Everything You Need To Know To Find The Best Two Piece Hose Fittings

We find fittings to be one of the most practical hose accessories. They can help maximize a hose’s function or even add to it. But we know that there are a plethora of hose fittings in the market, which most likely confused you.

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That’s why we created this comprehensive guide. We’ll define hose fittings in detail, as well as go over some of their common types and uses. This way, you’ll have a good understanding of how this piece can help you in various contexts.

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What Is a Hose Fitting?

Hose fittings, connectors, adaptors, and couplings are all different names for the same thing. They’re basically small components designed to connect hoses together or to other equipment. 

You’ll find that hose couplings are available in a variety of shapes, sizes, and materials, each of which serves a different purpose. That’s why they’re used in diverse settings, including residential, commercial, and industrial. 

When shopping for a hose connector, you’ll hear the terms Male and Female. That’s because we manufacture them in two genders, with each one referring to the thread position on the fitting. 

Male fittings typically have pin-shaped protrusions with external threads. These external threads allow them to be plugged into female fittings or other tools with corresponding internal threads. In other words, male fittings have threads on the outside.

Conversely, female fittings are wider and feature internal threads that allow them to encircle or accept the male fittings. These internal threads are on the inside of the fitting, providing a threaded cavity for the male fitting to screw into.

In addition, there are quick connect fittings, which simplify the connection process. They consist of two main components: the "plug" and the "coupler" (which can also be referred to as sockets). 

The plug is typically a male fitting with external threads, and the coupler is a female fitting with corresponding internal threads. When you connect these quick connect fittings, you simply insert the plug into the coupler and secure them together by turning the plug, creating a fast and secure connection.

What Are the Main Hose Fitting Types?

Thanks to the remarkable versatility of these parts, hose connectors come in several types. However, there are three main ones that you should know about:

1. Water Fittings

• Low-pressure water fittings

Starting off with the most basic variety, which you most likely have lying around in your garden, the water hose fitting. We primarily construct this type to connect hoses transporting water together or to other components. 

These fittings are quite popular in the domestic scene as they’re widely used in garden hoses or for watering plants.

Remember that garden hose fittings will certainly come into contact with water. So, always opt for ones made of rust-resistant materials, such as stainless steel and brass.

Speaking of, don’t forget to check out our premium, rust- and chemical-resistant Stainless Steel Garden Hose QC Kit. It features hose fittings and plugs for various accessories, including sprinklers, watering wands, and more—all for a fairly low cost! 

• High-pressure water fittings

High-pressure water fittings are specifically designed to handle water systems that operate at elevated pressure levels, such as those used in industrial, commercial, and certain residential applications. These fittings are engineered to withstand the increased force and stress that high-pressure water systems generate.

High-pressure water fittings often use threaded connections, similar to low-pressure fittings. However, they need to have precise threading and a secure seal to prevent leaks under high pressure. NPT (National Pipe Thread) and BSP (British Standard Pipe) threads are commonly used for this purpose. 

All Veloci fittings are National Pipe Thread (NPT) which means they have a tapered male or female thread (depending upon the model). These fittings are versatile and find application in various settings, such as cleaning patios, power washing driveways, removing tough stains from concrete surfaces, preparing surfaces for painting, and even in industrial applications like cleaning heavy machinery. 

2. Pneumatic Fittings

To begin, we’ll give you a brief explanation of what a pneumatic system is. Pneumatic systems involve any equipment or machinery that operates on the force of compressed air or pressurized gas. 

If this definition doesn’t ring a bell, think of air compressors or dental drills; they’re examples of popular devices using this system.

Hose fittings are usually installed in pneumatic equipment for many purposes, like joining two hoses or controlling the air direction. 

Since this is a critical role, especially in industrial applications, these connectors are chemically resistant and have exceptionally tight seals to prevent leakage. 

3. Hydraulic Fittings

In most hydraulic systems, there are hydraulic high-pressure hoses that act as liaisons within their circuits. They help in securely transporting fluids between major hydraulic parts (pumps, motors, etc.). 

By fluids, we’re not just referring to water; they could be chemicals, petroleum oil, minerals, or else. This is why these hoses are quite common on engineering and mining sites. 

You can see how, under these conditions, the hydraulic hose fittings could be exposed to harsh and sometimes corrosive substances. 

So, to ensure smooth and safe fluid circulation, we strongly advise you to use hydraulic fittings that can withstand varying temperatures and high levels of pressure. They should also be resistant to rust and chemicals.  

Pressure washer hoses and hydraulic hoses share some similarities due to their common function of transporting fluids under high pressure. Both are constructed to withstand the significant pressure levels generated by their respective systems.

