Buying a Hose Nozzle: Selection Criteria
A missing or broken garden hose nozzle means the entire garden hose is temporarily unusable. As there are many garden hose nozzles on the market, it is wise to know the different types of nozzles available according to their use and their compatibility with the existing nozzles and hoses owned.
Types of garden hose nozzles
The old hose connection systems that required metal clamps have gradually disappeared. Nowadays, almost all garden hose couplings have adopted the integrated tongue clamp system developed by a famous manufacturer. Today, the name of this manufacturer is “Gardena”, a connection standard that makes almost all products on the market compatible.
Hose nozzles are distinguished according to their function, type of connection, hose diameter and material.
Function
The hose nozzle differs depending on whether it is intended for:
– water supply: tap connector;
– pipe joining: intermediate connectors;
– distribution: 3-way Y-branch;
– watering: hose nozzle, jet and adjustable flow and jet shower.
Good to know: some connectors, fittings, and distributions can be equipped with taps to manage the water flow in the pipes without having to stop the distribution.
Type of connection of the hose nozzle
The connection can be made by joint, by quick female coupling or by male coupling:
– The junction allows the permanent joining of two hose lengths; it is not intended for occasional disassembly/reassembly. Designed for any connection on a male end, the quick female coupling is fixed on the pipe using the combination of a clamping ring and tongues and is connected by a spring device on a male end which can be the nose of a faucet, a lance, a hand shower…
– The male fitting has the “Gardena” standard diameter so that it can be inserted into any female fitting: it can be a tap nozzle, a hand shower or a spray, a junction or a Y-shaped branch fitting.
Good to know: if any female coupling is fixed and maintained on a male coupling, the female coupling is called “automatic coupling” and blocks the water supply as soon as it is disconnected and reopens it when the male coupling is inserted.
Pipe diameter
If the connection of the nipples between them is standardized, a nipple is intended for only one of the 3 main diameters of garden hoses. We distinguish the diameters according to their size expressed in fractions of an inch:
– 1/2” hose: internal diameter 12 mm;
– 5/8” hose: internal diameter 15 mm;
– 3/4” hose: internal diameter 19 mm.
Good to know: there are joints (permanent joints) that come with rings of different sizes to connect two pipes of different diameters. These joints are generally called “universal fittings”.
Nipple material
Usually made entirely of plastic, some fittings are available in brass with only the plastic clamping tabs.
Buying a garden hose nozzle: selection criteria
Garden hose diameter
The choice of a hose nozzle or a hose nozzle kit is mainly based on the diameter of the garden hoses between 12, 15 or 19 mm.
Good to know: faucets are divided into two main thread diameters, but a faucet nozzle is usually delivered with a reducer to adapt to the garden faucet regardless of its thread.
Hose nozzle material
The characteristics of plastic and brass are different:
– Plastic: it is light but quite fragile and especially quite sensitive to ultraviolet rays that make it hard and brittle.
– Brass: solid and having excellent longevity, the brass tip is not more expensive. Its weight can make it challenging to handle on surfaces sensitive to shocks.
Type of operation of the connection mechanism
The choice of the nipple is finally determined by the type of operation of the connection mechanism which is done :
– either by turning the operating ring on itself, which is the original system ;
– or by sliding the operating ring, which makes it easier to operate with one hand (especially when wet).
Price of a hose nozzle
A quick coupling (female end) can be found between $1.50 and $7.00 for the same type of hose, depending on its generic or original brand and the brand that distributes it.
You can find a basic kit (4 pieces) or a complete kit (12 pieces) to assemble one or more hoses from a faucet to a hose nozzle or a hand shower for between $10 and $60, depending on the brand and the distributor.
The material brass or plastic has little influence on the price, and many brass tips are cheaper than plastic.
