Pressure Washing is simple, you aim, press the trigger of the pressure washing gun and voila, the magical cleaning begins. However, even as a beginner or as an expert there is always scope for improvement. IN pressure washing using the right kind of fittings and adapters and accessories can make a significant difference.
This guide is for all those pressure washing enthusiasts who want to learn all about pressure washer fittings, their adapters and also couplers.
You will get an great overview and also delve into the kinds of materials and sizes you will come across, as well as the various types, and of course related technical terms.
In fact to make things much clearer we even shared typical measurement of actual adapters, couplers and pressure washer fittings, that you will come across.
And of course, we will also guide you on the all important bit about how to choose and find the best option for your particular pressure washing needs.
Prepare to take your pressure washing game to the next level!
The uses and benefits of Pressure Washer fittings
A pressure washer arrives fully functional and ready to use instantly. The pressure washer will already have all the fittings in place, attached and ready to work efficiently. These fittings essentially join different pressure washer parts. The fittings connect the hose and the trigger gun, and also the pressure hose to the pump, and in other components too.
The fittings are critical in the functioning of the pressure washer, however you do not need new ones unless you are planning to change a part or add on a new attachment etc.
Mostly, pressure washer have fittings, couplers and adapters that enhance its performance with immediate usability.
You need fittings to :
- Attach a foamer or a surface cleaner, or enhance your pressure washer with a pressure gauge.
- Change the hose in your pressure washer with another high pressure washer hose, for the purposes of getting a better performance or even increasing the length of the hose.
- You may want to avoid kinks in the hose, which can be a problems for free flow of water, by adding on swivel fittings.
No matter what you want to do with your pressure washer and what fittings you want to add or use, you will not end up spending too much as they are mostly int he price range of around $15 and less.
In effect fittings make things easier, simpler and more efficient. If you go out there to look for fittings, you will find a mind boggling variety of them, but in reality you only need to actually know about a few of the.
Those main important pressure washer fittings are what we will tell you about below.
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Types of pressure washers fittings
Taking a look at different fittings and at Couplers and Adapters
To begin with, couplers, adapters and fittings, if you consider the category, essentially point to the same thing. YOU only need to know that these are parts and components that can be used on pressure washers to make your power washing more efficient or easier..
To keep it simpler and to the point, we will start by taking a look at Swivel fittings and quick connect fittings.
Quick Connect (QC) Fittings
Quick Connect fitting helps in hassle-free joining and removal of the hose by replacing the screw connections with quick connect and release facility.
The fittings that you need to know about are the Female quick connect hose fittings which are also known as sockets. These come with an o-ring that make the joints leakproof. The plug is the male component in this joint.
The Quick Connect connections are preferred as they enable you to easily attach and detach hoses. When you buy a pressure washer today, you will find that most of the fittings are quick connect.
Swivel
Swivel lessens the chances of entangling and getting kinks in the hose while using and loosening the hose also becomes easy.
Thanks to the swivel, you do not need to completely turn the spray gun and the extension want along with it, as merely turning the swivel does it all. The swivel actually works out all the kinks automatically, as you are walking around with the pressure washer. We are pretty sure that once you use a swivel you will not be able to go back to pressure washing without it.
Lets take a look at the materials from which Pressure Washer Fittings are made
The pressure washer fitting has to have certain qualities that will enable it to
- Withstand 1000 – 4000 psi and above that is commonly used by numerous cycles
- Join the parts firmly together and last longer given the consistent use.
- Resist all kinds of corrosion
- Cut down on expenditure, improve performance and therefore increase the profit in our business or efficiency in your cleaning
Pressure washer hose fittings are generally made of brass, stainless steel and plastic.
Brass fittings are used a lot and so is plastic. The next most common material is stainless steel. Plastic is very common due to the huge number of domestic pressure washers that are made from some form of plastic. Stainless steel is featuring prominently because of its chemical resistance property which is valued in commercial pressure washing companies.
Advantages and disadvantages of each :
Brass
Brass fittings are used by majority of people. Brass has a low melting point as it is an alloy of copper and zinc. This helps you in easy handling.
- Advantages – Tough. Non-corrosive. Easy handling. Cheaper than stainless steel.
- Disadvantages – costs you more than plastic fittings.
Plastic
Plastic fittings can be used for electric pressure washers that work on minimal pressure.
- Advantages – Cheap. Low weight.
- Disadvantages – develops cracks with constant use.
