With this in mind we need to mention that it’s possible to purchase a back plate and through-wall pipe all in one unit, which makes installation a fair bit easier. Outside taps are normally fitted on the outside wall behind kitchen sinks but can be fitted anywhere. 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. Plastic doesn’t tend to do too well in extremes of temperature and will degrade quickly so copper is best. If you are soldering, solder the bend on the pipe before fixing it in place as it’s easier than trying to solder when it’s just poking through the wall.

How to Fit an Outside Tap: Complete Step-by-Step Guide

I normally throw these away when I’m fitting an outside tap because they are not made for quick-connect hose connections. 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. The distance from the water supply where the outside tap is being fitted can be a problem, or the original plumbing might need a lot of adapting to get a new connection onto it, but most of the time (for me) it takes less than an hour for an outside tap installation. the outlet suits standard garden hose pipe, or can be replaced with a quick connect fitting (available separately).

You’ll get a slightly neater finish if you drill from the outside in, but because I had so little space to work with, I drilled from the inside, under my kitchen sink, so I would be sure not to drill through any pipes. As we have mentioned, this should ideally be in a good location outside but also to make installation as easy as possible, close to an existing mains cold water pipe.

Wilko Garden Tap Installation Kit | Wilko - Wilko Site Wilko Garden Tap Installation Kit | Wilko - Wilko Site

To replace an old outside tap that is already fitted you only need to replace the bib tap itself and leave the backplate. Only you know your level of competence but if you haven’t done any plumbing before then installing an outside tap might be a bit much for you. Pick where your tap is going to go, but make sure that there’s nothing in the way on the other side of the wall… the last thing you want to do is drill through a pipe!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. 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. You can use compression fittings or solder fittings, but if you can, solder here will be best as they are not as chunky and will allow you to make a tighter turn so that the wall plate can be fixed directly to the wall without having to pack it out to accommodate for a larger fitting. Apart from a handy supply pipe you also need to ensure there is enough free space to install the necessary pipes and work comfortably. 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.

Fit an Outside Tap: Complete Step-by-Step Guide How to Fit an Outside Tap: Complete Step-by-Step Guide

If you do end up using a hacksaw, the end of the pipe will need de-burring properly so any sharp edges don’t cause damage to seals if you are using Pushfit fittings.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. 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.