How much to install an outdoor tap these days?

[Mentalguy2k8]

Any rough ideas? Existing indoor pipework goes right along the outside wall, so no major replumbing required.

And no I'm not going to even consider DIYing it. I looked it up and it's way beyond my "skills".

[A.Lee]

All 'depends' , but should be less than £100.

[Ivan Dobsky]

You can get kits (with a tap that pierces the cold water pipe as you tighten it up around it) that make this very easy.

[Mentalguy2k8]

This is me we're talking about...

[Tim Watts]

On Saturday 08 June 2013 13:21 Mentalguy2k8 wrote in uk.d-i-y:

Come on man!

If you use one of the pushfit systems - eg JG Speedfit or Cuprofit (both work with 15mm copper as long as it is clean and smooth), it pretty much comes down to cutting the pipe, making a joint and drilling a hole in the wall.

You could even do the run to the tap in JG Speedfit which requires only one tool (the pipe cutter shears). There is some merit to plastic - it seems to not mind freezing in winter - I suspect it has enough give to cope.

There are also garden tap kits that clamp around the pipe and punch a hole into the pipe - personally I regard them as a bodge - but they probably work adequately.

[Brian Gaff]

One of the things that worries me is that I know several folk with such a tap, and every one of them have had it freeze and leak in the last three years. Brian

[The Medway Handyman]

£45 + £12 for the tap.

[RayL12]

The ideal solution to outside water pipes is to have a stop valve within the house as well as the tap on the outside.

After using the outside supply, turn it off at the inside valve and allow the outside pipe to empty.

[Mentalguy2k8]

I've been reading up on those and a lot of people complain about the lack of water pressure, because of the relatively small hole it makes in the pipe. Some are apparently even sold as "not suitable for pressure washers".

[Tim Lamb]

In message , Brian Gaff writes

I think there is a problem with frost and the non-return valve the water co's insist on.

[Tim+]

That can certainly be the case. You'll never get "full bore" flow through one of those pipe piercing devices. Fortunately push fit stuff is so easy to use any fool can install it. ;-)

Tim

[Mentalguy2k8]

But I'd still have to cut the existing water pipe to fit a "T" piece. And that pushfit stuff doesn't look safe :)

[Gazz]

that push fit stuff is the best thing to happen to plumbing, i used it in my motorhome i built, on the hot and cold water system, and the heating circuit which ran at 90 degrees, never had a fitting fail, and i'd driven over some damn bumpy roads in my time, and had water flowing whilst doing so too (would run the washing machine whilst driving to take advantage of the free hot water produced when the engine was running, and in cold weather the heating in the back would come on automatically quite often whilst driving,

So a single push fit Tee in a house should have no problems, just make sure you de-burr the outside of the copper pipe before pushing the pipe ends in,

[Gazz]

does anyone actually fit those double check valve jobbies?

the outside tap plumbing at my place is a stub of copper going through the bathroom wall, tee'd off the bog water feed, 90 degree compression fitting, stub of copper, service valve, stub of copper, push fit connector, then plastic pipe along the wall, through the garage door frame, then up to the roof of the garage, along, back down after the side door till a foot above the ground, then out the wall, where copper takes over again to the tap which is one of those with the copper push fitting on it, garden is flat and same level as the front, so i dont think water could get sucked back up a hose pipe if the water pressure failed, not that i ever leave the hosepipe laying on the ground... got a mini fire hose type gun on the end, and i always push the lever to off when i'm done watering, and then wind the hose back onto the reel,

If i forget to turn the service valve off over winter, when it gets suitably cold, the joint where the copper pipe to the tap joins the plastic elbow pops off when it freezes, so when it thaws out i get a nice water feature spraying across the back door, It's done this about 5 or 6 times now, and i just turn the service valve off, re-seat the fitting, and once the frost has gone it's fine again, i guess if i insulated the pipe it might not freeze in the first place.

[Tim+]

Just don't use a hacksaw. Something like this.

Tim

[Tim Watts]

On Saturday 08 June 2013 20:15 Tim+ wrote in uk.d-i-y:

But don't use a hacksaw like Drivel...

[Tim Watts]

On Saturday 08 June 2013 20:35 Mentalguy2k8 wrote in uk.d-i-y:

I'm fussy and I can vouch for JG Speedfit - I have 7 bar mains pressure!

Once you turn the locking nut it really will not come off. The only issue is if you only have a bit of manky old painted pipe - push fit needs clean (not necessarily bright) copper.

I agree that if you have to insert a joint it's harder. But that would be tru of soldering too. You need to either cut out a section and be able to pulle the gap apart (flexing the pipes) about 15mm to get the joint made - or cut 30-40cm out and replace with plastic - in which case you will have enough flex on the plastic to make it work.

Cuprofit works in a similar way but only for copper pipe and the fittings are solid brass.

[Tim Watts]

On Saturday 08 June 2013 21:22 Gazz wrote in uk.d-i-y:

I will in a week or two when I finally do my tap properly :)

[Tim Lamb]

In message , Tim Watts writes

I think what really frightens them is a garden hose being used to fill a water butt or trough where the hose end is below water level. If the mains supply fails and there are consumers *down the hill* from your house, there is a risk that water will syphon from your possibly contaminated store and into the distribution network.

[PeterC]

I replaced one of those for the lass next door. The hose was so slow that I could empty the barrel with watering cans faster than the hose was filling it. The pierced hole in the pipe was only about 8 - 10mm dia., then the rest of the kit seemed to restrict it even more. Full bore unions, connectors etc. and the hose had a range and rate that just did the job. It cost a lot more, but I used good components that should never need replacing.