Outside hot and cold tap advice

[chris012797]

Hi everyone,

I need your advice about this. So I want to install 1 hot and 1 cold tap outside but not sure which idea to do. Either straight down from where my bathroom is or around the living room window so it’s a more reachable height. There’s drawbacks to both. If I go around the window it’ll look quite unsightly especially with pipe insulation. And then above the window it’ll be quite hard to reach (not difficult for me as I’m quite tall but harder for my partner). What would you guys do? Also are there any regulations saying I can’t install one above a window?

Any help would be great

 

[gpbeck]

Is the kitchen not on the ground floor?

 

[chris012797]

Is the kitchen not on the ground floor?

It is yes but at the front of the house. So there’d be no way of bringing a hot and cold supply to the garden.

 

[gpbeck]

I would personally try very hard to run these pipes internally, under a floor front to back, or boxing them in at ceiling height, or dropping down internally from the bathroom. Your scheme would be ugly, and taps above a window would seem very strange. Externally you would need surprisingly thick insulation, or the ability to drain the pipes down for winter.

 

[chris012797]

I would personally try very hard to run these pipes internally, under a floor front to back, or boxing them in at ceiling height, or dropping down internally from the bathroom. Your scheme would be ugly, and taps above a window would seem very strange. Externally you would need surprisingly thick insulation, or the ability to drain the pipes down for winter.

I don’t really want to do that a big of a job. It’ll only be for washing the dog after muddy walks and filling up my kids pool in the summer. Boxing the pipes in would look a bit better I suppose?

 

[Roy_66]

Hi Chris,

Silly questions: is there space at the front to wash the dog there? Also what is at each side if the house?

Cheers,

Roy

 

[chris012797]

Hi Chris,

Silly questions: is there space at the front to wash the dog there? Also what is at each side if the house?

Cheers,

Roy

Hi Roy,

So I already have a cold tap at the front of my house as that’s where my kitchen is. It’s just freezing cold in the winter and I’m sick of having to fill buckets of hot water up and taking them out to the back garden for paddling pool.

I’m semi detached, so one side is a house then a narrow driveway on the other side.

Was thinking of taking a feed from the front of the house but there’s a gas and electric box in the way so would mean having to go round them and that would probably look just as unsightly?

I also don’t want to make it harder than it needs to be, it’ll just be for the dog and my kids paddling pool.

Thanks

 

[Roy_66]

Hi Roy,

So I already have a cold tap at the front of my house as that’s where my kitchen is. It’s just freezing cold in the winter and I’m sick of having to fill buckets of hot water up and taking them out to the back garden for paddling pool.

I’m semi detached, so one side is a house then a narrow driveway on the other side.

Was thinking of taking a feed from the front of the house but there’s a gas and electric box in the way so would mean having to go round them and that would probably look just as unsightly?

I also don’t want to make it harder than it needs to be, it’ll just be for the dog and my kids paddling pool.

Thanks

Not sure how long you plan to stay at this property, so please ignore me if you want a more permanent solution and want to spend the cash on running the water through the house. Do the economic sums on it.

For low cost, why not get a plumber to convert the cold tap to a mixer tap (keep the mixer unit inside under the sink). Then run a garden hose from outside tap round to the back, down the edge of the drive. Just make sure no trip hazards. If you have gravel border you can bury the hose in the gravel. Just dig out gravel, weigh hose down with bricks, and then put back the gravel. Otherwise (along the drive if no gravel) clip it to the wall. At the back you could fix up another tap on the wall to fix the hose to. I've got taps like this all round the house cos I'm no good at carrying buckets (In my photo below the hose is not yet connected, but goes onto hoselock fitting at the base of the copper pipe. Fitting at base is brass 15mm compression to 3/4 BSP, then the yellow hoselock adapter, same as on the tap.)

Cheers,

Roy (Amateur all trades)

 

[chris012797]

Not sure how long you plan to stay at this property, so please ignore me if you want a more permanent solution and want to spend the cash on running the water through the house. Do the economic sums on it.

For low cost, why not get a plumber to convert the cold tap to a mixer tap (keep the mixer unit inside under the sink). Then run a garden hose from outside tap round to the back, down the edge of the drive. Just make sure no trip hazards. If you have gravel border you can bury the hose in the gravel. Just dig out gravel, weigh hose down with bricks, and then put back the gravel. Otherwise (along the drive if no gravel) clip it to the wall. At the back you could fix up another tap on the wall to fix the hose to. I've got taps like this all round the house cos I'm no good at carrying buckets (In my photo below the hose is not yet connected, but goes onto hoselock fitting at the base of the copper pipe. Fitting at base is brass 15mm compression to 3/4 BSP, then the yellow hoselock adapter, same as on the tap.)

Cheers,

Roy (Amateur all trades)

Thanks for that, it’s a really good idea which I didn’t think of. I’ve seen the mixer valve for about 27 quid from toolstation. So i could convert my current front tap pretty easily. Only problem is I have a gas and electric box at the front of my house so would have to run the hose around them which wouldn’t look great. But my original idea wouldn’t look good either. I plan on living at my property for a long time but I’ve only recently decorated my living room so don’t really want to start removing the ceiling just for a muddy dog and paddling pool!


I was thinking of possibly running the pipes (externally) from my bathroom and around my living room window so they’re a suitable height. Obviously would look dreadful but maybe I could box them in and paint the wood an orange colour to match the brick work? I’m going to have to put some thought into what’s best before I go ahead.

 

[Roy_66]

Thanks for that, it’s a really good idea which I didn’t think of. I’ve seen the mixer valve for about 27 quid from toolstation. So i could convert my current front tap pretty easily. Only problem is I have a gas and electric box at the front of my house so would have to run the hose around them which wouldn’t look great. But my original idea wouldn’t look good either. I plan on living at my property for a long time but I’ve only recently decorated my living room so don’t really want to start removing the ceiling just for a muddy dog and paddling pool!


I was thinking of possibly running the pipes (externally) from my bathroom and around my living room window so they’re a suitable height. Obviously would look dreadful but maybe I could box them in and paint the wood an orange colour to match the brick work? I’m going to have to put some thought into what’s best before I go ahead.

Assuming the mixer valve is under the sink I'd go for a reasonable quality one so you are not groveling about changing it in s couple of years.

If you could post a photo of the outside tap, gas, and electric boxes at the front then somebody might suggest a solution.

Orange cuprinol fence would match BUT I really wouldn't run the pipes all the way down the back. E.g as it's a long run, so prone to freezing even with all the insulation, vent valves would be required in the bathroom. Also plumbing up ladders not a good plan. Presumably the dog still needs a wash in winter so venting needs to be easy.

Cheers,

Roy