Quick verdict
A brass 3/4 inch hose fitting with a pressure-compensating insert that limits flow through a garden hose to 2.0 gallons a minute regardless of supply pressure, from Neoperl, the company that makes the flow regulators inside most taps and showers. It screws between the tap and the hose or between the hose and a nozzle, and turns a blast into a steady controlled flow for misting seedlings, watering a greenhouse bench or feeding a timer and drip set that would otherwise be overrun.
Strengths
- Holds a constant 2.0 GPM across a range of supply pressures
- Brass body with a standard 3/4 inch hose thread
- Fits between tap and hose or hose and nozzle
- Protects drip and misting kits from excess flow
- Made by the maker of tap and shower flow regulators
Weaknesses
- Fixed rate; a different flow means a different unit
- Not for drinking water
- Low pressure supplies may not reach the regulated rate
The overall YardToolLab Score is out of 100. Section scores are out of 10.
A Known Flow From an Unknown Tap
Garden taps deliver whatever the mains pressure allows, and that varies by street and by time of day. A pressure-compensating regulator fixes the flow at a number. Neoperl’s 30 0620 is a brass 3/4 inch hose fitting that holds 2.0 gallons a minute across the normal range of supply pressure, from the company whose inserts sit inside most kitchen taps and shower heads.
This review is based on the maker’s specifications and on how pressure-compensating flow regulators behave on garden supplies generally. We have not used this fitting ourselves.
Fitting
Screw the male end onto the tap or hose and the female end to the hose or nozzle. It installs in seconds and needs no tools. Flow direction is marked; fit it the right way round. Between the tap and the hose it governs the whole line; between the hose and a drip manifold it governs that branch only.
What It Does
A greenhouse bench watered with a mist nozzle gets a gentle steady spray instead of a pressure-dependent blast. A drip kit sized for a trickle is not overrun when the pressure peaks at night. A hose timer delivers a known volume: at two gallons a minute, the maths is easy and water use can be metered from the timer settings.
Pressure Compensation
The insert is a flexible ring that squeezes down as pressure rises and opens as it falls, holding the flow steady. A simple washer restrictor does not; it passes more water at higher pressure. On a street with high mains pressure the difference is large.
Limits
It is a fixed rate. A different flow means a different Neoperl part, and they make several. On a very low pressure supply or a gravity tank, the regulator cannot create flow that is not there. It is not rated for drinking water.
Build
Brass, with a standard hose thread and a washer. It lives on the tap year round and does not corrode.
Who Should Buy It
- Greenhouse growers misting and watering benches.
- Drip kit users on high pressure mains.
- Anyone metering water by timer.
Common Owner Complaints
Expecting a variable flow. It is fixed at 2.0 GPM by design.
Setup Tips
Put a hose washer on each side of the fitting and tighten by hand only; the brass threads do not need a wrench and a wrench strips the tap. Run the hose for a minute into a bucket and time it to confirm the rate before trusting the timer settings.
Alternatives to Consider
Other Neoperl rates for more or less flow. A pressure regulator for drip kits that need 25 PSI. A tap flow meter for measurement without restriction.
Verdict
For a steady, known flow through a garden hose, a pressure-compensating regulator from the people who make them for taps is the simple answer. Fit it the right way round and let it do the maths.
Full specifications
Neoperl 30 0620 Pressure Compensating Hose Flow Regulator, 3/4 Inch Brass, 2.0 GPM FAQs
The insert flexes with pressure so flow stays at 2.0 GPM whether the supply is 30 or 80 PSI. A plain restrictor passes more at higher pressure; this one does not.
To stop a drip or misting kit being overrun, to meter water use, to protect seedlings from a blast, or to keep a shared supply from being drained by one tap.
Between the tap and the hose for the whole line, or between the hose and a nozzle, timer or drip manifold.
At 2.0 GPM, minutes times two is gallons. A timer set for twenty minutes delivers forty gallons.
