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Garden hose connector: measure the tap before the kit

Updated: 23 October 2026

You are at a British outside tap with a hose that has lost its end, and every listing seems to say three-quarter inch. A garden hose connector has to match the tap thread, the hose bore, and the piece that is actually missing. Use that order before any row in the [hose connector comparison](/hub/garden-watering/hose-connector) is a sensible buy. Peter F. updated this page on 23 October 2026 from those amazon.co.uk listings, Hozelock's tap pages, the UK Flow Centre thread guide and Water UK's hosepipe FAQ. There was no laboratory test. A purchase through our links can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are at a British outside tap with a hose that has lost its end, and every listing seems to say three-quarter inch.

Our top picks

Hozelock Hozelock 2071 tap kit

Best overall

Hozelock Hozelock 2071 tap kit
7.6/10about £7.95
View offer
GRIFEMA GRIFEMA GE1201 quick coupler

Alternative

GRIFEMA GRIFEMA GE1201 quick coupler
6.7/10about £3.59
View offer
BABADU BABADU 20-piece connector kit

Alternative

BABADU BABADU 20-piece connector kit
6.4/10about £18.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Two measurements, not one
  2. 2.Which piece is actually missing
  3. 3.The thread name on the listing
  4. 4.What a connector does not do

Two measurements, not one

The inch size on the tap is the thread. The size on the hose is the bore. Hozelock's measurement guide puts a 1/2 inch BSP tap at about 21 mm across the outside, a 3/4 inch BSP tap at about 26.4 mm, and a 1 inch BSP tap at about 33.3 mm. About 95 percent of outdoor taps, on Hozelock's figure, are the first two. Take the old connector off and measure the male thread. The Hozelock 2071 prints BSP and 21–26.5 mm, so it aims at those two taps, not at 33.3 mm. The hose check is the internal bore, usually 12.5 mm or 15 mm. A 3/4 inch tap does not need a hose of about 19 mm.

Which piece is actually missing

The tap connector screws onto the outside tap. The hose-end connector grips the cut hose. A water stop, which Hozelock sells as an AquaStop, belongs at the gun end. A two-way splitter is a different job. Buy the end that is bare. The 2071 is about £7.95, prints BSP, and has no water stop, so it is the wrong box if a dry gun change is the whole point. If both ends are bare, use a starter set from the main table. A 20-piece kit does not repair an unmeasured tap, and none of the nine listings is a double check valve. The washer and the square cut are on how to fit a hose connector.
Hozelock Hozelock 2071 tap kit

Testsieger

Hozelock Hozelock 2071 tap kit
7.6/10about £7.95
View offer

The thread name on the listing

British outside taps in Hozelock's range are BSP. The UK Flow Centre describes BSP as a 55-degree thread and NPT as a 60-degree thread. In this comparison the 2071 prints BSP. The BABADU kit prints NPT. GRIFEMA prints GHT beside 12.5–15 mm coupler bullets. Chudian prints UN. A listing can name the hose bore and still be the wrong thread on the spout. One buyer saying a kit clicked onto their Hozelock parts is a single review, not a measurement. If the line says NPT, GHT or UN, leave the multi-pack. The click itself is on Hozelock or a universal hose connector.

What a connector does not do

None of these boxes makes a hosepipe legal during a local ban, and none of them is a backflow device. Water UK's hosepipe FAQ still treats a hosepipe, and the equipment attached to it, as restricted where a ban applies. Your water company publishes the rule for your postcode. We are not carrying a 10 bar figure onto any fitting in this set, and a standard hose connector is not the non-return a pressure washer needs. A new click does nothing for a drip coming out of the wall. Once the thread name agrees with the tap you measured, the comparison table is the next page.

Common questions

Is my outside tap 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch BSP?
Measure the male thread across the outside with the connector removed. Hozelock's guide puts 1/2 inch BSP at about 21 mm and 3/4 inch BSP at about 26.4 mm, with 1 inch BSP at about 33.3 mm. If you read near 33 mm, a connector sold only for 21–26.5 mm is the wrong span.
Does a 3/4 inch tap need a 3/4 inch hose?
No. The 3/4 inch figure is the tap thread, about 26.4 mm across the outside on Hozelock's chart. The hose figure here is the internal bore, 12.5 mm or 15 mm. A 19 mm hose, bought only to echo the tap's inch size, is a different pipe.
What is the difference between 12.5 mm and 15 mm hose?
Both are internal diameters. The 12.5 mm hose is narrower and lighter. The 15 mm hose carries more water and weighs more on the reel. Hozelock pieces in this set are often sold for both. The tap thread is still a separate measurement.
Why does a listing say NPT or GHT?
Because the specification names a thread that is not the BSP Hozelock uses for UK outdoor taps. The UK Flow Centre contrasts 55-degree BSP with 60-degree NPT. GHT is US garden-hose thread, and it appears on the GRIFEMA listing. Chudian prints UN.
Do I need a tap connector, a hose-end connector, or both?
You need the end that is missing. The tap connector screws onto the spout. The hose-end connector grips the hose. Buy both if the tap is bare and the hose has no click. Add a water stop only if you want to remove the gun without a soak, and put that part at the gun.
Is a 20-piece kit a sensible first buy?
Only after you have measured the tap and the thread line matches. The BABADU kit prints NPT, so piece count is a weak reason to buy it for a UK outside tap. Extra elbows do not add a double check valve. None of these nine listings includes that valve. It belongs in the tap or in a separate device.

Related pages

Two way garden tap splitter

Hose connector

Best garden hose connector for your UK outside tap

How to fit a hose connector without a drip at the tap

Hozelock or universal hose connector: which click to keep

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, plus the amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts captured for these nine listings. The digest prices were not a live check on 21 October 2026. Last reviewed 22 October 2026.

  1. Hozelock outdoor tap connector (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  2. Hozelock, how to measure your tap (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  3. Hozelock AquaStop connector (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  4. WaterSafe, double-check your outside tap (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  5. Water Regs UK, hose union taps (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  6. Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, Schedule 2 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  7. UK Flow Centre, BSP and NPT thread guide (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  8. Water UK, hosepipe ban FAQs (retrieved 21 October 2026)