I really hate plumbing! Whether it’s replacing a faucet, installing my Reverse Osmosis filter system or messing with the garden hoses, it always seems like a chore. The garden hose fitting issue has been solved forever, once I discovered Brass Quick Connects. In this short article, I want to share how this one time investment made anything to do with ‘outside water’ simple.
What are Brass Quick Connect Garden Hose Fittings?
These plumbing connectors are sized for standard garden hose and for the hose bibs on the outside of your house: 3/4″ connections. Because they are made from brass, they don’t corrode and they don’t break or split like all the cheap plastic stuff that typically is sold for garden watering or for things like power washers, or car cleaning devices.
When I first discovered them I thought they would be really expensive, but they really don’t cost all that much more than plastic varieties. Considering that they will probably last a lifetime, you’ll never need to buy them again. Take note all of you folks in the Buy It For Life #bifl movement!
These connectors come with what plumber’s term male and female connections: threaded on the outside and threaded on the inside. The other side of the connector has a sleeve and a universal connector that fit into any of the other connectors.
Where Can I Use these Garden Hose Fittings?
These connectors come in sets, which can keep the cost of the system down over buying individual pieces. I bought enough parts for:
- all my outdoor hose bibs
- all my garden hoses x2 (one for each end)
- my portable lawn sprinkler
- my car washing / patio cleaning sprayer
- several hose sprayer / watering wand / hose nozzle thing-ees
- a water pump that I use to empty the hot tub for water changes
There are splitters which allow you to connect more than one quick-connect to a single hose bib, but I find that I never use mine because it is so easy to switch from one watering tool to another. If you have an odd size – such as a small lightweight hose with a 1/2″ fitting, there are brass reducers that will allow you to connect it to the standard size 3/4″ connectors.
Standard Garden Hose Fittings Sizes
A note about ‘standard sizes’ – Garden Hose Thread (GHT) is 3/4″, threaded to fit the vast majority of watering things that you use in the garden. The connects are straight (non-tapered like National Pipe Thread NPT fittings). Even if you have a 5/8″ hose, it should have 3/4″ fittings. For more about connecting between things using different standards (such as British Standard Piping BSP) see the Wikipedia Garden Hose page.
Setting Up Your Garden Hose Fittings System
When you get your Brass Quick Connects, just screw on the right type to all of your water things. Now everything will connect to everything! Want to add another length of hose to reach out to the street? No problem – just clip one on – no twisting and no wrenches required.
You need a connector at each of your hose bibs. Attach the brass connectors to each end of your hoses. Hoses are usually made so that they have a male connection on one end and a female connection on the opposite end, but these brass quick connects can simply things – either end of the hose will connect to the hose bib!
One benefit of these Brass Quick Connects for hoses is that you don’t have to do any twisting to make the connection. You just pop it straight on – no struggling with a twisty hose or trying to turn the end opposite of the way the hose wants to go.
One place I have a hose bib where I don’t use a quick connection is at my Rain Barrel – rain barrels just don’t have enough pressure to push water through a hose for any distance. For more details about a DIY Rain Barrel, see the article Rain Barrel, Made From Scratch.
Add a connector to each of your garden sprayers or water wands.
Any time one of those plastic spray nozzles break (which for me seems to be about once a year) just unscrew the brass connector to use with the next sprayer unit.
I have a pump to empty the water out of the hot tub a few times a year. Having a brass quick connect on my pump makes it simple to connect it to the drain hose.
Add a brass quick connect to power washers, automotive cleaning tools – anything designed for a 3/4″ garden hose connection is fair game!
When winterizing your outdoor watering system, be sure to disconnect all of the connections, especially at the hose bib. Disconnecting the sprayers and hoses from the hose bib and bringing them into the garage or basement can help them last a little longer.
Choosing Your Brass Quick Connectors
There are ‘a bazzillon’ choices for brass quick connect garden hose fittings. I’ve tried a couple and would say that while you might get lucky and one brand will fit into another, the connection is not as tight as you’d like and will drip a bit. Some are just clearly a different diameter and will not insert or will not stay clipped when the water is turned on. So try to pick a decently made brand of connector and order enough to cover all of your planned connections. If you need to get a few more, save yourself a headache by buying the same brand.
Here is a link to the brass garden hose fittings that I decided on and that are shown in all of my pictures. Some of these fittings were purchased 8 to 10 years ago, so you can see that they held up well and that the manufacturer is still producing the same product.
These are the convenient brass quick connect garden hose fittings that I use - and have used for years. They are sturdy and don't leak, and so far I have not had one break/split/fail or have trouble staying connected when the water pressure gets applied to it. The listing also has packages with more or fewer connectors, depending how many you need for your garden.
Helpful Garden Tools
Looking for more helpful tools for your garden tasks? Checkout these picks:
- Big Garden Hands – Easy Yard Cleanup Garden Tools!
- Leaf Bag Chute – A Helpful Tool!
- Favorite New Garden Tool: Dremel Multi Max