Stainless Steel
Layered chromium protects it from rusting.
- Advantages – Best kind of non-corrosive fittings. Tough material. High chemical resistance.
- Disadvantages – Costly.
Rubber O-rings
To avoid leaks o-rings are used in female fittings. O-rings are apt for making the joint of quick connect male and female fittings leak proof. It comes in size that work well with all common pressure washer brands and models.
What size fittings to choose and how to get the right fit
Finding the appropriate size of fittings might be puzzling sometimes.
- Which diameter to consider ? The inside or the outside diameter?
- Do you consider the thread in the measuring?
- How accurate must be the measurements?
At times, with digital calipers too, the measuring might not be easy. A fitting could be 3/8″ or 22 mm or 14 mm on the inisde (can also be 15 mm). It could exceed the British pipe thread standard while the labels like QC F or QC M increase your confusion on the other hand.
Let’s find out what the sizes on the fittings really mean.
Measuring Connections and Fittings – the right way
You need a calipers to measure the fittings. A tape can work too but it won’t give you the exact measurements like the calipers.
You need to know couple of more things about pressure washer adapters, which are
Male(M) and female (F) Connections
The parts that has a pin or a plug is the male part, that fits tightly into a part having a socket or a hole which is the female part.
The most common pipe thread standards – NPT and BPT/BSP
- NPT = This stands for the National Pipe Thread standards. These are the technical standards in the U.S. for screw threads.
- BSP = This is the British Standard Pipe standards. These are the main technical standards in Britain for screw threads.
Why is NPT and BPT important?
Couplers can be NPT or BPT. They cannot substitute each other.
Both NPT and BPT are similar but not exact as standards. If we take an example, lets say we have a 3/8″ male NPT screw connection and a BSP female 3/8″ connection. If we try to turn the screw, then it may turn 2-3 times but then it will get locked.
Internal and external diameters are important
The internal as well the external diameter are equally important when you measure pressure washer fittings. Just as an M22 screw connection will be 14 mm inside diameter on gas pressure washer but the same M22 will be 15 mm ID on electric pressure washer.
What sizes will you encounter most? Taking a look at 3/8 inch threads, M22 threads and Quick Connects
When you look into pressure washer fittings, there are a some sizes and configurations that you will come across most often.
When you are looking at pumps and hoses and also spray guns, you will find M22 threads. M22 threads have an outer dimension of 22 mm and an inner diameter of 14 mm. The female plug of the M22 has an inner plug dimension of 14 mm, and also has the o-ring that prevents any leakage.
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It is important to take note here that M22 is also used in electric pressure washers, but there the internal dimension is 15 mm. The measurements mentioned above are for gas pressure washers only.
A thread size of BSP 3/8 inch
The 3/8″ BSP or British Standard Pipe, is the name of the fitting and not the size. It is actually a technical term, and this fitting has a main diameter size that comes to around 16.66 mm or 2/3 inch, though it is called a 3/8″ BSP.
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Sizes of the Quick Connect Plug and Sockets
Every quick connect that we have seen is 3/8″ QC. This has been a uniform and standard observation over many measurements.
So, are fittings for Electric Pressure Washers different?
Certain home pressure washers have custom fittings (brand-wise). The spray gun and hose can only be replaced by the same brand.
One point that you should keep in ind is that if it has an M22 screw connection the internal diameter will not be the same as the gas pressure washer M22.
As mentioned above the gas M22 has a n internal diameter of 14 mm but the electric pressure washer M22 has a dimension of 15 mm.
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Couplers used by the electric pressure washer will have internal diameter of 15 mm and not of 14 mm. So, even when ypu manage to connect the hose from the gas machine to the electric, the female hose fitting will have 14 mm o-ring and the electric spray wand will have 15 mm internal diameter. The 1 mm difference will cause a leak.
Which are the Best Couplers, Fittings and Adapters to have ?
Especially, the two types of fittings that one must have (according to us) are quick connects couplers and gun swivels. They make pressure washing fun-filled and hassle-free.
Quick Connect Couplers
Quick connects simply help you to easily install and remove the hose from the spray gun and the pump. The screw connections are time consuming and it cannot be done single handedly. The affordable price and multi-utility feature gets the job done in no time.
Gun swivels
Gun swivels are an extremely useful and effective fitting. They prevent your hose from kinking and entangling. Usually when you use a long hose, you do end up facing problems due to kinking, and that is where a swivel will prove to be extremely useful and in fact something that you just can’t do without.
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