Garden hose adapter size: Garden hoses connect using a
male/female thread connection.
Spigots typically have male connectors, and one end of a hose has a captive nut which fits the threads. The technical term for this arrangement is a "hose
union".
The thread standard for garden hose connectors in the United States, its territories and Canada is known as "garden hose thread" (GHT), which is [SUP]
3[/SUP]⁄[SUB]
4[/SUB] inch (19 mm) diameter straight (non-tapered) thread with a pitch of 11.5
threads per inch (TPI). The female thread is abbreviated FHT and the male part MHT which has an outer diameter of 1 [SUP]
1[/SUP]⁄[SUB]
16[/SUB] inches (27 mm). This fitting is used with [SUP]
1[/SUP]⁄[SUB]
2[/SUB]-inch, [SUP]
5[/SUP]⁄[SUB]
8[/SUB]-inch, and [SUP]
3[/SUP]⁄[SUB]
4[/SUB]-inch hoses.[SUP]
[1][/SUP][SUP]
[2][/SUP] In other countries, a
British Standard Pipe (BSP) thread is used, which is [SUP]
3[/SUP]⁄[SUB]
4[/SUB] inch and 14 TPI (male part outside diameter is 26.441 mm or 1.04 in). The GHT and BSP standards are not compatible, and attempting to connect a GHT hose to a BSP fitting will damage the threads, and vice versa.
Each male end of a typical garden hose can mate with the female connector on another, which allows multiple garden hoses to be linked end-to-end to increase their overall length. Small
rubber or
plastic washers (often confusingly called "hose washers") are used in female ends to prevent leakage, because the threads are not tapered and are not used to create a seal. Sometimes the gaskets stiffen, disintegrate, or fall out of older hoses, which results in pressurized leakage spraying from the hose; simply replacing the washer insert often fixes the problem.
