low pressure in outside tap

[lesablack]

hello, i have just moved into a new house, and am a keen gardener. we have two outside taps. I just tried them for the first time yesterday. One does not issue any water at all so am assuming it has been cut off. the other one dribbles water. We have ok water pressure inside the house, so why would there only be a dribble from the outside tap? when we moved in last week we had our water softener installed inside the house - could this have somehow affected the pressure in the outside tap? i know nothing at all about plumbing, but I'm assuming the water to the tap comes directly from the mains and not via the softened water system in the house. Any advice welcome as I can't water my garden at the moment!
thanks so much
Mrs H

 

[Plumbstar Tom]

you will need to chase the pipe work back to see where it is feed from

It is most likely that both have isolators fitted so the pipes and taps do not freeze over the winter

The fact one dribbles may indicate that this isolator is also passing slightly

So follow the pipework back until you see a fitting with a screw driver slot on it (most likely)

 

[lesablack]

THank you. assume I'm an idiot, (which I am when it comes to plumbing issues). how to I trace the plumbing back? it goes into the brick wall on the outside of the house, and then I have no idea where it goes so what do I do? the room on the other side of the wall is a living room, so there's no mains tap in there. I suspect the pipe runs along/under/behind the wall or floor within the living room so how do I trace it? the mains tap is in a utility room beyond this living room, but quite a way from the outside taps....
any tips welcome.
mrs H

 

[Plumbstar Tom]

Where the mains tap is, in the utility, can you see any valves or fittings ibn this area that have levers on them or a screwdriver slot?

You may need to get a plumber out to be honest or a relative that is handy with a tool or two

 

[ABPlumbing]

Hi

As the external taps have not been used for a while, the washers may have seized and need replacing. The chap who fitted the softener should not have messed with the mains to outside tap. Finally, if you look under the kitchen sink, you may find isolators to the outside taps. It is possible they were turned off over the winter period.

Good luck

Alex