# Is a hose just a hose?



## Dunc2610 (May 23, 2011)

I'm not ashamed to admit, I've never bought a hose before!! 

Looking online, there is seemingly a load of options, straight away I've ruled out the expanding ones. 

I've looked at Hozelock and Gardena, and there are different types and diameters, does any of this stuff make a real difference? I'll be needing no more than perhaps 5m to go from tap to pressure washer (from under sink, and out the kitchen window), so what do I buy?

Thanks


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## Titanium Htail (Mar 24, 2012)

Buy the best quality you can afford...some are reinforced which may be an option. You can buy Hozelock anti kink...plus what type or size of fitting, longer is always better. Quick fit connections with enable each tool to use the same fitting, mine is bolted plus locked on the wall so I can be put away when not in use.

John Tht.


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## Gixxer6 (Apr 5, 2014)

I've seen this hose recommended before, and the price is decent: https://www.screwfix.com/p/fitt-30m-heavy-braided-nts-wintech-hose/8902j

I have a Hozelock Ultimate 30m hose (approx £35) which works well with my pressure washer and is lightweight and supposedly tangle free but I use a Claber hose reel


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## Arvi (Apr 11, 2007)

Gixxer6 said:


> I've seen this hose recommended before, and the price is decent: https://www.screwfix.com/p/fitt-30m-heavy-braided-nts-wintech-hose/8902j
> 
> I have a Hozelock Ultimate 30m hose (approx £35) which works well with my pressure washer and is lightweight and supposedly tangle free but I use a Claber hose reel


I've got the FITT hose from Screwfix, best hose I've had. Even if I unreel 15 of the 30m the pressure seems spot on and its kink free.


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## RandomlySet (Jul 10, 2007)

I bought a cheap one from Wilkos, or Aldi or somewhere years ago. The slightest kink would cause a split, it froze, it was shocking.

Bought a hozelock about 3-4 years ago (as that's what the parents always had), best thing I've had. No issues at all and feels as strong as anything.


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## \Rian (Aug 23, 2017)

Hoses are very different, after trying, cheap hoses (crap) and hozelock hoses also crap ive settled on a FITT BRAIDED NTS hose, nts stands for No Torsion System, they are flexible, sturdy and just an awesome hose, 50m for under £30 is a bargain but 50m Is a lot so a 20m would suite most

https://www.screwfix.com/p/fitt-50m...XSsEj_8_O1iN6XnNUE0aAr9GEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Gets 5 star reviews all day long FITT do a few hoses so make sure its the NTS one


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## Radish293 (Mar 16, 2012)

Hozelock every time for me. I have a cheap hose from BQ/Screwifix for my DI but it kinks and holes way to easily.


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## virgiltracey (Apr 19, 2017)

Yep a good qaulity hose is important, If you are intending to wall mount it then I;d reccomend an auto-retract one, once you use it you'll never want to go back to a standard reel!

Also important are the fittings. I like brass fittings (screwfix do a set for £10, Also at Aldi this week for £5). https://www.screwfix.com/p/brass-hose-fitting-set-4-pieces-4-pcs/13866

https://www.aldi.co.uk/gardenline-brass-hose-4-piece-set/p/099691319514200

Also worth looking at a "costwise" valve for the pressure washer end, it has a switch on the top to turn the flow on and off, it wont affect the flow as much as the "aquastop" ones do, but will stop you getting soaked when switching from PW to bucket: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Quality-fe...GF8YF0J5TDF&psc=1&refRID=RGYJ9Q8HYGF8YF0J5TDF


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## Dunc2610 (May 23, 2011)

Thanks all, sadly due to living in a flat I don't have room for a big reel, so shorter will be required. I was going to use geka fittings after reading positives views on them on here. Is there any difference between gardens and hozelock when it comes to hosepipe? They both offer 15m hoses, also is diameter important?


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## TonyHill (Jul 28, 2015)

Contrary to one of the comments saying Hozelock are 'crap', I use their Ultimate hose. It's available in 100ft length, is anti kink and crush proof. I use one daily for my job and can vouch for its durability. Wouldn't use anything else :thumb:


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## Max Inc (Apr 3, 2007)

Didn't think much about hoses until I recently upgraded from a Hozelock Standard 20m to Ultimate 30m. It was mainly because of annoying kinks in the old hose but was pleasantly surprised about the extra kick from the PW lance, probably caused by the increased water flow. I would also say is definitely worth getting a premium type.

