Summer is here and people are doing things outside which would benefit from having an outside tap. Whether it’s gardening, cleaning the patio, cleaning the dog an outside tap can be convenient to have. There are number of outside tap packs that are available however I have not seen one that would be regarded as a quality installation. When fitting an outside tap, or doing any work in the construction industry the work must be done in a way that protects the property and people. Some people may believe that the image below is all that is required for an outside tap.
This outside tap installation has no easy to use isolation valve so you can switch the tap on and off from the inside. It has no back flow prevention. Why is back flow prevention important? Some people like to leave a garden hose attached to their outside tap and control the water flow with a trigger which is on the end of a hose. If the water in that hose was left to heat up in the sun (above 20 degrees Celsius) on a hot day then harmful bacteria could thrive in the water in the hose. Having the correct back flow prevention would prevent the water in that hose from going back into your drinking water. This installation has no protection against corrosion. Copper reacts to building materials including brick, mortar mixed with the moisture in the air over time the copper will decay and water will leak. Should the pipe freeze or decay in this installation and the pipe leaks the water could go in the cavity wall and in to the house, this could be undetected until hundreds of pounds worth of damage has been done. An outside tap fitted correctly would prevent this from occurring.
When Pavlou Plumbers do any plumbing work we realise the work we do will be in there for many years. This is why the parts we recommend and the order in which we fit them will mean the customer can use them for those years easily.
Having warm water come out of your outside tap could be useful for hosing done muddy pets, cleaning the car or filling up a paddling pool. For those of you who would like either hot, warm or cold water to come out of your outside tap this can also be arranged.
If you would like an outside tap fitted correctly by a Water Safe registered company then get in touch with Pavlou Plumbers.