The sleeve stops any pressure from the masonry on the actual water pipework to the tap. Expansion and contraction can cause the water pipe to rub across the masonry and over time weaken it to the point is bursts. Step 6 – Connect Pipe Through Wall If it’s not possible to install an outside tap, another way to provide a water source would be to install and use a water-butt. This is a great way to capture and store water, no just because rainwater is pretty readily available in the UK, but also because it is free! In the majority of cases, most are joined to the domestic cold water under the sink that feeds the kitchen taps as there is generally plenty of room to install the necessary pipework and it’s obviously right next to a water supply. Connect a 90° bend fitting to the end of the pipework running from the drain valve and cut a length of pipe to run through the wall. This should be the total depth of the hole plus enough to run out to a 90° bend at either end. During the colder months of the year, the chance of the temperature dropping to the point of freezing is quite high and as you probably know, when water freezes it expands.

To prevent any such issues with your new garden tap it’s a good idea to trun the water off at the isolation valve and then drain the water out of the supply pipe through the drain plug.

Each installation is different and as we have mentioned, will allow you to use a range of different fittings and techniques so take a look at our projects on how to join copper pipes by either using compression joints, or you can use soldered joints if you’re handy with a soldering iron or you could even use SPEEDFIT® plastic piping and joints. Once the hole is drilled you can then start fitting the pipework. Cut a short length of pipe to run from the T-joint to an isolation valve. Again, using copper or Pushfit is totally fine, but if you are new to this sort of work then Pushfit is the way to go. Fit the valve to the end of the pipe.

However, the connection does not have to be made under the sink, as long as it’s a cold water supply at mains pressure, that’s all that’s needed. Don’t be tempted to feed an outside tap from water coming from a cold water tank as this will seriously affect cold water availability in the home. How to connect water butts together for a greater supply of water to the garden Other Helpful Resources For this example we are going to use copper pipework and compression fittings and a standard wall plate for the tap. Diagram for Fitting Outside Tap Apart from a handy supply pipe you also need to ensure there is enough free space to install the necessary pipes and work comfortably. When running a water pipe or indeed any object through a wall you really should run a sleeve through the hole first and then run any pipes or similar through the sleaving.As you can see, all of this has been made using copper pipe and copper compression fittings and this is absolutely fine, but if you have never attempted any plumbing before we would suggest that you use Pushfit fittings as they are much easier to work with. To insatall an outside tap correctly and ensure all works as it should do, you will need the following products and tools: Depending on the length of pipe you will also need to add some pipe clips to hold it firmly to the wall. Step 8 – Fix Tap In Place and Test Once you have chosen your install location the next job is to tee into an existing water supply pipe. This pipe will have to be cut to allow the introduction of the T-joint needed to branch off.

The last job to do then is to use a suitable exterior sealant and pump a load of it into the sleeve and around the external hole to seal it up and prevent any draughts or water ingress. Do this on the inside also.Choose a place to cut the pipes that has plenty of space around it and a good 100mm or so either side of the pipe so that you can easily get a T-joint in place. There is usually a tangle of waste pipes and hot and cold water feed pipes under the sink which make connection of an outside tap difficult so in many cases it may be easier to look between the units, or even behind them to source a cold water feed to the outside tap which is a little easier to work with.

In this case, the water carrying pipe (e.g. the pipe running from the supply to the tap) should be allowed to expand and contract naturally through temperature change without fear of erosion or puncture due to it expanding and rubbing on the rough masonry. With the pipe cut, unscrew and remove the compression nut and olive from the end of your compression fittings and slip them over each end of the cut pipe, cap first and then olive and then wiggle the fitting body over each end of the pipe. Measure the depth of the hole and cut a suitable length piece of 22mm copper pipe so that it is roughly 10mm shorter than the hole depth so that you have a 5mm inset at either end. Show: 10 20 50 100 FixTheBog Outside Garden tap kits FixTheBog are the leading supplier of outside garden tap kits. Aside from the tap the next most important item is a water supply. When looking for a location to install your tap, it’s a good idea to select one next to or near an existing mains water supply pipe.When drilling the hole try to angle it down towards the outside by 8 – 10mm or so. This will help prevent any water running in from the outside. Always start with a small drill first to drill a pilot hole as this takes the strain off the drill trying to drill too large a hole in one go and also when it busts through the wall on the other side it doesn’t blow a huge chunk off.