Whether you’re washing the car or watering the flowers, an outside tap is very useful – especially now that it’s summer. If your garden is lacking a tap and you’d like to change that, there are a few things to be aware of before you break out the tools or call your friendly plumber.
Where will your tap be located?
Your first consideration should be where you would like your tap to go, and whether the location you have in mind is practical. You’ll need a clear space to mount the tap, and an open drain directly below or close by. You will also need to think about where your pipes are. Many outside taps are located at the back of the property near the kitchen, and connected to the cold water supply under the sink.
What are the regulations?
According to regulations, the tap should have an isolation valve, which will enable you to turn off the water to the tap when working on it, without needing to turn off your whole water supply.
The tap should also have a double-check valve, which will be fitted in your internal pipework to prevent the water from flowing backwards. This prevents contaminated water from flowing into your water supply.
Do you need a plumber?
Installing an outside tap is usually a straightforward job – it involves drilling through the external wall, connecting the new pipework, and fitting the tap.
If you’re not confident in your DIY skills it’s a good idea to call a plumber. You will also probably need a plumber if there are no convenient pipes to connect the tap to. This is because you will need to extend the cold water supply to bring it close enough to where you’d like your outside tap to be, and this is a bigger job.
Of course, no job is too big or too small for THS Plumbing & Heating Northampton, so if you need us to install an outside tap in the Northamptonshire area, call 01604 212732 or you can contact us using a contact form and getting a quote for an outside tap.