Pressure washer hoses are designed to carry pressurized water from the pump to the spray gun or nozzle. They play a crucial role in maintaining the integrity of the water pressure throughout the cleaning process.

What Are the Most Common Hose Fitting Functions?

To understand how you can benefit from hose adapters, you’ll need to learn about their functions. We’ve listed five of the most important ones below:

Safety 

When dealing with high-pressure systems, such as hydraulic systems, safety is paramount. It's crucial to always use connectors that are properly rated per manufacturer specifications to ensure the system's integrity and avoid potential disasters. 

Extending Length or Connecting

You don’t have to throw hoses away just because their length is impractical. Using fittings, such as union connectors, can help you link hoses together to extend their length.

You can also connect hoses to other structures like taps and sprinklers via adapters like couplings. 

Diverting or Combining Flow

When wanting to divide or divert flow through different hoses, you can always opt for fittings like tee and wye. You can also use both of these connectors if you want to combine flow from various sources.

Reducing Size

One of the special fittings that not many people are aware of is the reducer. It has two ends with different diameters. This comes in handy when you want to join a narrow hose with a bigger one or a structure with a wider opening. 

Controlling Flow

Whether it’s to control the water coming out of your low or high-pressure hose or fluids from a hydraulic pump, managing the exiting pressure is necessary in many cases. This is where valve components come in handy. 

Valve fittings simply connect the hose to the source of the supply and give you complete control over the outflow. 

Final Word

Now that you know the basic hose fitting types and functions, you can easily choose the variety that best suits your requirements. Just don’t forget to measure the diameter of your hose first, as that will determine the adaptor size you’ll need.

We can’t emphasize how important it is that you select a reliable fitting. Getting low-quality ones will give you a hard time. They may cause leakage, erode internally, or, worse yet, explode under pressure.

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If you’re a homeowner or a gardener, you know that a reliable garden hose is essential for maintaining a beautiful lawn and garden. And when it comes to connecting your hose to a water source or accessories, garden hose couplings are an essential component. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at garden hose couplings and tell you everything you need to know about them, from how they’re designed to how to properly care for them.

What Are Garden Hose Couplings?

Garden hose couplings are used to connect a garden hose to a water source or accessory, or to join two pieces of garden hose together. Garden hose couplings are also referred to as garden hose fittings or connectors, which is perfectly acceptable. However, the term “fittings” technically refers to the individual components that make up a garden hose coupling, while “coupling” refers to the entire assembly. For the following in-depth description of garden hose couplings, we’ll be using the more specific terms—fitting and coupling—for clarity.

A typical garden hose has two ferrules, one male coupling and one female coupling.

The Ferrule

A ferrule is a cylindrical fitting that goes over each end of a garden hose before inserting the male and female fittings into the hose ends. Ferrules can be either ribbed in design, for use with internally expanded male and female fittings, or smooth, for use with barbed fittings.

For smooth-style ferrules, a barbed male and barbed female fitting are inserted into each end of a garden hose. A die is then used to crimp down the ferrule, pinching the garden hose between the ferrule and the barbed fittings. Because a barbed fitting is usually machined and thicker, it creates a smaller interior hose diameter, and thus a greater water restriction.

Swan typically uses ribbed ferrules in its garden hoses, along with internally expanded male and female fittings. When the male and female fittings are inserted into each end of a garden hose, they expand outward, which pinches the garden hose between the ferrules and the fittings.

The Male Coupling

The male coupling on a garden hose is either a one-piece or two-piece design, which has a “tail” (or “stem”) on one end of the fitting and male threading on the other. The tail of the fitting is inserted into one end of a garden hose. These tails can be designed to be barbed or expanded as previously described. The threading, meanwhile, appears on the outside of the fitting and screws into a female coupling on a watering accessory such as a nozzle, sprinkler, or even another garden hose.

The Female Coupling

The female coupling on a garden hose is typically a multi-part design consisting of a “tail” similar to those on male couplings. The tail of the female fitting is inserted into the other end of a garden hose. It also has a rotating component that contains female threading on the inside that screws onto a male coupling, such as that on a water source. The female coupling also needs to have an O-ring or a garden hose washer inserted for sealing purposes.

It’s important to note that garden hose couplings don’t seal to what they’re attached to based on the threads of the fittings. It’s the pinching of the washer in the female coupling that creates the seal. Because of this, care needs to be taken not to over-tighten the couplings, or you can damage the washer and cause leaks.

What Are Garden Hose Couplings Made Out Of?

Traditionally, all the components of garden hose couplings were made out of brass, from the tails to the threaded fittings.

However, regulations such as Prop. 65 in California—officially known as the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of —put a limit on certain materials used in products. This included brass because of the lead it can contain (however, the amount of lead in brass is well-below the regulation’s threshold). At the same time, the price of brass skyrocketed. The industry therefore began to utilize other materials in garden hose couplings such as aluminum, plastic, coated steels and even stainless steel.