Regarding size, I think 12.5 mm or 1/2 inch is the most common hose diameter in the UK. Avoid the super portable ones which come with smaller 10mm diameter hoses. As for a manufacturer, I think they all make different ranges with different features and levels of warranty. Premium are generally better in terms of kink resistance, flexibility and weight.


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## JoeyJoeJo (Jan 3, 2014)

Another vote for the screwfix fitt, put it on a hozelock trolley and even with over 20m unwound and piled up, no kink and straight back on the reel no probs.


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## Tykebike (Mar 27, 2016)

Dunc2610 said:


> Thanks all, sadly due to living in a flat I don't have room for a big reel, so shorter will be required. I was going to use geka fittings after reading positives views on them on here. Is there any difference between gardens and hozelock when it comes to hosepipe? They both offer 15m hoses, also is diameter important?


Good move on the Geeka fittings I rate them highly - just make sure you completely release the pressure in the hose before trying to discontect the fittings. 
Regarding diameter, generally people go for the standard 1/2" and are happy with it, me included. However if you have low mains pressure and a run of hose of say 30m then a larger bore of 3/4" or 1" would be useful (5/8" bore are not so common and fittings are hard to come by) but handling them gets worse so you pays your money and takes your choice. The larger the hose bore the less the pressure drop.
I have a Hozelock hose and a Tricoflex one the latter is often seen in use by professional gardeners.


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## atbalfour (Aug 11, 2019)

Given the amount I'm out in the garden or at the cars I bought one of these a couple of years ago and pretty impressed...

If the hose was slightly more kink-resistant it would be perfect. The auto-retract feature is so convenient.

https://www.kaercher.com/uk/home-ga...ySLT0Egv3o7m953o0_sQNDCnMfewf3KMaAgmyEALw_wcB


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## fabionvieira (Oct 30, 2018)

Gixxer6 said:


> I've seen this hose recommended before, and the price is decent: https://www.screwfix.com/p/fitt-30m-heavy-braided-nts-wintech-hose/8902j
> 
> I have a Hozelock Ultimate 30m hose (approx £35) which works well with my pressure washer and is lightweight and supposedly tangle free but I use a Claber hose reel


Looks really good this hose

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## Juke_Fan (Jul 12, 2014)

I have the Hozelock Ultimate 30m hose and it is a very good hose. Had it about 6 years now and its as good as the day I got it. Can't fault it.


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## Citromark (Oct 29, 2013)

I've got a self retracting Hozelock and can't fault it , I've had it for about 4yrs now with no issues , fantastic bit of kit . Would I buy another when this gives up the ghost , too right I would .

Mark


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## Radish293 (Mar 16, 2012)

Citromark said:


> I've got a self retracting Hozelock and can't fault it , I've had it for about 4yrs now with no issues , fantastic bit of kit . Would I buy another when this gives up the ghost , too right I would .
> 
> Mark


I have two one for the Garden and one for the car. Wouldn't be without them.

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## Max Inc (Apr 3, 2007)

Citromark said:


> I've got a self retracting Hozelock and can't fault it , I've had it for about 4yrs now with no issues , fantastic bit of kit . Would I buy another when this gives up the ghost , too right I would .
> Mark


Do you keep the reel outside most of the time? I was considering these but I'm worried about the self retracting mechanism corroding after a few winters.


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## GeeWhizRS (Nov 1, 2019)

Max Inc said:


> ....I'm worried about the self retracting mechanism corroding after a few winters.


The Gardena auto reels come with a 5 year warranty. I love mine. It's fairly new though so can't say how long the bugger will last.


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## Citromark (Oct 29, 2013)

Max Inc said:


> Do you keep the reel outside most of the time? I was considering these but I'm worried about the self retracting mechanism corroding after a few winters.


No I store it in the garage when not in use , if memory serves me they come with a decent guarantee. After having a self retracting hose for a few years now I certainly would go back to a normal hose . I did try one of the expanding hoses before I got the hozelock but I returned it as it was a pita to use .

Mark


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## Mcpx (Mar 15, 2016)

On hose diameter - standard uk garden hose pipe is 12.5mm or half inch in old money. Most connectors and accessories are designed for this size and are easy to pick up, ranging from cheap as chips to scary. There are smaller diameter hoses but these usually come in compact reels or spiral hoses designed for watering small spaces like balconies or terraces. Larger diameter hoses will obviously give higher flow rates, 5/8 inch or 15mm and 3/4 inch, 19mm are available to varying degrees but bear in mind they require specific fittings that are less common. Does it matter? Yes and no, yes if you have a poor or restricted supply, no if you have a normal healthy water supply. Yes if you are feeding a particularly hungry (powerful) pressure washer, no if it’s a standard domestic unit. Yes if you are using a longer hose, after 25/30 meters you will start to see a drop in pressure, albeit slight, 40/50 meters and you should be looking at 3/4 inch hose. 

