If you have read some of the other articles on this site you know that I consider sprayer nozzles the most important component of any sprayer. This is because they determine the rate, pattern, and overall effectiveness of the sprayer. However, with so many different types of spray guns and sprayers available, it can be confusing to know whether spray gun nozzles are interchangeable. In this article, we will discuss the different ways spray nozzles are attached and how they can be adapted to work with different sprayers and scenarios
How Do You Connect Spray Nozzles?
It is important to understand how nozzles connect. Sprayer nozzles will connect in two main ways: either a thread nozzle body/spray wand or a quick connect nozzle body or spray wand. You might ask “What is a nozzle body”? A nozzle body refers to the component on a sprayer where the nozzle connects to the sprayer. Typically this is only relevant on a spray boom. If your sprayer has a single spray gun, then the end of the “gun” or “wand” serves as your nozzle body.
Nozzle Body Thread
11/16th nozzle thread is a universal thread that was created years ago by TeeJet/Spraying Systems. It was a thread and cap designed to house their assortment of spray tips. Today it can be found on many of the common lawn and garden pump sprayer wands, as well as boom sprayers, spot sprayers, and backpack sprayers. Do note that some spray wands do not use this type of thread.
If your spray wand or gun has 11/16th nozzle body thread on the end, then you can adapt just about any type of sprayer tip or nozzle to it. You simply need the right adapters.
Quick Attach Nozzle Bodies
A sprayer nozzle body will either be threaded (as described above) or it will have some quick connect feature. TeeJet/Spraying Systems uses a quarter-turn quick connect system called Quick TeeJet or QJ nozzle bodies and caps. Nozzle bodies are the component of a spray boom that connects the boom pipe or hose to the nozzle and holds it all in place. The vast majority of spray guns will not have this, they will be threaded, but you can add this to a sprayer or spray wand to change tips quicker.
How Do You Install TeeJet Nozzles?
TeeJet spray nozzles are a widely used type of spray nozzle in the agriculture and lawn care industries. They come in a variety of sizes, materials, and spray patterns, making them well-suited for a wide range of spraying applications. This leads to a natural question, can TeeJet nozzles be adapted to work with different types of sprayers? The answer is yes, but because there are several different nozzle types and different ways to accomplish this.
Here are a few basic methods to attach almost any sprayer nozzles to your spray wand, including TeeJet nozzles:
11/16 Threaded Nozzles
TeeJet sells an adjustable nozzle for hand sprayers, backpack sprayers, and other spot sprayers that has a female 11/16 nozzle body thread. This will easily attach to any wand or nozzle body that has this thread type. Many other nozzle manufacturers make nozzles that have this thread as well. This will allow you to use different spray nozzles on different sprayers with no special adapters. If you need a different nozzle for your sprayer, you can usually find other larger capacity or different style nozzles that have this universal nozzle thread needed to fit on your wand.
Threaded Caps
If you need to use a nozzle that doesn’t have any thread, like this nozzle below. You can use a threaded cap. The cap is essentially a nut and will hold your nozzle in place on the wand. Like the nozzles in the section above the cap has the 11/16 nozzle body thread that is fairly universal for nozzle bodies, so it will work on lots of different sprayers. Keep in mind that it does not align the spray nozzle automatically. If you have a flat fan nozzle, then you need to make sure you get your nozzle lined up before you tighten the cap.
You can convert a wand with nozzle body thread to accept quick-connect spray tips as well. TeeJet style 1/4 turn quick caps allow you to change nozzles quickly without having to unscrew a cap.
Adapting Quick TeeJet Nozzles to Your Sprayer Gun
In addition to being more convenient to remove, the quick-connect nozzles line up your nozzles and hold them in place more than the threaded cap. Here are the two pieces needed to make a threaded spray wand able to accept the quick-connect nozzles:
Adapt Spray Nozzles to National Pipe Thread
If you have a piece of 1/4-inch threaded pipe, you can use it to make a homemade spray wand. And of course, all you need is the right adapter. Fortunately, you can get nozzle body thread adapters that will fit 1/8 inch or 1/4 inch national pipe thread.
1/4 Inch FPT x Nozzle Body Thread Adapter
This type of adapter opens the door to many possibilities. In addition to spray wands, you can use this adapter to install spray nozzles in just about any scenario. Whether you are building a piece of equipment or in a stationary location. For example, you could use these adapters to install misting nozzles in a greenhouse.
How Do I Know What Size Nozzle My Spray Gun Hass?
When swapping nozzles it is important to keep a couple of things in mind. First, the nozzle size. Nozzles are designed to allow a certain flow rate at a given PSI. Not all nozzles are the same size. If replace spray nozzles without knowing the size, you may be changing the amount of liquid you apply. Second, spray pattern and droplet size. Different spray patterns and droplet sizes are best suited for different applications, so it’s important to select a nozzle that is designed to achieve the desired spray pattern and droplet size for your specific application.
If you are not sure what nozzle size you have be sure to read this article that explains spray nozzle sizes and how to identify them. For information about the best spray pattern or droplet size in your scenario, consult the label of the product you intend to spray. You can also find answers in this article about the most common spray nozzle questions.