Garden Hoses, Nozzles and Hose Fittings

A hose setup is three things: the hose, whatever’s on the end of it, and the little fittings that join it all together and stop the drips. Most frustration with a hose comes from the last two, a nozzle that’s wrong for the job or a connection that sprays you every time you turn the water on. Get those right and even a plain hose works fine.

Picking a hose

The hoses here are 50 feet. Measure the route from the faucet to the far bed, around corners, before you buy; 50 feet covers a lot of yards without much extra to drag and coil.

Hose	What it is
Pocket Hose Silver Bullet, 3/4 in. x 50 ft.	Expanding hose
Best Garden Hiflo, 50 ft.	Lightweight, compact garden hose
Aquamaster, 5/8 in. x 50 ft.	Standard garden hose
Coil hose and nozzle set, 50 ft.	Coiled hose with a nozzle

An expanding hose like the Pocket Hose stretches out when the water’s on and shrinks back when you shut it off and drain it. It’s light, and it stores in a bucket or a corner. Leave it some slack instead of pulling it tight across the yard, and drain it after you use it so it shrinks back.

A coil hose springs back into its coil on its own, so it’s handy on a deck or patio where a hose on the ground is in the way.

The Hiflo and Aquamaster are for the person who wants a regular hose that lies where you put it. Lighter hoses are easier to drag around the yard; just don’t kink them at the faucet.

Nozzles: match the nozzle to the job

This is where WBC has the most to choose from, and it’s worth getting the right one, because you’ll hold it all afternoon.

• Pistol grip, multi-pattern: squeeze the trigger, turn the head to pick a pattern, from mist for seedlings to a jet for the sidewalk. WBC has 7- and 9-pattern pistol nozzles, a self-cleaning 7-pattern, a pull-trigger 7-pattern and a 6-pattern torch nozzle.
• Thumb flow control: the 9-pattern flow-control nozzle sets the flow with your thumb, so you can turn it down without walking back to the faucet.
• Twist-adjust brass: no trigger to hold. Twist the barrel from a fine spray to a hard stream. WBC has them in 3-inch, 3-3/4-inch and 5-inch lengths. Brass holds up to being dropped on the driveway.
• Landscapers Select metal nozzles, powder-coated, in yellow and green. Easy to spot when you set one down in the grass.
• 18-inch aluminum watering wand, 9 patterns: reaches hanging baskets and the back of a flower bed without bending over.
• 3-way ergonomic nozzle: a simple plastic nozzle for light watering.

For watering flowers and garden beds, a wand or a nozzle with a shower pattern. For washing the truck or blasting mud off tools, a pistol grip on jet or the brass twist nozzle cranked to a stream.

Watering cans

For pots, seedlings and the spots a hose doesn’t reach, WBC has Bloem 2.5-gallon deluxe watering cans in Bermuda teal and classic blue.

Fixing a leak: washers first

Before you buy anything else, look at the washer. Most leaks at a connection are a missing, flattened or cracked rubber washer inside the female end. A new one costs next to nothing and fixes it. WBC has a 12-piece hose washer set and a 6-pack of garden hose washers. Keep a few in the garage.

If the hose end itself is cracked or crushed, cut it off and put on a new end:

• Male and female ends: WBC has a brass 3/4-inch male coupling and a 3/4-inch female coupling, plus brass end repairs for 1/2-inch and 5/8-inch hose and a 5/8-to-3/8-inch end repair.
• A split in the middle: cut out the bad spot and join the two pieces with a mender. WBC has a brass 5/8 x 5/8 mender with clamps and a plastic 3/4-inch mender.

These menders and ends are for regular rubber and vinyl hoses. An expanding hose is built differently, inner tube inside a fabric sleeve, and standard barbed menders aren’t made for it.

Two sizes get mixed up. The thread on hose ends and faucets is the standard 3/4-inch garden hose thread. The hose’s own size, 1/2, 5/8 or 3/4 inch, is its inside diameter. Match a mender or end repair to the hose diameter; match a connector to the thread.

Shut-offs, splitters and connectors

• Shut-off valves go between the hose and the nozzle or the faucet, so you can stop the water right where you’re standing. WBC has brass, metal and plastic 3/4-inch shut-offs.
• Y-connectors with shut-offs split one faucet into two hoses, each with its own valve. WBC has brass and metal versions, plus a dual-outlet connector.
• Gooseneck swivel connector: angles the hose down off the faucet and swivels, which helps keep the hose from kinking right at the spigot.
• 3/4-inch female quick connector: for snapping the hose on and off.

Before the first hard freeze

A hose full of water left on the faucet is how spigots and hose ends split. In the Flathead Valley, where winter lows average 16°F, disconnect the hose before freezing weather, drain it, and bring the nozzles and shut-offs in with it. An expanding hose especially should be drained and stored inside.

The Pick

For a light hose you can store in a bucket, the Pocket Hose Silver Bullet. For a regular hose, the Hiflo or Aquamaster 50-footer. Put a pistol-grip multi-pattern or a brass twist nozzle on the end, add a Y with shut-offs if one faucet has to run two hoses, and keep a pack of washers and a mender in the garage.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my hose leak at the faucet?

Usually the washer inside the female end is missing, flattened or cracked. Replace it before you replace anything else.

What size is a garden hose fitting?

Hose ends and outdoor faucets use 3/4-inch garden hose thread. That’s separate from the hose’s inside diameter, which is often 5/8 inch. Match connectors to the thread and menders to the hose diameter.

How do you fix a hose with a hole in it?

Cut out the damaged section and join the two ends with a mender sized to the hose. If the damage is at the end, cut it off and put on a new male or female end.

Do expanding hoses last?

They last longest when you don’t pull them tight, keep them out of hot sun when they’re not in use, and drain them after every use so they shrink back. Bring them in before it freezes.

What nozzle is best for watering a garden?

A wand or a multi-pattern nozzle on its shower setting gives plants a gentle soak. Save the jet setting for cleaning.