Guide · Identifying and buying
Identify your pressure washer's connections
Pressure washer hose connector types, joint by joint: find the model number, read the manual for each fitting, and identify the part itself where the maker is silent.
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Short answer
Find the exact model number on your pressure washer's label, then read that model's manual or parts list for each joint: pump outlet, hose ends, gun inlet, gun to wand, and nozzle. Where the manual is silent or vague, identify the fitting itself, on a part that is disconnected and depressurized.
Start with the model number
The model number decides which manual and parts list apply. RYOBI's support site looks up manuals, parts and repair information by the tool's model number, found at the top left of the label.[1] Other makers place it differently, but the rule holds: match the whole model number, suffix included.
The connection chain
A pressure washer has a chain of joints, and each one has its own fitting:
- Pump outlet to hose.
- Hose to gun inlet.
- Gun outlet to wand.
- Wand to nozzle.
Some manuals name every link. Champion's 100386 manual is one. The pump outlet has a female quick connector with a sliding metal collar that takes the male end of the hose, and the parts list names a 3/8 quick coupler.[2] The hose's gun end is a female collar connector that takes a male fitting on the trigger gun, and the wand attaches to the gun with an M22 coupler.[2]
Champion's 100384 is different, even from the same maker. Its hose collar threads onto the pump's threaded outlet, it has five quick-connect nozzles, and an M22 coupler joins the wand to the trigger gun.[3]
Active Products is unusually specific: it says the Active 2.0 uses M22-14 mm hose and gun connections and a lance with a 1/4 in quick-connect outlet.[4] Westinghouse lists the WPX3200 with a 25 ft, 5/16 in high-pressure hose with M22 quick-connect connectors.[5]
See each on its page: Champion 100386, Champion 100384, Active 2.0 and Westinghouse WPX3200.
When the maker's words are not enough
Many documents name the parts but not the fitting:
- Sun Joe SPX3000. The MR12 manual lists a 20 ft high-pressure hose, a trigger gun, a spray wand and five quick-connect nozzles, but names no thread or bore for the hose or gun.[6] See the SPX3000 page.
- Westinghouse ePX3500. Westinghouse writes "M22 Quick-Connect" for the hose connectors.[7] That wording does not say 14 mm or 15 mm or which end is male. See the ePX3500 page.
- Kärcher K1700. Kärcher's page says "universal quick-connect nozzles and standard M22 hose connections".[8] It states no bore, gender or quick-connect size, so "universal" settles nothing. See the K1700 page.
- Generac. Generac support says its consumer-series washers use an M22 threaded connection and its professional models use quick-change hose connections.[9] That is a series-level statement, and it does not say whether it means the inlet or the high-pressure hose. See the SpeedWash G0079000 page.
Kärcher handles hoses model by model. Its US hose finder matches five hose products to individual K-series and G-series models and adds exceptions, such as hoses that may need the connection reversed or can only be used as an extension.[10] Use the finder for your exact model; see the Kärcher K2 to K5 page.
Two routes we could not confirm: we could not read Craftsman's support page on how model prefixes route owners, or Greenworks' page for its adapter for select washers, so we state nothing about either.
Identify the fitting itself
On a disconnected part:
- M22 bore. AR Blue Clean recommends measuring the inner bore of the male M22 connection or checking the product documentation for the internal diameter.[11] The M22 14 mm vs 15 mm guide explains the difference.
- Any thread. Swagelok's procedure has five steps: decide if the thread is tapered or straight, measure the diameter, find the pitch, determine the thread standard, then identify the end connection.[12]
- Taper and diameter. Dixon suggests checking for taper by measuring with calipers at both the start and the end of the threads,[13] and measuring a male thread's outside diameter with a caliper or O.D. tape.[13]
The fitting identifier takes you from what you measured to the standard's page.
Checklist
| Joint | What to look for | Where to read it |
|---|---|---|
| Pump outlet | Threaded M22 (and bore) or a quick-connect coupler | Manual assembly section, parts list |
| Hose, machine end | The matching male or female end | Parts list hose line, hose label |
| Hose, gun end | M22, quick-connect or brand fitting | Parts list, gun section |
| Gun inlet | Male or female, M22, QC or pipe thread | Parts list gun line |
| Gun to wand | M22 coupler, bayonet or thread | Manual assembly section |
| Wand to nozzle | Usually a 1/4 in quick-connect | Manual, nozzle section |
A start for two brands
If your machine is a Westinghouse ePX or WPX model or a Sun Joe SPX model, the maker sells its own fittings:
Picks that fit3 products
For a Westinghouse ePX or WPX machine, choose Westinghouse's WPWFIT2KIT (4-piece) or WPWFIT3KIT (6-piece) kit; for a Sun Joe SPX machine, Sun Joe's SPX-M22M2F adapter.
More on choosing
Confirm each end against what you identified, and read any rating on the maker's page, before you order. On Amazon, check that 'Ships from / Sold by' shows Amazon.com or the brand.
Westinghouse hose-and-gun quick-connect kit
Westinghouse WPWFIT2KIT 4‑piece M22‑14 mm hose/gun quick-connect kit, brass
Westinghouse's larger quick-connect kit
Westinghouse WPWFIT3KIT 6‑piece quick-connect kit for garden hose and M22‑14 mm hose/gun, brass
Sun Joe's own M22 adapter for its SPX series
Sun Joe SPX‑M22M2F 14 mm M22 male to 15 mm M22 female high-pressure hose adapter, brass
Next
Questions
How do I know what fittings my pressure washer has?
Read the manual or parts list for your exact model, joint by joint. Champion's 100386 manual, for example, names a 3/8 quick coupler at the pump outlet and an M22 coupler between gun and wand. Where the manual names nothing, identify the fitting on a disconnected, depressurized part.[2]
Where is the model number?
On the machine's label. RYOBI's support site, for example, says the model number is at the top left of the label and uses it to look up manuals, parts and repair information.[1]