Garden tap woes

[absolutelymike]

Hi

I installed a self cutting garden tap last weekend - you know, the kit with the sleeve that goes around the mains pipe that you screw a tap into?

I added the tap (the inside one which has a hose attached that goes out through the wall and to the bib tap) on the pipe that goes to the washing machine.

Well, it worked but when I fill the watering can outside, half the water bypasses the inside self-cutting tap and fills the washing machine!

Unfortunately, I cant just turn off the washing machine valve because I would have to pull the machine out each time! So, before I have to rethink the whole thing, is there a washing machine valve that is pressure sensitive? Or rather, is there something I can fit to stop water going into the washing machine whilst I use the garden tap?

Yours hopefully,
Mike the newbie

 

[muggles]

Hi

I installed a self cutting garden tap last weekend - you know, the kit with the sleeve that goes around the mains pipe that you screw a tap into?

Oh dear, this is going badly already...

I added the tap (the inside one which has a hose attached that goes out through the wall and to the bib tap) on the pipe that goes to the washing machine.

Well, it worked but when I fill the watering can outside, half the water bypasses the inside self-cutting tap and fills the washing machine!

Yes, it will bypass it, because the hole that your nasty DIY kit has cut will probably be very very small

Unfortunately, I cant just turn off the washing machine valve because I would have to pull the machine out each time! So, before I have to rethink the whole thing, is there a washing machine valve that is pressure sensitive? Or rather, is there something I can fit to stop water going into the washing machine whilst I use the garden tap?

You'll either have to plumb it in properly, or only use the outside tap when the washing machine is off. It won't fill the machine if it's off, unless the solenoid valve in the washing machine is faulty and stuck open, but if it was you'd probably have a flood. Having said that, if it is stuck open, it's probably because it's been jammed open by the little disc of copper that your garden tap kit has injected into the pipe

Yours hopefully,
Mike the newbie

 

[absolutelymike]

Thanks for the reply and I knew someone would tell me to do it properly...
However, I have only used it when the w. machine is off and have noticed that it is filling the drum! No flooding though...

Any more ideas?

 

[muggles]

I'd doubt that using the tap is causing the drum to fill, as the two aren't directly connected, unless of course the aforementioned disc of copper has jammed the washing machine valve open. Most likely is that there's something wrong with the washing machine. Does it fill all the time that the tap's on or just for a moment?

 

[absolutelymike]

Its only filling when the garden tap is on, I would say that as the water is flowing it by-passes into the wm at the same time. I only looked because the pressure outside is low.

 

[muggles]

Is it mains or a pumped system of some kind?

 

[absolutelymike]

just normal mains