A garden tap is a useful addition to any sized garden. It
stops the need to traipse through the house every time a
bucket of water is required.
In order to prevent contaminated water being drawn back
into the system, a non-return valve should be used as part
of the plumbing. Brass taps are normally made for maximum
weather resistance. There are complete kits on the market
which are designed for the DIY enthusiast.
The simplest kit contains the tap, wall fitting, a stop valve and a supply
connector. There are others which include easily workable
plastic supply pipe, an automatic supply connector for breaking
into an existing pipe without turning off the water supply
and push-fit connectors for jointing.
Position
The tap must be positioned where it is going to prove most
useful. It should be sited over a gully, drain, pathway
or at least on top of very hard ground. If sited above grass
or soil, it is very likely that muddy patches will appear
when there is some spillage which is often inevitable.
It is useful to fit an automatic hose reel next to the
siting of the tap, which can be easily connected for convenience.
A hose can be attached for use with a lawn sprinkler, for
washing the car or for use with building work.
It is sensible to keep the run of outside pipe as short
as possible and to provide a means of shutting off the water
and draining the system during cold winter months. When
the siting is decided and you have chosen a suitable connection
point to the rising main, you are ready to begin the fitting.
Method
Turn off the main water supply
at the stopcock and run off the kitchen cold water tap.
Drain the rising main and cut through
the piping with a junior hacksaw. It is important to keep
the cut absolutely square.
Fit a tee joint in the rising main
to run the supply to the tap.
Still inside the property, run
a short piece of pipe to a convenient location for a second
stopcock and the non-return valve, being careful to check
that the arrows marked on both fittings are pointing in
the direction of the flow of water.
A draincock should now be fitted.
A hole needs to be made in the
wall and a pipe run through. You can cut the hole for the
pipe with an electric hammer drill fitted with a heavy duty
masonry bit and extension. Otherwise you can use a club
hammer and a long cold chisel to hack through the wall.
If you have a length of plastic overflow or conduit, use
it to run the piping through, as this will stop water leaking
through the masonry. It is also useful for detecting leaks
quicker.
Outside the property, wrap PTFE
tape around the bib-tap thread and then screw it into a
wallplate attached to the masonry.
Re-instate the water supply and
operate the new tap, checking the entire run for leaks.
