What Adapter For
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How to connect a garden hose to PEX pipe

Put a garden valve or hose bibb with a push-to-connect inlet on the PEX, such as SharkBite’s 1/2" push x 3/4" MHT garden valve. Brass adapters that end in hose thread work too.

I have

Garden hose (female end)

The end that screws onto a faucet, with threads inside and a rubber washer

Flexible plastic, often white, red or blue

What fits

A garden valve or hose bibb with a push-to-connect inlet

On the package: 1/2 in. push-to-connect x 3/4 in. MHT, e.g. SharkBite 24622LF

push-to-connect inlet for the PEX, 3/4" male hose thread (MHT) outlet for the hose

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1/2" push-to-connect garden valve, 3/4" MHT Hose connection vacuum breaker

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  • Turn off the water to this line, and open a faucet on it to let it drain, before you cut the PEX.
  • Push-to-connect: SharkBite’s Garden Valve and its hose bibbs come with a 1/2" or 3/4" push inlet that takes PEX, copper or CPVC, and a 3/4" hose outlet.
  • Crimp PEX: SharkBite’s brass crimp hose bibb (UC24632) has a 1/2" inlet for PEX, joined with a copper crimp ring or a stainless clamp.
  • Threaded: a brass PEX x 1/2" male NPT adapter (its PEX end matching your PEX joints), then a 3/4" MHT x 1/2" FIP hose adapter onto it, with thread tape on the adapter’s male pipe threads.
  • The IPC and IRC call for a vacuum breaker on every hose connection, and local code decides the details. If the valve has none built in, screw a hose connection vacuum breaker onto its outlet, then the hose onto that.

PEX has no threads of its own, and a garden hose screws only onto 3/4" male hose thread, so a fitting with a PEX end and a hose end goes between them.

Mounting it outdoors

SharkBite made its Garden Valve to be fixed to a post, with mounting tabs on the body. Its multi-turn 90° hose bibb has a round mounting flange 2.4" across. For a faucet that goes through an outside wall, see outdoor faucet replacement. SharkBite’s catalog also lists anti-siphon frost-free sillcocks with a 1/2" push inlet.

Common questions

What about a garden hose on copper pipe?

A garden valve or hose bibb with a push-to-connect inlet. Copper pipe ends plain, with no threads, and a hose needs male hose thread, so the hose outlet comes from a valve or fitting joined to the copper.

Will the same garden valve go on CPVC pipe?

SharkBite lists CPVC, PE-RT and SDR-9 HDPE pipe for its Garden Valve and push hose bibbs, as well as PEX and copper.

Keep going

Outdoor faucet replacementSharkBite fittingsGarden hose to 1/2" pipeGarden hose to PVCPEX to copperWhat pipe do I have?Garden hose to 3/4" pipe

For a different part on either end, open the adapter finder with this pair picked.

Where we get our information from

The sizes on this page come from published standards and the makers’ own documents. Checked against published data from International Code Council, National Bureau of Standards, Dixon Valve, Watts and Anderson Metals (plus 3 more).

See all 9 sources
  • National Bureau of Standards, Handbook H28 (1957) Part II: Table VII.2 (American Standard taper pipe threads, NPT) and Tables X.1–X.3 (hose coupling threads, NH)
  • Dixon Valve, Technical Information: Identifying Threads and Thread Dimensions (2009 catalog)
  • Watts, ES-LFSC-8 hose bibb specification sheet
  • Anderson Metals and BrassCraft brass hose adapter listings (FHT x MIP, MHT x FIP and related)
  • Swagelok, Thread Sealants catalog (MS-14-01): PTFE tape, how to apply
  • Uponor, PEX Piping Systems Installation Guide, seventh edition (2025): ProPEX expansion fittings, pipe colors, copper and threaded adapters, no soldering within 18" of PEX
  • International Plumbing Code 2021, Table 604.5, sections 305.4, 606.2, 608.16.4.2 and Table 608.1 (as adopted in South Carolina)
  • International Residential Code 2021, sections P2603.5, P2902.3.2, P2902.4.3 and Table P2902.3 (as adopted in South Carolina)
  • SharkBite (RWC), Garden Valve (24622LF, 24623LF), Multi-Turn 90° Hose Bibb (24626LF, 24627LF) and Brass Crimp Hose Bibb (UC24632) product pages, and the 2024 Product Catalog (Outdoor Hose Valves, including the Anti-Siphon Frost-Free Sillcock): push-to-connect or crimp PEX inlets in 1/2" or 3/4", 3/4" MHT outlets, and the pipe each one takes

General guidance from manufacturer and standards data. Parts vary by brand, so check the size printed on the package against what you measured. For gas lines or anything inside a wall, use a licensed plumber.