Connectors are another kettle of fish, the standard hoselock quick connect type are pretty much ubiquitous and easy to fit and use, the downside is that they aren’t great on larger hose diameters and they are prone to failure after time, they are cheap to replace though. Hoselock I’ve found to be pretty poor overall while Gardena and Claber are generally better quality. If you like a bargain look at the red ones in Wilko, all a quid and never had one leak yet. The Geka connectors mentioned above are a bit more heavy duty, they have an interlocking claw design attached to a hose tail, good for mixing different hose sizes and very reliable and secure. The downside is they’re a bit more pricey and are fitted with hose clip, and because they rely on the water pressure to maintain their excellent leak proof seal you can’t disconnect them while there is water in the hose, so no options for water stops. 

Hope that helps


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## TonyHill (Jul 28, 2015)

^^^ in what respect do you find Hozelock 'pretty poor'?
Reason I ask is that I use one for work every day, and in 15 years I have never had one fail on me.


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## Tykebike (Mar 27, 2016)

Mcpx said:


> On hose diameter - standard uk garden hose pipe is 12.5mm or half inch in old money. Most connectors and accessories are designed for this size and are easy to pick up, ranging from cheap as chips to scary. There are smaller diameter hoses but these usually come in compact reels or spiral hoses designed for watering small spaces like balconies or terraces. Larger diameter hoses will obviously give higher flow rates, 5/8 inch or 15mm and 3/4 inch, 19mm are available to varying degrees but bear in mind they require specific fittings that are less common. Does it matter? Yes and no, yes if you have a poor or restricted supply, no if you have a normal healthy water supply. Yes if you are feeding a particularly hungry (powerful) pressure washer, no if it's a standard domestic unit. Yes if you are using a longer hose, after 25/30 meters you will start to see a drop in pressure, albeit slight, 40/50 meters and you should be looking at 3/4 inch hose.
> 
> Connectors are another kettle of fish, the standard hoselock quick connect type are pretty much ubiquitous and easy to fit and use, the downside is that they aren't great on larger hose diameters and they are prone to failure after time, they are cheap to replace though. Hoselock I've found to be pretty poor overall while Gardena and Claber are generally better quality. If you like a bargain look at the red ones in Wilko, all a quid and never had one leak yet. The Geka connectors mentioned above are a bit more heavy duty, they have an interlocking claw design attached to a hose tail, good for mixing different hose sizes and very reliable and secure. The downside is they're a bit more pricey and are fitted with hose clip, and because they rely on the water pressure to maintain their excellent leak proof seal you can't disconnect them while there is water in the hose, so no options for water stops.
> 
> Hope that helps


Just a couple of small points on the Geeka fittings:
You have to release pressure in the hose by turning off the supply and opening the nozzle, you don't have to drain all the water from the hose. If you don't release the pressure you cannot compress the seal to turn the fittings to disconnect them.
There are two types of hose connection to the gittings the Hozelock castellated type and the ribbed pipe extension with a worm drive (Jubilee) clip. I prefer the latter as I could never get the former to stay leak free in the long run.
One other point, unless you like pain don't drop them on your foot - they are brass and heavy!


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## Dunc2610 (May 23, 2011)

Are the Geeka fittings worth the additional cost over Hozelock/Gardena ones?


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## Andy from Sandy (May 6, 2011)

I am using a Tricoflex 19mm Hozelock hose and it is excellent. When a loop forms instead of it pulling to a kink the hose unwinds itself.

I now see Hozelock have called it Ultimate hose but it is still tricoflex when I read the feature list.


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## Tykebike (Mar 27, 2016)

Dunc2610 said:


> Are the Geeka fittings worth the additional cost over Hozelock/Gardena ones?


In my opinion yes, I've ditched a dozen or more Hozlock type fittings because I cannot stop them leaking particularly around the castellated band where the hose is supposed to be clamped tight. In my opinion the tube section on the Hozelock type needs to be at least half as long again or even better would be twice as long, this would keep the hose itself aligned with the tube section thus making the castellation clamps more effective. With a short tube it doesn't keep the hosepipe restrained, it tries to maintain its' coiled form and thus the castellation clamps are only effectively clamping partway around the hosepipe.
I've replaced them with Geeka fittings with worm drive clips on and not had one leak in over two years of domestic use.


