Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

How to use a hose spray gun: flush, lock and drain

Updated: 21 October 2026

The gun is in one hand and the hose crosses the lawn. How to use a hose spray gun is the order from here: flush what has sat in the pipe, connect, choose mist or jet, and shut off before the gun leaves your grip. A lock left on behaves as an open tap. Water left in a metal body is what a frost can split. The gun only shapes the pressure your tap already supplies. Peter F. set this sequence from WaterSafe, Water Regs UK, and Hozelock's UK care notes, without a lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. GBP listings are on the [metal garden hose spray gun comparison](/hub/painting-supplies/metal-garden-hose-spray-gun).

The gun is in one hand and the hose crosses the lawn. How to use a hose spray gun is the order from here: flush what has sat in the pipe, connect, choose mist or jet, and shut off before the gun leaves your grip.

Our top picks

Onarway Onarway metal spray gun

Best overall

Onarway Onarway metal spray gun
8.5/10about £15.74
View offer
RAINPOINT RAINPOINT thumb-control gun

Alternative

RAINPOINT RAINPOINT thumb-control gun
8.2/10about £21.99
View offer
Draper Draper 7-pattern gun

Best value

Draper Draper 7-pattern gun
8.3/10about £12.49
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Before the gun goes on
  2. 2.Connect, then choose a pattern
  3. 3.Lock it only in your hand
  4. 4.Drain it the same day

Before the gun goes on

Run the hose with nothing on the end, and check a hosepipe ban, before the gun goes on. WaterSafe wants standing water on the ground with no spray fitted, and the open end kept out of a pond, a butt, or a tub of feed or weedkiller. A submerged end can pull that water back towards the tap if the pressure falls. Section 76 of the Water Industry Act 1991 sits behind a temporary hosepipe ban. A gun on the hose is still hosepipe use. If your job is listed, leave the tap shut. A hose idle since Sunday gets a short clear run onto the path, then the tap off. If nothing flows after you click the gun on, the inlet is wrong. Click fittings and thread names are on the hose spray gun fittings page.

Connect, then choose a pattern

Fit the connector, then set mist for seedlings or a jet for dirt. Hozelock's notes fit an AquaStop, then click their gun on. Another metal gun can sit on a water-stop without opening it, because the spigot never reaches the valve. A dry hose on a seated joint means you check the inlet before you blame the tap. Drips start at the connector, a dirty seal, or a worn O-ring, the three spots in Hozelock's Jet Spray Gun FAQ. Change the washer before a new gun. Use a jet for mud on a slab and hold the mist a forearm from a lettuce tray. RAINPOINT and FANHAO thumb guns use a slide, with no squeeze to lock, while a buckle or clip on Ibergrif and Draper guns has to come off before you set the gun down. The control named on the listing is in the metal garden hose spray gun buying guide.
Onarway Onarway metal spray gun

Testsieger

Onarway Onarway metal spray gun
8.5/10about £15.74
View offer

Lock it only in your hand

Keep a lock on only while you hold the gun and aim it, and release the lock before the gun touches the ground. Left on, it is an open tap. Hozelock's Jet Spray Gun FAQ clears a stuck lock by a squeeze after the water is off. Shut the outside tap if the clip will not move, then squeeze once with the nose at the soil. A RAINPOINT or FANHAO slide has no trigger, so an open slide is the same running tap. Closing the outside tap still stops the flow when a clip is jammed. After ten minutes on the roses, release a Draper clip or an Ibergrif-style buckle until the trigger springs shut.

Drain it the same day

Empty the gun and the hose on the day you use them, and bring a metal gun indoors before a frost. Hozelock tells owners to bring guns in because a little water freezes and expands, and a full metal body can split. Leave the nozzle open so the hose can drain. A water-stop at both ends traps a column of water. Point the nose down, leave the trigger or slide open, and shut the tap before you treat the line as empty. Hang the gun where it stays above freezing. Call a plumber for a weeping tap or a hose that could sit in a pond or a chemical tub. Water Regs UK expects a double check valve on a hose-union tap. A drip at the joint is a washer first. A wrist that tires on the metal body is the question on the metal versus plastic hose spray gun page.

Common questions

How do you attach a spray gun to a UK hose?
Shut the tap, fit the connector on the hose, then click or screw the gun on. Hozelock's notes use an AquaStop on the hose and a click for their gun. Any other water-stop stays closed until the matching spigot opens it. If the gun looks seated and nothing flows, stop.
Should you run the water before the gun goes on?
Yes. Run the hose with no gun fitted so water that has stood in the pipe goes onto the ground, which is WaterSafe's order. Keep the open end out of a pond, a water butt, or a mixing tub. Shut the tap, fit the gun, and open the tap again only once you are holding it.
How do you stop a hose spray gun if the lock is on?
Shut the outside tap, squeeze the trigger, and release the lock, with the nose pointed at the ground. Hozelock's Jet Spray Gun FAQ uses that squeeze after the water is off when the lock will not move. A thumb slide has no squeeze, so close the slide before you put the gun down. A lock left on behaves as an open tap.
Can you leave a metal hose gun outside in winter?
Bring it indoors. Hozelock says a little water freezes and expands, and a metal body can split if it stays full. Drain it the same day with the tap off, the lock released, the nose down, and the hose open at one end. Store the gun above freezing.
Why does a hose spray gun drip at the joint?
Start at the connector, a dirty seal, or a worn O-ring. Hozelock's Jet Spray Gun FAQ points owners of its own gun to those three. Reseat the water-stop and fit a new washer before you buy another gun. Change the gun when the housing has cracked and the inlet already matches.
Is a hose gun allowed during a hosepipe ban?
Only if the notice leaves your job outside the ban. Section 76 of the Water Industry Act 1991 is the power behind a temporary hosepipe ban, and a spray gun on the hose is still hosepipe use. If washing the car or watering the border is listed, shut the tap. The gun does not lift the ban.

Related pages

Best metal hose spray gun

Metal garden hose spray gun

Metal garden hose spray gun: checks before you buy

Hose spray gun connector UK: water-stop and clicks

Metal vs plastic hose spray gun: when the weight pays

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures saved for this set on 19 October 2026.

  1. Water Industry Act 1991, section 76 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  2. Flood and Water Management Act 2010, section 36 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  3. Water UK, hosepipe bans (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  4. Thames Water, temporary use ban (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  5. Water Regs UK, hose union taps (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  6. WaterSafe, hosepipe backflow (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  7. Ofwat, water pressure (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 20 October 2026)