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How to connect a garden hose to an outside tap

Updated: 22 October 2026

You need to connect a garden hose to an outside tap before you blame the tube. On a UK house the thread is usually ¾ inch BSP, about 26.44 mm across the outside, or ½ inch BSP on an older tap, about 20.99 mm. Peter F. updated this page on 22 October 2026 from Hozelock's fitting guides, the WRAS note, and these amazon.co.uk listings. We did not pressure-test a tap. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. The hoses are in the [Garden hose 30m comparison](/hub/garden-watering/garden-hose-30m). Length and bore sit in the [30m garden hose buying guide](/hub/garden-watering/garden-hose-30m/sub/garden-hose-30m-buying-guide).

You need to connect a garden hose to an outside tap before you blame the tube. On a UK house the thread is usually ¾ inch BSP, about 26.44 mm across the outside, or ½ inch BSP on an older tap, about 20.99 mm. Peter F.

Our top picks

Flexi Hose Flexi Hose black, 100 ft expandable

Best overall

Flexi Hose Flexi Hose black, 100 ft expandable
7.4/10about £29.99
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Faithfull Faithfull 30 m reinforced hose, 12.7 mm

Best value

Faithfull Faithfull 30 m reinforced hose, 12.7 mm
7.3/10about £20.87
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Draper Draper 30 m hose and spray gun kit

Alternative

Draper Draper 30 m hose and spray gun kit
6.4/10about £23.90
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On this page
  1. 1.Two outdoor thread sizes cover most house taps
  2. 2.The washer seals, and the thread only holds
  3. 3.What the 30 m listings actually include
  4. 4.Backflow is a separate fitting

Two outdoor thread sizes cover most house taps

Look at the spout, not the hose label. Hozelock treats ¾ inch BSP as the common outdoor thread and ½ inch BSP as the size on many older taps, with those outside diameters as the check when the tap is unmarked. Screw the connector on by hand until it seats. Forcing it with pliers on the first turn is how a thread crosses and then drips. A 2-in-1 connector is the practical answer when you are unsure, as long as it really carries both BSP sizes. Hozelock's connector 2175 includes an adaptor so one body can meet either outdoor thread. After the tap side is right, fit a hose-end tail made for 12.5 mm or 15 mm hose. A connector that fits the tap can still refuse the hose if the tail is the wrong bore.

The washer seals, and the thread only holds

Water at the nut is usually a washer, an O-ring or a cross-thread, and the hose wall can be intact. Hozelock's notes say to unscrew the hose-end tail, push the hose fully home, and tighten the tail. The rubber seals. The thread stops the fitting pulling off. If the connector drips, turn the tap off and look for a missing, pinched or perished washer before you cut any hose. Hand tight is the aim. A crushed washer leaks as surely as a missing one. On an expandable hose, open the far end before full flow so the tube can lengthen instead of ballooning against a closed gun. That will not fix a weep at the tap. If water leaves through the wall, use garden hose kinks and leaks. Keep the open end out of a bucket or a butt. A submerged end can pull dirty water back toward the tap.
Flexi Hose Flexi Hose black, 100 ft expandable

Testsieger

Flexi Hose Flexi Hose black, 100 ft expandable
7.4/10about £29.99
View offer

What the 30 m listings actually include

Draper's kit names ½ inch and ¾ inch BSP connectors and a spray gun, so it is the listing in this set that speaks those tap sizes. Faithfull is hose only. You need a tap connector, a hose tail and a washer before that about £20.87 coil can reach a bed. The black Flexi Hose bullets talk about US taps, a different screw from BSP, so plan on a UK tap connector even though that hose has the largest review sample. Greenera reviews describe buyers cutting sealed ends before a fitting will go on. Cut a sealed end square, then fit a 12.5 mm tail. Viosmut has a review saying the supplied connection is not a Hozelock fit. The best 30m garden hose page puts those box differences next to a shortlist.

Backflow is a separate fitting

A tap connector stops the hose falling off. It does not stop used water travelling back into the house pipes. WRAS IRN R060 calls for a double check valve, or a type HA device, on a hose union tap serving a house. A non-return connector on the hose is a different part from a stop connector. Hozelock's FAQ makes that distinction: one part stops drips when you change tools, and the other is about the plumbing risk. Fit the connector and the washer yourself when the tap thread is sound and the house tap already has that protection. Call a plumber for a new outside tap, a damaged thread, or a house tap with no double check valve. That advice is for a house, not a commercial or agricultural supply. If the nut is dry and the tube still folds flat, the fault has moved from the tap to the hose.

Common questions

What size is a UK outside tap?
Most house outdoor taps are ¾ inch BSP, which Hozelock measures at about 26.44 mm outside diameter. Older taps are often ½ inch BSP, about 20.99 mm. The hose bore, commonly 12.5 mm, is a separate size. Match the connector to the tap thread first, then the hose tail to 12.5 mm or 15 mm. A 30 m label does not tell you the thread.
Why does the connector drip?
The washer is missing, pinched, cracked or crushed, or the thread has crossed. Turn the water off, reseat a sound washer, and tighten by hand. Push the hose fully onto the tail first, as Hozelock's FAQ describes. A drip at the nut with a dry hose wall is a fitting fault. A spray from the tube is a hose fault.
My hose listing says US taps. Will it fit?
The black Flexi Hose uses US-tap wording in its bullets. That screw is not UK ½ inch or ¾ inch BSP, so assume it will not seal until you add a UK connector and a washer. If you want BSP fittings named in the box, Draper states them. Faithfull includes none, so you buy the connector either way.
Do I need a double check valve as well as a tap connector?
On a house, WRAS IRN R060 expects a double check valve or a type HA device at the hose union tap, so dirty water is not drawn back if the hose end sits in a bucket or a butt. A tap connector is additional. A non-return connector is still different from a stop connector. If the tap lacks that protection, ask a plumber.
When should a plumber do this instead?
Call a plumber for a new outside tap, a stripped or cracked thread, or a house tap with no backflow device when you are not equipped to alter the pipework. A connector, a washer and a hose tail are ordinary jobs if the tap is already sound. Stop if the fitting will not start by hand.

Related pages

Garden hose 30m

Best 30m garden hose: a review sample or fixed coil

30m garden hose buying guide for the UK outside tap

Expandable vs reinforced garden hose: a 30 m choice

Garden hose kinks and leaks: three different faults

Sources

Public UK sources for PVC garden hose, tap threads, backflow and hosepipe bans. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines on these listings. Water UK's hosepipe FAQ was updated on 12 October 2026. This is not a lab test.

  1. BSI, BS 3746:1990 — PVC garden hose (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  2. Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, Schedule 2 paragraph 15 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  3. WRAS IRN R060 — hose-union taps (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  4. Water UK — hosepipe ban FAQ (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  5. Ofwat — hosepipe bans and non-essential use bans (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  6. Met Office — hosepipes and hidden health risks (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  7. Hozelock — measure your tap and choose a connector (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  8. Easy Garden Irrigation — garden hose pipes (retrieved 22.10.2026)