Garden Hose Couplings

The cheapest parts on a pressure washing rig cause some of the most annoying failures. A garden hose coupling that drips at the spigot wastes water, soaks the customer's mulch, and starves a pump that needs every gallon you can feed it. Sun Brite Supply carries brass and steel garden hose couplings, GHT to pipe thread adapters, and the washers that make them seal, all from our shop in Gaithersburg, MD. Not sure which fitting bridges your spigot to your machine? Call 301-519-9274 and describe the two ends. We will name the part in one call.

Garden Hose Thread, Explained in Two Minutes

Garden hose thread (GHT) comes in exactly one size in the United States: 3/4 inch at 11.5 threads per inch, written 3/4-11.5 NH under the ASME B1.20.7 standard. The male end measures about 1-1/16 inch across the outside. The thread is straight, not tapered, and it does not seal on the threads at all. A rubber washer inside the female coupling does all the sealing work. That is why a coupling with perfect threads still leaks when the washer is flat, cracked, or missing.

Pipe thread (NPT) is a different animal. It tapers, it runs 14 threads per inch in the 3/4 inch size, and it seals on the threads themselves with tape or sealant. GHT and NPT will start onto each other just far enough to fool you, then bind and leak. Never force them. If you need to go from hose thread to pipe thread, that is what an adapter is for.

Reading a Coupling Description

Our fittings are named by their two ends. FGH means female garden hose, MGH means male garden hose, and FPT or MPT means female or male pipe thread. So a 3/4 FGH x 1/2 FPT fitting screws onto a male hose end on one side and accepts a 1/2 inch male pipe nipple on the other. Figure out what each of your two ends is, then match the description. Most pump inlets on portable machines take 3/4 or 1/2 inch pipe thread, so the FGH x FPT and FGH x MPT patterns cover the bulk of supply line hookups.

Solid vs Swivel

A solid coupling turns as one piece, which means the hose twists while you tighten it. A swivel coupling has a nut that spins free of the body, so you can snug the connection without winding up 50 feet of hose. On a fitting you connect and disconnect every job, the swivel is worth the extra few dollars. On a fitting that goes on once and stays, solid is fine and cheaper.

Stopping Leaks at the Coupling

Ninety percent of garden hose leaks trace back to the washer. Rubber washers flatten and crack with sun and pressure, and they cost 35 cents to replace. Hand tighten the coupling, then give it a quarter turn more. Cranking harder than that just cuts the washer and makes the leak worse. Skip the thread tape on the GHT side, since the threads never seal anyway. Save the tape for the NPT side of an adapter, where it belongs.

While you have the coupling apart, look at the washer filter option. It is a washer with a stainless screen built in, and it catches rust flakes and grit from the spigot before they reach your pump inlet valves. For under a dollar it is the cheapest pump protection sold in this store.

Coupling and Adapter Lookup

Prices change. Call or order online and we will confirm current availability before you drive over.

From the Field

The parts we sell over and over tell the story. Washers outsell every coupling on this page by a wide margin, because crews treat them as the fix instead of a consumable. Keep a bag of ten in the truck and swap them the moment a connection weeps. The washer filter earns its keep on older commercial buildings, where the first blast out of a neglected spigot carries enough rust to foul a check valve. And that plain brass male to male adapter rescues more jobs than anything else here, because two hoses grabbed off the shelf in a hurry both end in female couplings more often than you would think.

Related Collections

• All Garden Hose Parts
• Garden Hose Washers
• Garden Hose Swivels
• Garden Hose Quick Couplers
• Garden Hose Menders
• Garden Hose Pump Inlets
• Pump Inlets with Filters
• Water Filters
• Brass Pipe Fittings
• Local? Visit our Gaithersburg pressure washer store

Frequently Asked Questions

What thread size is a garden hose coupling?

All standard US garden hose couplings use 3/4-11.5 NH thread, meaning 3/4 inch nominal size at 11.5 threads per inch. There is only one size, so any garden hose coupling threads onto any US spigot or hose end.

Are garden hose threads the same as pipe threads?

No. Garden hose thread is straight and seals with a rubber washer. Pipe thread is tapered and seals on the threads with tape or sealant. They are not interchangeable, and forcing them together damages both parts. Use a GHT to NPT adapter instead.

Do I need thread tape on a garden hose fitting?

Not on the hose thread side. The washer does the sealing there, so tape adds nothing. Only tape the male pipe thread side of an adapter before it goes into a pump or valve port.

Why does my coupling leak even after I tighten it?

Check the washer first. A flattened, cracked, or missing washer causes most leaks. If the washer is fresh, look for a cross-threaded start or a female coupling that has been crushed out of round, which no amount of tightening fixes.

What do FGH and MGH mean?

FGH is female garden hose and MGH is male garden hose. Paired with FPT or MPT for female or male pipe thread, the description tells you exactly what each end of the fitting connects to.

How do I connect two hoses that both have female ends?

Use a male to male garden hose adapter. It threads into both female couplings and joins the hoses into one longer supply line. Keep a brass one in the truck and it will pay for itself the first time you need it.