Many contemporary homes are equipped with an extremely useful and convenient outdoor tap.
Whether it is to connect a hose and do some gardening, or to fill up the outdoor pool during Summer – having an outdoor source of running water is exceptionally handy, especially for gardeners.
To think that the standard definition of a tap has origins as far back as the 1580’s and that the first patent for a screw-in, spigot tap was issued in 1845.
Today – there are many that take these for granted in the western world, when it wasn’t so long ago clean water was a luxury.
However, should you find yourself needing an exterior faucet – this is the article for you!
In this article – we will highlight the different types of exterior tap, from your traditional spigot to an anti-vandal hurricane garden hydrant, outline a short version of installation instructions, and provide some hints and tips.
Legalities – Water Regulations
Securing an outdoor tap is governed by law in both the UK and USA, and non-compliance can be incredibly costly.
Consequently, it is not just the owners of the hose that can be prosecuted. Every tap or hydrant should flow one way: outward.
As evident as this may be, be sure that you purchase one with a double check valve.
Common Spigot
Commonly known as the Traditional Compression Valve, the most frequently used and installed exterior faucet is the Spigot.
This versatile design has many different applications. As a water source, they are adaptable, are designed, and made from various different metals – with many different styles.
A standard tap, a Spigot is simple to both utilize and install – but mistakes may have drastic consequences.
If you have little or no home plumbing experience or knowledge, please read carefully and do your homework.
Or hire a professional to do it for you.
You wouldn’t want to flood your own home. These would be virtually useless if the temperatures are continually freezing.
The further North that you are, the more likely you are going to want to buy a frost-free spigot – made for ice, frost, snow, and freezing windy conditions.
What should you expect? Prices can vary widely from a few dollars for a standalone faucet to actual kits that can include all of the materials and require you only to provide the tools you need, depending on how you intend on installing.
Ball-Valve Spigot
Through its less-complex design, this style of tap can be a touch more affordable than others, but also offers little control over water flow with its ball valve.
The amewer opens a hole in the sphere for a consistent stream – think of it like the go-karts they have these days: stop and go.
If all you want is your water to flow at the same amount of flow rate – this is the outdoor water outlet for you.
Hose-ready Spigot
Hose-ready faucets are typically mounted on the outside wall of all newly constructed homes in many areas of the world today.
Essentially, it is just a spigot with a spout that is already fitted with a screwable attachment.
Being a standardized size the hose fitting attachment can simply be screwed right onto it – making the hose a little more convenient to use in the garden.
One thing that must be noted too, is they are easily overtightened, and they will break in the colder frost as well.
So – try to not put too much force into the closing, therefore you will never have to get out a gripping tool to loosen it.
They may seize too, if you do not use them often, which is true of any faucet too.
If you do have to, just remember they have to all open anti-clockwise and close clockwise. Left for loose – right for tight…
Installation Through an External Wall – What Will I Need?
Some companies sell full installation kits, with and without a faucet included.
An installation kit will usually include:
- the tap
- a copper
- through-wall pipe and flange
- an isolating T-junction
- screws
- wall plugs
- and some thread tape
Make sure to measure the distance from the pipe connector to the outside of the external wall so you can choose a suitable length.
Kits can go from as low as around $30.00 to $50.00. Some have longer flanges; others have the 45-degree bend connection and have the pipe sleeve.
You will have to determine if a bend is required but, the sleeve is recommended.
That is because the pipe itself expands and contracts naturally and the sleeve gives necessary space and a little protection.
At the very least, you will need:
- A digital detection gadget to examine your wall.
- A faucet meeting regulation standards that has a double-check valve.
- A pipe through your wall at the right length.
- A flange/wall plate for the end of the pipe.
- A T-junction connector (an isolating one with compression joints is preferred).
- Screws and wall plugs.
- Pipe sealing tape (PTFE).
- A pipe sleeve, appropriately sized.
- An electric drill with a masonry drill bit of the correct circumference and length.
- A spanner (adjustable or fixed).
- Pipe cutter or hacksaw.
- Some wire wool.
- Protective goggles.
- The location of your property’s main water faucet to be used in an emergency.
Installation Location – Where Should I Drill?
Typically, the simplest way to fit your standard spigot is to identify the wall that is behind the kitchen sink and locate the faucet, which will be below it.
Underneath the faucet, you will find the hot and cold mains water supply pipes. The outdoor taps are fitted to the cold mains pipe, which will usually be fairly easy to get to from this location.
Sometimes this might be tricky because there could be other disconnected pipes or old pipes that you have not removed. The important thing is that you are doing it on the main supply pipe, which is the right place.
Some homes can be a more complicated process, where you might have to look behind cupboards or detect where the pipes run in the walls.
If you do find that sourcing a pipe is more difficult, it is probably best to call in a plumber.
However, if you find a pipe with enough room to fit a ‘T’ junction connector and that you feel comfortable using, you are getting close to needing to turn off the main property water tap.
If you feel confident enough, then follow these 8 steps!
Step 1
Drilling through the outside walls of your home can be an intimidating task.
However, there are some simple measures that you can take to ensure this is carried out properly.
