Have you ever fallen victim to hose sizing? Your old hose needs replacing, so you go out to buy a new one, it looks the same, so it should fit right? Wrong! It can be so easy to accidentally buy the wrong size hose, and so when this happens, you do not want to be returning it and trying again until you get the right one! How tiresome!
This is why this guide is here for you, you need to know that when you buy a new hose, it will fit!
Hose Diameter- How To Measure
The first step to buying the right size hose is to know what size your old hose was. This means you need to know how to measure the diameter of your hose, and it is crucial to keep water flowing at the level that you are used to when you are watering your garden, or giving your car a wash down.
Typically, garden hoses come in a variety of sizes. It could be ½ inch, ⅝ inch, ¾ inch, or 1 inch.
The trick to getting the correct size is to realize that it is the garden hose’s inner diameter that determines this. Metal ends of the hose will tend to be a bit larger than the actual hose diameter, so you need to be wary of this and avoid making the mistake of measuring the metal part.
We have put some steps together, so you know how you can do this best.
Step-By-Step Measuring
1. Disconnect The House From The Water
First of all, you need to disconnect the hose from its water source and remove any fittings that were not part of the original hose when you bought it.
If you will be replacing an end fitting as well, then go ahead and slice this part off. This will then expose the hole inside the horse with no interference. Thus, it also makes taking the whole measurement easier too!
2. Check The Opening Of The Hose
Now you need to turn the end of the hose upwards so that you can see the opening inside the metal fitting that screws onto the spigot. As long as everything looks as it should, move on to the next step.
3. Measure The Diameter Of The Hose
Now it is time to measure the diameter of your rubber hoses opening. Use a measuring tape to do this if you cap. This can be a bit tricky, and getting an exact dimension can be difficult as it is very unlikely that you will be able to get the tape to lay flat against the hose opening due to the metal fitting.
There is a trick that you can use, which is to use a small scrap of paper and mark the diameter and then transfer this to the measuring tape.
However, the ultimate, most accurate way for you to measure it is to use wooden dowels or metal drill bits if you have any on hand. As most hoses are ½, ⅝, and ¾ inches in size, then you will probably only need three sizes of dowel or drill bit to measure it like this. Keep in mind that a majority of garden hoses that are sold today are ⅝ inch.
Start off with the ½ inch dowel and slide it in, if it fits perfectly then the size is ½ inch, if it has wiggle room move it up to ⅝ inch and then the ¾ inch until you get a snug fit. If it is any larger than this means that the hose opening is a full inch across, which, despite being rare, is still very possible.
4. Always Double-Check Your Measurements.
No matter how obvious the measurements might be, double-check your results with the dowel or drill bit size by using diagonally across with a ruler. It is always wise to double-check it just in case.
What Should A Standard Garden Hose Fitting Size Be?
The most standard size for garden hose fittings is typically ⅝ inches, as this is the most common size of hoses that is sold today. When you shop for fittings this will also be the most plentiful option, available in many styles, all the way from sprayer wands, to splitters, to backflow preventers and more.
This does not mean that your hose may not be another size, and this is why you should always check.
Hose fittings can come with either male or female connections, so you should also take a good, hard look at where the threads are on the hose at the point where you will make a new connection. If the threats are on the outside then it is a male fitting, however, if the threads are on the inside then the fitting is female.
Look out for GHT on the label, which stands for ‘garden hose thread’, and check for MHT, or FHT for the male and female thread fittings.
To Conclude
Buying a new garden hose does not need to be difficult, while it may seem it when you are trying to tackle measurements and fittings, it can be very easy. Using dowels is probably the easiest way for you to measure your hose diameter, but remember to be aware of the size of the dowels as well.
You will surely never buy the wrong size hose, or the wrong fittings again. It can really be as easy as pie.