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## Dunc2610 (May 23, 2011)

Are these the Geka fittings people use?


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## Fordbunny (May 15, 2019)

Hi All, Just out of interest I still use my Hydrahose purchased from QVC over 20 odd years ago! It was one of the 1st lay flat hoses you roll onto a reel. Made in the USA. Works fine with my 17 year old Karcher K3.


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## Caledoniandream (Oct 9, 2009)

Dunc2610 said:


> Are these the Geka fittings people use?


 No.

https://www.actionsealtite.com/brands/geka-fittings


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## Dunc2610 (May 23, 2011)

Caledoniandream said:


> No.
> 
> https://www.actionsealtite.com/brands/geka-fittings


Ok, forgive me here if this is a stupid question, but if I have a Hozelock style tap end and a hozelock style input to my pressure washer, these won't work for me will they?


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## Mcpx (Mar 15, 2016)

Tykebike said:


> Just a couple of small points on the Geeka fittings:
> You have to release pressure in the hose by turning off the supply and opening the nozzle, you don't have to drain all the water from the hose. If you don't release the pressure you cannot compress the seal to turn the fittings to disconnect them.
> There are two types of hose connection to the gittings the Hozelock castellated type and the ribbed pipe extension with a worm drive (Jubilee) clip. I prefer the latter as I could never get the former to stay leak free in the long run.
> One other point, unless you like pain don't drop them on your foot - they are brass and heavy!


Firstly, if you release the pressure from the hose you are introducing air in place of the water, something you want to avoid if it's feeding a pw and secondly, if you are disconnecting the hose to attach it to something else (like switching from a nozzle to a pw) you cannot release a geka fitting without the water running out. If you want to switch uses it means going back to the tap, stopping the supply, back to the hose end, depressurise, disconnect, reconnect, back to the tap, back to the hose end and then you still have to bleed the inevitable air locks.

The normal solution would be water stop connectors, but for our application they can restrict flow rate so my work around is to use various valves instead.

I do use gekas for their reliability and durability but only for more semi-permanent connections, where I don't have to swap them around all the time.


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## Mcpx (Mar 15, 2016)

TonyHill said:


> ^^^ in what respect do you find Hozelock 'pretty poor'?
> Reason I ask is that I use one for work every day, and in 15 years I have never had one fail on me.


Each to their own, I've had some inconsistent results with them and I find Gardena, Claber and even some budget ones more ergonomic. I got a deal on a batch of Hozelock Pro connectors and of eight bought at the same time from the same store some leaked, some didn't, the slide/release mechanisms were stiff and awkward and the 'pro metal' that you are paying the premium for is just a coating on the outside while the rest of the unit, including all of the functional parts, are regular plastic. Full disclosure though I also have one of their old style repair connectors that's older than my son at uni and that's still going strong.


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## saul (Nov 27, 2013)

Does anyone know where I can buy hose by the metre? Can't seem to find anything online.


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## Tykebike (Mar 27, 2016)

Mcpx said:


> Firstly, if you release the pressure from the hose you are introducing air in place of the water, something you want to avoid if it's feeding a pw and secondly, if you are disconnecting the hose to attach it to something else (like switching from a nozzle to a pw) you cannot release a geka fitting without the water running out. If you want to switch uses it means going back to the tap, stopping the supply, back to the hose end, depressurise, disconnect, reconnect, back to the tap, back to the hose end and then you still have to bleed the inevitable air locks.
> 
> The normal solution would be water stop connectors, but for our application they can restrict flow rate so my work around is to use various valves instead.
> 
> I do use gekas for their reliability and durability but only for more semi-permanent connections, where I don't have to swap them around all the time.


I take your point about air ingress, I had never considered it but thankfully have never had a problem with my pressure washer because of this. You are quite right about purging the water from the system by stopping the pump and operating the lance or what ever is connected to the pressure washer until the flow is non turbulent.
I would suspect that on a microscopic level that at the point that you insert a fitting into a water stop connector there will be some air ingress but nothing significant.
At least when changing fittings you don't loose all the water from the hose - not that it would bother me as I'm not on a water meter.


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## Mcpx (Mar 15, 2016)

saul said:


> Does anyone know where I can buy hose by the metre? Can't seem to find anything online.


