How to Connect a Hosepipe to a Water Butt Tap Using a Click-Connect Fitting

Connecting a garden hosepipe to the metal tap supplied with our decorative water butts is straightforward.

Our Chrome and Brass water butt taps are supplied with a hosetail – a ribbed outlet designed for a hosepipe to push directly onto (and held in place with a hoseclip). If you prefer a click-connect or quick-connect hose system, you can remove the hosetail and replace it with a male click connector.

This guide explains how to convert a standard 3/4" metal bib tap to a click-connect garden hose and how the different components fit together.

What is a click-connect hose fitting?

A click-connect system allows a hosepipe and watering accessories to be connected and disconnected quickly without having to screw the hose onto the tap each time.

A typical setup consists of:

Garden tap → male click connector → female hose connector → hosepipe

The female connector fitted to the end of the hose simply pushes onto the male connector on the tap until it locks into position.

This type of connection is commonly used with garden hoses, spray guns, sprinklers and other watering accessories.

How to Connect a hose directly to a 3/4" garden tap?

What you will need

For a standard 3/4" metal Chrome or Brass bib tap with a removable hosetail, you will need:

• A compatible male click connector/reducer
• A garden hosepipe with a female click connector fitted to the hose

How to fit a click connector to a garden tap

Step 1: Close the tap

Before changing any fitting, make sure the tap is turned off.

Step 2: Remove the existing hosetail

The standard 3/4" bib tap is supplied with a metal hosetail screwed into the outlet.

Unscrew the hosetail from the tap.

Keep the fitting and washer somewhere safe in case you want to return the tap to its original configuration.

Step 3: Prepare the click connector

The male click connector/reducer is supplied as a two-part fitting.

For this application, remove the green female section by unscrewing it from the grey section of the male click-connector/reducer. The green section is not required for this installation.

You will now have the grey male click-connect fitting ready to install.

Step 4: Screw the male connector into the tap

Screw the grey male click-connector into the threaded outlet of the 3/4" bib tap.

Start the thread carefully and make sure the fitting is correctly aligned. Avoid forcing the fitting if the threads do not engage smoothly, as cross-threading can damage the components.

Because this fitting combines a plastic connector with a metal tap, take particular care not to overtighten it.

The plastic connector is intended as a one-time fit to the metal tap.

Step 5: Attach the hosepipe

Your hosepipe should have a compatible female click connector fitted to its end.

Pull back the collar on the female connector, push it onto the male connector on the tap and release the collar.

You should hear or feel the connector click into position.

Give the hose a gentle pull to check that it has locked correctly.

Step 6: Turn on the tap and check for leaks

Open the tap slowly and inspect the connection.

If water is leaking from the connection:

• Turn the tap off.
• Check that the connector is straight and has not been cross-threaded.
• Inspect the click connector's connection to the hosepipe.
• Reconnect the hose and test again.

Do not simply keep tightening a plastic fitting to try to stop a leak. Excessive force can damage the connector or the tap.

What does 3/4" mean?

Garden taps and hose fittings are commonly described using nominal thread sizes such as BSP 1/2", 3/4" and 1".

These are not measurements of the physical outside diameter of the thread. They relate to the nominal pipe/thread size used by the fitting system.

For this reason, it is better to select an adapter based on the specified fitting size rather than assuming that a tape measure reading of the thread will correspond directly to the stated size.

If you are unsure which connector you need, check the specifications of the tap and adapter before ordering.

Do I need PTFE tape?

Not when connecting a plastic thread to a metal thread, as in this example. If you have a metal threaded click-connector, then do use a few turns of PTFE tape before screwing it into the tap.

Do you have any other methods of connecting a hose or garden pipe to your water butts?

Yes, you can use 3/4" draindown point(s) to connect to a garden hose or pipe with these Garden Hose Connectors. They both include a ball valve to turn off the water, with options to connect to a 1/2" hose (with click connector) or 3/4" hose with a hoseclip.