hose washers: tabs "up"

For a long time I thought garden hose washers were an unnecessary expense. Not that the washers were unnecessary, but that the expense must surely be.

Now I think garden hose washers are inexpensive, at least if you shop around, and, if not necessary, at least a brilliant solution to a problem. I want to throw them all away every winter and put new ones in all my hoses and fittings. Every year. I don't actually do that... but maybe this year I'll start.

Why did I change my tune? I don't remember exactly, but it has to do with threaded pipe. I was gonna make a pressure tank for my garden sprayer using 2-liter soda bottles and threaded PVC piping. But I read up on pipe threads and it seems they are designed to leak. You have to use something to prevent the leak. And I'm no good at that kind of work. So I thought: Why not just use garden hose fittings? And that's what I ended up doing.

Yeah, I remember. I made the decision to use hose fittings on my way home from Lowes, after buying threaded pipe fittings for the project. I returned 'em next day, the threaded fittings; Lowes took em back no problem. I didn't even have to explain that I was returning them because of my own foibles.

Anyway, when you buy hose washers, often they come with little tabs on 'em, like the ones pictured here:

Nobody ever told me this, and (as always) I could be wrong, but the tabs go "up". Turn the washer so that the tab side is near the inlet end of the fitting. Near to you as you peer into the fitting while putting the washer in.

Does it matter? I have no idea.

I read some comment on the internet where the guy was uncomfortable calling hose washers "washers" because he didn't want people to think they were metal washers. Good point. They're rubber, or something like rubber. They're squishy, more squishy or less depending which ones you buy. They're squishy so they can prevent a leak when you hand-tighten the connection.

Speaking of hand-tightening, lately I've been holding the fitting with a wrench and holding the hose in my hand when I make a connection. I think my connections are tighter than I could get them just by hand. But my hands are old: that's why I need a wrench. You, yeah, your day will come.

The tabs go "up". How do I know? Because every time I buy something with a hose washer in it and I take out the washer and look at it, the tabs are up. That's how I know.

And what are they for, the tabs?

That picture above, that's from Amazon, of course. By Tatuo, it says. And the title of the page at Amazon is Tatuo 20 Pack Garden Hose Washers Rubber Washers Seals, Self Locking Tabs Keep Washer Firmly Set Inside Fittings for Garden Hose and Water Faucet.

It's self-explanatory.