Garden hose won't fit outdoor tap

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Scherzo

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Hi, I've just joined the forum, hope I'm posting in the right place.

I've just bought a garden hose, first for many years, and none of the connectors that came with it or that I can buy will fit our outdoor tap. All connectors seem to be 3/4" or 1", and our tap is 7/8", which (from what I've read on the Web) seems to be non-standard for a garden tap.

It looks as if I'll need to get the tap changed. I'm no plumber, so I'd have to pay someone to do it. Before I do, can anyone come up with any alternative suggestions? E.g. does anyone know where I can get a 7/8" connector?

Thanks in advance for any ideas.
 
I guess unless Hozelock or Gardena can’t fix you up with a connector then a new tap could be the best idea.
Give us a pic of the existing arrangement if you can.
Have you tried the connectors, or are just going by measurements? Tap thread sizes do have a mind of their own.....!
John :)
 
Hi John, thanks for your reply.

I've tried them all, as well as measuring.

I'll take some photos tomorrow if I get a chance.
 
I am pretty sure that they used to do a 7/8" tap connector. I have a load of connectors, probably from when I have bought a kit. I don't know about now but they used to come as a large connector and adapters to reduce that, see the picture, each row is one set.

IMG_20201023_122515236.jpg

I used a caliper to measure the inside of each thread and all of them came up a tiny bit short, so I presume that the 'official' measurement is somewhere else.

Looking online, e.g.
https://www.worldofwatering.co.uk/categories/water-management/hose-connectors/filter=type41~127
it seems that Gardena are measuring something different altogether as they have:
- 33,3 mm (G 1")
- 26,5 mm (G 3/4")

Based on that I think you might be looking for something like a 30mm.

I came up with this based on a Google search which listed a number of specialist places, of which worldofwatering.co.uk was just one. It might be worth contacting someone like that to ask.

EDIT: I tweaked my Google search and got some better results.

I found this Amazon review, which says that you need a "Atoni Brass Tap Connector Fits 3/4" Farmers Tap" and I found that on Amazon here.

I also came across this thread
https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/7-8-approx-30-mm-connector-on-a-3-4-outside-water-tap.486884/
 
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Hi StephenOak, thanks very much for your very useful reply. I'll buy one of those Atoni ones and see if that solves my problem.

Burnerman, I took the photos of my tap and connectors as promised, but then saw StephenOaks reply. If the Atoni doesn't work I'll come back and post the photos.

In any case, I'll be back to say if it worked. Thanks again both.
 
A photo of the tap would be most useful. They usually come with a screwed spout that has a hose adaptor on it.

Usually a BSP size, whose name is not the same as any dimension on either the tap or the connector.

For example, 1/2" BSP is 20.995mm 0.825 inches diameter.

3/4" BSP is 26.441mm 1.041 inches (so I'm sure your Amazon find is too big)

1" BSP is 33.249mm 1.309 inches

half-inch BSP is most common on a garden tap.

You say yours measures 7/8", which is 0.875 inch. Are you sure it's not 0.825 inch?
 
Thanks for all these replies! I've already ordered the Atoni one on Amazon, so I'll see how that works.

I'm no good at plumbing, so even though a new tap might be cheaper I'd have to pay someone to fit it.

For interest, here are the photos. The connectors shown are the three plastic ones that came with the hose, the brass one I bought (clearly too big), and then there's the spout that has been on the tap for years.

I tried just pushing the hose onto the spout, and it did stay on but water spurted out.

John D, thanks for the info. You're right, more careful measuring shows it's 0.825.
 

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I think you just want a 1/2" BSP tap adaptor, preferably brass.

The Hozelock system has a click-on connector, I don't know if if has a special name. You press the collar down to open the gripper.

Budget brands fit the same.

Aldi do them as a special buy sometimes, in a set of about six. The brass ones are better than plastic.

Your leftmost Hozelock fitting looks like it will click onto a tap adaptor which you screw onto the tap. To fit the hose onto the adaptor you unscrew the knurled ring and press the hose end onto the tapered bit, then screw the ring on to grip.
 
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Hi again. I was expecting to come on the forum today to say my problem was solved, I had now got the correct size adapter, after buying at https://uk.rs-online.com/, stock number 330-0656 (its URL is too long to put on here), “Straight Male Hose Coupling 1/2in Straight Coupler, 1/2 in BSP Female, Brass”.

But it arrived yesterday and is just a fraction too small.

I've attached some photos. I measured from the tape's 1" mark as I couldn't get lined up on zero. I make the inside diameter of the spout that's been on for years 25/32" = 0.781, and the adaptor I just bought 24/32" = ¾ = 0.75.

It was difficult to get the tape lined up under the tap, but allowing for the tape being maybe 2/32” off I think the outside diameter of the tap is 26/32” = 0.813. Allowing for the thickness of the thread I guess that explains why it fits the 25/32 spout but not the 24/32 adapter.

I've just been on live chat to RS and unsurprisingly they say they don't do them in 25/32. I'm thinking my tap is just non-standard and I'll have to get the tap changed.

Thanks everyone for your advice.
 

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Are you able to easily isolate the water supply to the tap, leaving the house water on?
The tap will screw onto that wall elbow and the threads there are usually conventional.
John :)
 
Thanks John.

Yes there is a tap that isolates it and the downstairs loo, but it seems to be seized solid. And trying to unscrew the tap as you suggest, that won't turn either. The whole setup is pretty ancient, and I'm coming round to thinking I might as well get it all renewed.
 
For sure, that could be a sensible move.....best to replace the isolator with a quarter turn lever type, and use it from time to time.
Outside, the wall plate elbow is only fixed to the mortar so its best to support things before heaving on the tap.....often the result is a kinked pipe if you don't :eek:
John :)
 
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