In article , David Lang wrote:
Dead right. All threaded taps are BSP threads, even in Europe. In 30 years
of connecting pressure washers to taps I've never found a domestic tap that
wasn't 3/4" BSP.

There are 5/8" taps around - I used to have one!

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In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Tony Bryer wrote:

In article , David
Lang wrote:
Dead right. All threaded taps are BSP threads, even in Europe. In
30 years of connecting pressure washers to taps I've never found a
domestic tap that wasn't 3/4" BSP.

There are 5/8" taps around - I used to have one!


Ditto. But a 3/4 connector wouldn't begin to stay put on a 5/8 tap - so that
is unlikely to be the OP's problem.
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Cheers,
Set Square
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Set Square wrote:
Tony Bryer wrote:
David Lang wrote:
Dead right. All threaded taps are BSP threads, even in Europe. In
30 years of connecting pressure washers to taps I've never found a
domestic tap that wasn't 3/4" BSP.

There are 5/8" taps around - I used to have one!

Ditto. But a 3/4 connector wouldn't begin to stay put on a 5/8 tap - so that
is unlikely to be the OP's problem.

When I had this problem, it was the (new!) washer, not being thick
enough to squash between the plastic fitting and the brass tap. The
water pressure is high enough here to easily squirt a jet over the
house, which is a fairly tall one, for a two storey. Until I got
the thing sorted out, water simply *hissed* out all over the place.

Ed B wrote:
Perhaps I'm just being a **** and the thing really should fit, but
I
spent a good half hour last night trying to screw it on without
cross
threading it. When screwed on as hard as possible it still squirts
everywhere, suggesting the plastic bit is too big for the tap I
have.

Will try again tonight and perhaps take some pix

cheers all

OK, I reckon if it screws on smoothly and doesn't fall off, even when
the water's turned on, it must -- as somebody's already said -- be a
poor seal, not the wrong size. That's most likely caused by the lack
of a washer: they can jump out and run away when one isn't looking.
Just possibly, I suppose, this particular fitting may be too deep to
screw up snugly to the mouth of this particular tap: an extra washer
or two should cure that; but it doesn't seem likely to me.

--
Mike.

Ed B wrote:
Perhaps I'm just being a **** and the thing really should fit, but I
spent a good half hour last night trying to screw it on without cross
threading it. When screwed on as hard as possible it still squirts
everywhere, suggesting the plastic bit is too big for the tap I have.

PTFE tape wrapped round your tap screw thread thread before connecting
the hose screw top should take care of that. Works a treat.

Sarah

I got a different adapter with a shallower screw and this seems to have
done the trick. The one that came originally wasnt screwing far enough
on and the washer wasnt touching the metal i presume, hence the spray

Spot on Sir. I got a different adapter with a shallower screw and this
seems to have done the trick. The one that came originally wasnt
screwing far enough on and the washer wasnt touching the metal i
presume, hence the spray

Hi Tony
There are 5/8" taps around - I used to have one!

People used them when washing away rocking horse droppings.

:-)

Dave

In article ,
David Lang wrote:
Hi Tony
There are 5/8" taps around - I used to have one!

People used them when washing away rocking horse droppings.

:-)

I know that connector sizes are not quite the same but, when looking
through my father in law's collection of tap washers, there were a
lot of 1/2" and 3/4", some 5/8" and two 9/16" ones.

There was also some sort of measuring implement that defeated the
Whipple Museum, and I mean to send to the National Maritime Museum
to see if they have a clue what it is. My father in law couldn't
remember.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Ed B wrote:
Spot on Sir. I got a different adapter with a shallower screw and
this
seems to have done the trick. The one that came originally wasnt
screwing far enough on and the washer wasnt touching the metal i
presume, hence the spray

Aha! Material for the memory bank, so thank _you_ ! Glad it worked
out.

--
Mike.

Nick Maclaren wrote:
[...]
There was also some sort of measuring implement that defeated the
Whipple Museum, and I mean to send to the National Maritime Museum
to see if they have a clue what it is. My father in law couldn't
remember.

Come on! You don't expect us to take that lying down, do you?
Description, please.

--
Mike.

In article ,
Mike Lyle wrote:
Nick Maclaren wrote:
[...]
There was also some sort of measuring implement that defeated the
Whipple Museum, and I mean to send to the National Maritime Museum
to see if they have a clue what it is. My father in law couldn't
remember.

Come on! You don't expect us to take that lying down, do you?
Description, please.

A Bakelite (I think) tube about 6" long and 1/2" diameter with
a cap that pulls off to release two steel rods. Those fit through
holes in the tube (at right angles). He was a marine engineer,
so it could have been a device for measuring the wear on engine
cylinders. Or something.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Hi Nick
I know that connector sizes are not quite the same but, when looking
through my father in law's collection of tap washers, there were a
lot of 1/2" and 3/4", some 5/8" and two 9/16" ones.

I have once in 30 years come across a 7/8" BSP tap. Lewisham Council used
them on the ground floor of tower blocks. The taps are for washing the bin
areas, but they got huge water bill because the residents used them for car
washing.

They changed all the tap threads to 7/8" so the residents can't connect to
them.

On a similar basis, I did hear that Ford Motor Co in Dagenham have all their
3 pin 230v sockets & plugs made with the earth pin horizontal and the
live/neutral vertical. It was to stop the theft of plugs which cost Ford a
fortune every year.

Dave

"David Lang" wrote:

On a similar basis, I did hear that Ford Motor Co in Dagenham have all their
3 pin 230v sockets & plugs made with the earth pin horizontal and the
live/neutral vertical. It was to stop the theft of plugs which cost Ford a
fortune every year.

Close, its just the earth pin that is different.

See:
http://www.mkelectric.co.uk/products...5&rangeid=1037

Of course with the right contacts you can equip your house with the
correct sockets ;-)


--

In article , Fred writes:
| "David Lang" wrote:
|
| On a similar basis, I did hear that Ford Motor Co in Dagenham have all their
| 3 pin 230v sockets & plugs made with the earth pin horizontal and the
| live/neutral vertical. It was to stop the theft of plugs which cost Ford a
| fortune every year.
|
| Close, its just the earth pin that is different.
|
| See:
| http://www.mkelectric.co.uk/products...5&rangeid=1037
|
| Of course with the right contacts you can equip your house with the
| correct sockets ;-)

It is generally the case that the cost of the bureaucracy to stop
such petty theft, including the extra costs of special fittings,
paper etc. costs 2-3 times as much as the theft. This applies to
headed envelopes, MOD toilet paper and so on. But it is money
well spent, according to dogma.

This does not apply to systematic, organised theft, both because
the losses are much higher and because the cost of stopping it is
much lower.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.