GHT plugs

Plugs? A hose plug is like a hose cap, except a cap screws onto the male end of the hose, and a plug screws into the female end.

Onto versus into, I like that. Gozonta versus gozinta.

Hose end caps are pretty easy to find in the "brick and mortar" places I look for such things: Lowes, Home Depot, True Value, Ace. But hose end plugs are hard to find in those places. That struck me as odd, at first, because every ordinary garden hose has male and female ends, both.

But maybe it's really not so odd. The spigot always has male threads, far as I know. So if you wanted to close it off, you would need a cap, not a plug.

If you attach a hose to the spigot, you attach the female end to the spigot, and the male end of the hose is open. If you want to close it off, you need a cap, not a plug.

If you attach another hose to the first hose, the free end of this new hose is male. To close it off you'd need a cap, not a plug. Or forget the second hose. Say you attach a splitter to the hose. Now you're left with two open ends, both male, and now you need two caps if you want to close them off.

But you almost never need a plug. Maybe that's why they're hard to find. (File this post under fascinated by simple things.)

Me, when I put my hoses away for the winter I like to close off the ends to keep dirt and bugs out. Just connect the ends together. But after I had my hoses rolled up this year, I kinked a couple of em when I was connecting ends together. Not happy about that. For next year I want to have hose caps and hose plugs enough to close all the ends.

So I've been looking for hose plugs. They're hard to find, but I gathered up some links. First, links for when I get a 3D printer. Yeah right... links for IF I ever get a 3D printer. Don't hold your breath.

• Thingiverse by hwright14
• Thingiverse by mrtaylor
• Thingiverse by sundewzer

And in the meanwhile, links I might actually use. (Assume I have not bought from these suppliers unless noted otherwise.) Prices given are for one plug, as of 18 November:

• $20.11 at Amazon, plus $10.12 shipping. "PLUG W/CHAIN".
• $13.47 at Amazon. Package Quantity: 1
• $13.38 at Amazon .
• $9.37 at Amazon. (A week or two ago, this one was $10.87.)
• $8.22 at Amazon. (Can't tell if the quantity is 1 or 24 for this price.)
• $7.23 at Amazon.
• $6.95 at Amazon.
   
• INTERMISSION
   
• $6.10 at Amazon.
• $5.55 at Amazon. (The offer is 4 pieces for $22.20.)
• $4.92 at Amazon.
• $4.75 at Amazon . 
• $1.62 at Amazon. And free shipping.
• $1.59 at Amazon.

Or I guess you could look elsewhere:

• $2.10 at eBay. (Free shipping)
• $1.99 at RV Plus.
• $1.62 at Walmart.
• $1.46 at Midland Hardware.
• $1.32 at RV & Auto Parts.
• $1.13 at RV & Auto Parts. (I bought some of these, couple months back.)
• $1.00 at dollar1.com.

Advertised prices. I didn't look at shipping charges.


I found two other sources, which I find rather more interesting.

One of these sources is Specialty Sales Inc.

I found 3/4 GARDEN HOSE PLUG PP at Specialty Sales for $0.74 each. The "PP" in the description stands for "polypropylene" (I think). What it's made of. Anyway, 74 cents apiece is a good price. Dunno about shipping cost.

If the link to the plug page doesn't work, start at their Home page. On the left, under "Shop by Category" click the second item: "PLASTIC FITTINGS". On the Plastic Fittings page click "POLYPROPYLENE FITTINGS". And on the Polypropylene Fittings page click "GHT PLUG POLYPROPYLENE".


One last source:

$0.32 at Industrial Specialties Mfg.

JACKPOT!