The production and application of garden hose fittings in life

Garden hose fittings are no different than your normal plumbing fittings and connections that ensure water flows properly from your tap to your garden hose and ultimately to your plants. These ensure the correct flow of water at the right pressure and with the correct volume. Garden hose fittings also come in various different sizes to fit the various tap sizes, flow volume and pressure required. To ensure longevity of your hose and to extend its life, there are certain maintenance checks you can do on them as part of your regular home maintenance.

Check and ensure proper working order - Before doing any of the maintenance check which is the first step towards keeping your garden hose fittings in good working order you must ensure that all the required threads are present and operational. To test if all the threads are present just place a few strands of garden hose inside a bucket of water and then wait for a few minutes. If all the threads are in working order you should remove the water from the bucket and soak a handkerchief (i.e. bath towel) into the water to check for leaks. Leaks are relatively easy to detect and fix as they can be easily spotted.

Check for leaks - If you are not able to find any leaks then you may have to use a screwdriver or other non-sharp object to turn the valve clockwise and thoroughly loosen the nut. This will allow water to flow freely when the water pipe is turned clockwise. It may take several times of using the wrench to loosen the nut and to make sure all the threads on the fitting are free to flow. If it is discovered that the screws are rusty then this will affect the performance of the fitting and you should replace it with a new one.

Connect it to your garden spout - Take the new garden hose fitting and insert it into your garden spout. Pull it up into position and hook a washer and a nut on the bottom of the fitting, then hook the other end onto the spout. Once you are happy that the two fittings are connected firmly then tie a garden string over both ends and tighten them. Ensure that the string is a proper length and does not get caught up in any of the garden hose's internal parts. This will ensure that water will run smoothly when you spray plants or flowers.

Fitting in a barb - Once you have the fittings in place, attach an oversize barb onto the end of the hose. The barb is a standard sized hanger which will need to be replaced with an oversize one according to the internal diameter of the hose you have purchased. Ensure that the oversize barb is tied onto the hanger properly and that it is positioned properly so that it can fit onto the spout with ease. If you do not do this correctly, it could cause damage to the internal diameter of your hose.

Install the tap - Once you have all the components in place, it is time to install the tap, if you are fitting a new tap or replacing an old one. If you are replacing an old garden tap, remove the spigot and any other components from the old unit. If you are installing a new tap, place the spigot over the existing water line and install the hose onto the spigot. Start by turning the water on for a short while and test the water pressure so that you can ensure that the water is working properly before using it for a large scale job.