B&Q sell some hose by the metre, not your regular garden type stuff but various diameters of clear and reinforced hose. It's the kind of stuff people use for aquariums and home brew set ups. Does work out expensive if you need more than 2/3 mtrs at a time though but I use it for the final connection to my hose reel and pressure washer due to its flexibility.


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## Caledoniandream (Oct 9, 2009)

Dunc2610 said:


> Ok, forgive me here if this is a stupid question, but if I have a Hozelock style tap end and a hozelock style input to my pressure washer, these won't work for me will they?


There is no such a thing as a stupid question, the only stupid question is the one not asked.

You will need to replace all couplings for GEKA, e.g. on your tap, on your washer and on your hose ends.
The great thing with GEKA is that there is barely restriction of flow and the choice is mind boggling.
You can get fittings that screw on your tap, hose end with jubilee clips, hose ends who self grip etc.
So the first outlay is substantial, if you don't drop them hard on the floor, they last a lifetime.
You can buy new seals and change the seals.


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## Max Inc (Apr 3, 2007)

Tykebike said:


> I would suspect that on a microscopic level that at the point that you insert a fitting into a water stop connector there will be some air ingress but nothing significant.


In my Karcher user manual recommends to avoid running the PW dry for longer than 2 minutes!!! I take this to mean that a few seconds won't matter that much. In fact, it happens to me frequently to switch the PW motor on without opening the tap so it ran dry for a few seconds pretty much every other weekend for about 10 years now. It is also stored mostly outdoors, even in winter 

I recently inspected the pump and replaced the oil and there was absolutely no sign of wear and tear inside, other than some very mild corrosion on the outer casing and a lot of spider eggs laid in every crevice. This is an older model made in Italy. Maybe they were more resilient back then.


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## Tykebike (Mar 27, 2016)

You may find the following website helpful: https://www.geka.de/en/fittings-guide.
The catalogue is very comprehensive: https://www.geka.de/downloads/imagebroschuere/EN/index.html


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## saul (Nov 27, 2013)

Mcpx said:


> B&Q sell some hose by the metre, not your regular garden type stuff but various diameters of clear and reinforced hose. It's the kind of stuff people use for aquariums and home brew set ups. Does work out expensive if you need more than 2/3 mtrs at a time though but I use it for the final connection to my hose reel and pressure washer due to its flexibility.


Thanks will pop down over the weekend and have a look. I just need approx 2-3 metres to get me from the outside tap to the PW. Pointless purchasing a full reel for just that.


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## Mcpx (Mar 15, 2016)

saul said:


> Thanks will pop down over the weekend and have a look. I just need approx 2-3 metres to get me from the outside tap to the PW. Pointless purchasing a full reel for just that.


Look in the hardware section rather than gardening. Half inch (12.5mm) reinforced hose is £3.92 per metre, so £8-12 for what you need. Standard quick connect fittings work fine. Compare that to good quality garden hose which is between £1-2 per metre depending on how much you buy. Personally I'd get 15 mtrs of the NTS hose from Screwfix for 20 quid and have spare.


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## saul (Nov 27, 2013)

Mcpx said:


> Look in the hardware section rather than gardening. Half inch (12.5mm) reinforced hose is £3.92 per metre, so £8-12 for what you need. Standard quick connect fittings work fine. Compare that to good quality garden hose which is between £1-2 per metre depending on how much you buy. Personally I'd get 15 mtrs of the NTS hose from Screwfix for 20 quid and have spare.


Just measured exactly how much I need and it's more around 5.5m. The only problem is that I already have a long hose on a reel (cut some off it to make the connection pipe from tap to PW, but didn't cut enough off :wall::wall: and now need a longer piece) I'll work out the total cost of a 5-6m length against the NTS hose.


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## NoahW (Mar 11, 2020)

Is it possible to use a Geka fitting only as a tap connector, and use a standard plastic adjustable stop at the other end of the hose, or do you need to use Geka fittings throughout?


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## GeeWhizRS (Nov 1, 2019)

NoahW said:


> Is it possible to use a Geka fitting only as a tap connector, and use a standard plastic adjustable stop at the other end of the hose, or do you need to use Geka fittings throughout?


The water won't know the difference when it reaches the other end of the hose. 😉


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## NoahW (Mar 11, 2020)

GeeWhizRS said:


> The water won't know the difference when it reaches the other end of the hose. 😉


Heh, didn't think there would be a problem just wanted to be sure before I ordered some Geka tap connectors


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## GeeWhizRS (Nov 1, 2019)

The Gardina quick release with adjustable valve is what I would recommend you look at for the end of the hose.


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