
To connect your hose end to a garden hose accessory such as a sprinkler or spray nozzle
To control the water flow into multiple hoses using a three way connector
To attach two pieces of hosepipe together if a section is removed due to a leak
To attach a hose to a hose reel
To connect watering devices directly to an outdoor tap

Different types of hose fittings explained

Hose tap connector

Arguably a gardener's bread and butter, a hose tap connector is used to connect a hosepipe to an outdoor tap. Designed to be watertight to prevent leaks, most garden hose tap connectors will fit standard outside taps.

Hose tap connectors are designed to easily screw onto your outside tap, to allow you to quickly and easily attach your garden hose with minimal fuss.

Quick Tip: Choosing the correct size thread for your garden tap can be confusing. We have a brief guide on how to accurately determine what size you should choose. Tap sizes are usually 1/2" BSP, 3/4" BSP, 1" BSP.

What do hose tap connectors do?

Garden hose tap connectors allow water to flow through the faucet through the hose without any leakage and can be used to attach garden hosepipes and irrigation systems with ease. Most hosepipe connectors are made from either plastic or brass. Easy Garden Irrigation has a vast selection of hose tap connectors, including products from top brands such as Hozelock and Claber hose. Our brass tap connector is compatible with all Hozelock-style end hose connectors and fits standard outdoor taps.

Hose Couplings

A hose coupling is a piece of equipment that connects, or couples, a hose's end to another hose appliance, such as a spray nozzle or garden tap. Hose couplings offer multi-purpose use and are found in several different designs and finishes depending on your needs. Hose couplings such as the Claber Easy Grip Hose End Connector or Hozelock End Connector Pro are another useful hose pipe attachment.

Ergonomically designed for easy grip, with the ability to handle high water pressures of up to 40 bar, hose couplings are designed for easy use with long-lasting results. Hose couplings are widely used for garden watering and can help secure your garden hose for leak-free, consistent results. With both plastic and brass models depending on your needs, hose couplings are designed for minimal damage from UV rays or rain for long-lasting use.

Hose joiner/repair connector

Hose joiners do what they say on the tin - they're used to join two hoses together! Hose joiners are excellent for those who need to extend the reach of their water flow beyond a single hose length. Hose joiners are available in different materials, including plastic and brass, which we stock. High-quality plastic hose joiners such as the Claber Easy Grip Hose Joiner offer long-lasting results, a good performance life, and an ergonomic design for ease of use.

Brass hose joiners are suitable for most standard-size garden hoses and are professionally designed to connect two hosepipes easily. Hose joiners and hose repair connectors are also helpful as they can quickly repair a broken or damaged hose.

You can use a hose repair connector to quickly repair a damaged hose if you find it has a split, crack or leak. Easily connect two pieces of hose back together after the damaged section has been removed from the hose. Designed with strength and durability in mind, hose repair connectors save you the need to replace your entire garden hose, so your watering needs are interrupted as little as possible.

Trying to fix a broken hose? Follow the instructions in our hose pipe maintenance guide and use a hose repair connector to solve the issue.

Our metal hose connector offers a professional quality design with chrome-plating for long-lasting, leak-free results. We also stock Claber hose repair connectors and Hozelock hose repair connectors, so you can find the right hose repair equipment whatever your preference in style, material or cost.

Accessory adaptor

Hosepipe accessory adaptors convert a female threaded connection of an irrigation accessory (such as a sprinkler) into a male quick-click connection, allowing you to use a garden hose fitted with a hose end connector. Accessory adaptors come in many different styles and designs, but with the sole purpose of connecting hosepipe accessories to a hosepipe. The most common size accessory adaptor has a 3/4" BSP male thread.

Depending on the width of your hosepipe and the specific hosepipe accessory you are attaching, you may need a certain size of accessory adaptor. Hose accessory adaptors look similar to tap connectors but serve a different purpose!

Two-way tap adaptors

Available from Easy Garden Irrigation in multiple designs and styles, including the Claber Two Way Tap adaptor and the Claber two-way metal adaptor. A hassle-free solution, these hose pipe fittings are designed to help you get the most out of your outdoor tap and maximise how you use your water supply.

Two-way tap adaptors (also known as tap splitters) fit directly to your existing garden tap and allows you to connect multiple hose pipe fittings to one water supply. Two-way tap adaptors will enable you to direct water flow to different hose applications and appliances to match your specific irrigation needs. Tap splitters or two-way tap adaptors are designed for multi-purpose use, allowing you to direct water flow to different applications simultaneously.

Two-way tap adaptors are the ideal garden hose tap fitting to manage other watering needs, such as washing the car or filling up a bucket. It is typical for each outlet of a two-way tap adaptor to have shut off valves, allowing you to control the water flow for each outlet independently. A typical setup is to permanently connect a garden irrigation system to one outlet, with the other outlet free for a garden hose. With water timers conveniently incorporated into the design, two-way tap adaptors allow you to have complete control and manage all your outdoor tap needs without disturbing your irrigation system.

Tap adaptors tend to be made of plastic, with simpler, sturdy brass designs also available. This allows for far more freedom and flexibility with your garden hose use. At Easy Garden Irrigation, we supply brass hose splitters for quality and long-lasting results.

3 way hose connector

Take your water irrigation to the next level with a 3-way hose connector! Designed for larger gardens or homeowners with extensive garden irrigation systems, a 3-way hose connector (also know as a Y-Shape hose connector) allows you to connect multiple garden hoses or sprinklers to your water source. You can use a 3-way hose connector to connect three female hose ends together, enabling you to disperse your water to multiple areas of your garden.

For homeowners that need easy access to water without disturbing garden irrigation systems, a 3-way hose connector offers even more freedom and flexibility. Easily control your outdoor water supply with a 3-way hose connector, and join up to three garden hoses in different directions.

At Easy Garden Irrigation, we stock the Claber 3-way hose connector, brass 3-way hose connectors, and many more.

There you have it! An extensive guide on the most common garden hose connectors and fittings and their uses to help you decipher the hosepipe fitting you need. You can explore our entire range of hosepipe fittings or head to our help and advice page for more information on all things garden irrigation.