Walls have wires and pipes in them, and you don’t want to hit any of them. A digital detection device is probably the safest method for detecting wires and pipes.
They can be purchased for as little as $20.00 and are worth the investment if you cannot borrow one from a friend or family member.
Make sure both sides of the wall are clear for drilling, and to avoid any chance of drilling and going too deep you may want to put some tape on the drill as a marking device to indicate the depth.
Standard pipe size is 15 mm, but you should confirm and use a drill bit a couple of millimeters larger in diameter than the pipe to allow for expansion to the temperature.
This is assuming you are using some type of sleeve with the pipe, which also must be taken into consideration.
If the pipes are larger than 20 mm – then most would recommend a core drill bit, which removes a cylindrical section of the wall.
Use a pencil and screw holes in the flange to mark out areas for mounting the wall plugs.
Using a smaller drill bit and approximately the same size as the plugs, drill the mounting holes for the screws.
Step 2
TURN OFF the water completely.
Under the kitchen sink is sometimes the stopcock, but in many cases you’ll find it outside the property, under the stairway, in a bathroom, or a boiler room.
Ensure that you run the cold tap until all of the water is empty. This will not only give you confirmation that the water supply is off but also there are very clear and obvious consequences of cutting into a full pipe.
Step 3
Utilize a pencil or marker to draw a line in the area you want to be cut.
After that, simply use a pipe cutter or hacksaw to remove the section you want from the pipe.
A pipe cutter is much easier to use, but they may be a little more expensive.
If you use the hacksaw, just wrap the pipe with a piece of masking tape and use the edge of the tape to guide your cut.
Use some wire wool or even sandpaper to clean the pipe where you made the cut.
Step 4
Before connecting your T-junction, ensure to wrap each end of the pipe in 5 layers of PTFE tape. Be sure to wrap the end that goes through the wall too.
Now you are ready to tighten everything in place, grabbing a spanner, both nuts need to be tightened fairly hard, also ensuring the outlet is facing the correct way, e.g. where you want your faucet to go.
With compression, it will be easy to adjust if need be, but with Solder-ring, Capillary, or End-feed joints, they are permanent seals so remember this.
Step 5
Place the through-wall pipe and connect it to the T-junction, re-tightening it with the spanner, now that you’re done wrapping it with tape.
You might need to adjust the size of this pipe four or five times before fitting it.
Step 6
Mount the through-wall pipe to the external wall, using the screws.
Step 7
Attach the tap to the installed tubing, making sure it fits snugly, and good to go!
Your nearly done! You could always add another layer of protection with some expanding foam in either end of the drill hole.
Step 8
Lastly, check the connections once again. You want to make sure everything is tight and secure.
Now it’s time to test it out, turn on the water again, and watch for any leaks immediately.
If you see a leak, you want to be sure to turn the water off, as quick as possible, should you need to.
It may be helpful to have someone standing close to the new connections to let you know if there are any issues, should you need to turn the water off.
Yard Hydrant
Garden hydrants, which are anti-freezing and come in multiple shapes and sizes, are a better option for larger land areas.
Garden hydrants are able to reach farther away from the property because they are connected to an underground water source and have increased gpm.
These are necessary for more sophisticated sprinkler systems, for watering livestock, and allow a considerable amount of control over the rate the water flows.
Valves are opened by lifting the handle and the higher the handle is lifted the more water flows out.
Yard hydrants are designed without water staying in the hydrants, and will not freeze in winter when there is not any water in them.
Price Range
For premium quality and quality assurance, you will generally want to consider spending between approximately $135.00 and $350.00, itself; but you may also experience delivery charges typically ranging from $100.00 up to $200.00.
On the higher end of this range, receiving a very high level of endorsement and hundreds of 5-star reviews on Amazon alone, is the Woodford Y34-4, or a similar style. Again, there are multiple brands, including:
- Simmons Manufacturing
- Everbit
- Merrill
- Water Source
- and many others
Shopping around, you can even source a small 2ft hydrant from PROFLO, for as little as just over a hundred dollars.
Installing – Underground Water Source
The ideal option would be to hire someone to do this but if you are confident in your ability to install one yourself, firstly you will need to locate a subterranean cold mains water supply pipe.
A common method is to follow the pipe from the building and just dig until you find the pipe. You are going to have to dig anyhow in order to cut the pipe and install the hydrant.
While there are cutting edge tracking devices that water companies use to determine the routes of pipes, there are also companies that will do this for you, if you need.
Radar detection and other methods are also available, but can add significant cost.
If you want to install a hydrant a reasonable distance away from your property, then digging is your only method to locate a pipe under ground.
As for the process, it is similar to installing a spigot, but the pipes are generally larger and more work will be required.
You will have to dig away enough dirt to provide adequate working space to complete the pipework, and bury the work once it is done.
Some people will also use a small amount of concrete to keep the hydrant from moving.
Final Thoughts
The type of faucet you buy and how it is installed will depend on what you intend to use it for.
If you are not sure, please do contact your local tradesmen for further advice.
We hope this Faucet Guide has given you some insight to the type of equipment you will need for installation and maintenance.