Today, you’ll typically find garden hose couplings made of durable materials such as aluminum, brass, plastic or steel, which ensures they can withstand frequent use and exposure to the elements.

What Sizes Do Garden Hose Couplings Come In?

Garden hoses in general are made with interior diameters of ⅜”, ½”, ⅝” and ¾”, with the tails of the male and female couplings sized appropriately to fit within these diameters.

The threads on the garden hose couplings, however, on all residential and most commercial garden hoses in the United States and Canada, are made with one standard size to be able to connect to the threads on all spigots and watering accessories.

This standard thread size is the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard for garden hose fitting thread size, which is ¾”–11.5 NH or NHR. NH stands for American Standard Hose Coupling Threads of Full Form (used for a standard machined thread), and NHR stands for American Standard Hose Coupling Threads for Garden Hose Applications (used for rolled or formed threads such as Swan’s rolled male thread).

Other thread designations you might see include GHT (Garden Hose Thread), GHM (Garden Hose Male) and GHF (Garden Hose Female), but all of these are made to the same standard.

In contrast, there are special hoses used for commercial applications that have their own thread sizes, while outside of the United States, metric sizes are used. 

How to Properly Attach a Garden Hose Coupling to a Water Source

Attaching a garden hose coupling to a water source is a relatively straightforward process. First, place the female coupling of the garden hose onto the male coupling of the water source (such as a spigot or faucet). Then, twist the female coupling clockwise with your hand until a connection is made to its washer, and then just a quarter-turn to half-turn more to fasten the male and female couplings securely.

With smaller round or octagonal-shaped female couplings, you might need the aid of a wrench. Just be sure not to over-tighten the coupling because you can damage the washer and create a leak.

Some of Swan’s garden hoses, such as our PROScape Hose and SoftTOUCH Hose, include our plastic Ergonomic Female Grip on the outside of the female coupling. This can be used like a wrench to tighten the connection to the water source. We also use larger ergonomic aluminum couplings on our heavy-duty hoses, which don’t require a wrench or other tool to tighten the connection.

How to Properly Remove a Garden Hose Coupling from a Water Source

Removing a garden hose coupling from a water source is just as simple as attaching it. First, turn off the water source. If a watering accessory is attached to the garden hose such as a nozzle, squeeze the trigger or open the nozzle to release any water pressure. Then, twist the female coupling counterclockwise to loosen it and gently remove it from the water source.

How to Care for Garden Hose Couplings While Attached to a Water Source

When garden hose couplings are attached to a water source (as well as accessories), it’s essential to care for them to ensure they remain in good condition. To do so, disconnect the couplings from the water source and any accessories at a minimum of three to four times per year and clean the threads. Never leave your garden hose couplings connected all year long.

Also, regularly inspect your garden hose couplings for signs of damage or wear and tear, such as cracks or leaks. If you notice any damage, replace the coupling with a new one immediately.

How to Care for Garden Hose Couplings Once Removed for Storage

Once you’ve finished using your garden hose for the season and removed the couplings from the water source and any accessories, it’s essential to care for the couplings properly to ensure they’re in good condition when you need them again. First, remove any dirt or debris from the couplings by wiping them down with a clean, damp cloth. Next, dry the couplings thoroughly to prevent rust or corrosion.

How to Remove Corrosion from Garden Hose Couplings

Over time, garden hose couplings can become corroded due to exposure to water, dirt and the elements. Periodically disconnect the female coupling from the water source and the male coupling from any accessories or other garden hoses and inspect for corrosion. Pay close attention to any residue in the threads.

Depending on whether your water source is public, well or other, you can see different types of corrosion. If caught early, most types of corrosion can be removed by scrubbing the couplings with a small bristled brush and mild soap and water. Remember to thoroughly rinse with clean water and dry. 

In more extreme cases of corrosion, you can find cleaning-solution recipes online that recommend using lemon juice, as well other natural acids, to remove the corrosion.

Garden hose couplings are an essential component for any gardener or outdoor enthusiast. By understanding how to properly attach, remove and care for them, you can ensure they remain in good condition for years to come. Remember to regularly inspect and replace damaged couplings, clean, dry and store them properly, and remove any corrosion promptly. Happy gardening!

For more general information on hoses, read the following articles:

Understanding Burst Strength in Garden Hoses: A Comprehensive Guide

Garden Hoses: An Essential Tool for Cleaning Up After Natural Disasters

Garden Hose Buying Guide

Get to Know Garden Hose Layers Before You Buy

Drinking From a Hose

The Flow Rate of a Garden Hose

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