Outdoor Tap or Garden Standpipe: Which Suits Your Garden?
Both give you water outside, but they solve different problems.
Both give you water outside, but they solve different problems. An outdoor tap is a short branch off the internal cold supply through the wall; a standpipe is a freestanding riser fed by a buried run out into the garden.
Where a wall-mounted outdoor tap wins
If the point you want water is within a metre or two of an internal cold pipe, a wall tap is the least disruptive option. It needs an internal isolating valve, a double check valve to protect the drinking supply, and a route through the wall that is sealed properly.
Where a standpipe earns its extra work
Long gardens, allotment-style plots, greenhouses and paddocks are all cases where dragging a hose from the house stops being practical. A standpipe means a trenched, buried run at a depth that keeps it away from frost, plus a drain-down point for winter.
Which one we would fit for you
We look at the distance, what crosses the route, and whether you would use it in winter. Short distance and summer-only use points to a wall tap. Anything that has to work through a cold snap needs the buried run and the ability to isolate and drain it.
What we settle before quoting either
- The nearest suitable internal cold pipe and whether it can take the branch
- Backflow protection appropriate to how you will use the water
- The route, what has to be crossed or dug, and reinstatement
- Whether you need it usable in winter, which changes the design
Who does the work
- Gas Safe registered engineers — registration 554328
- Worcester Bosch accredited installer
- John The Plumb Ltd, company registration 10026483
Water where you actually need it
Tell us how far from the house you need the water and whether you want it working in January, and we will tell you which of the two designs fits.
Questions we get asked
Do outdoor taps need backflow protection by law?
Yes. A garden tap has to have suitable backflow protection under the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations because hose ends can sit in contaminated water.
Will a standpipe freeze?
Any outside pipework can. The design point is being able to isolate it inside and drain the exposed section down before winter.
Can either be fitted from a rainwater butt instead?
A butt can feed a pump for irrigation, but it must never be cross-connected to the drinking supply pipework.