HOW TO REPLACE A GARDEN TAP
Leaking taps can waste a lot of water and significantly hike up your water bills. If the tap is outdoors, the water can also cause damage to your home’s foundation. Replacing the garden taps can be a good starting point to ensure water efficiency. Leaky and damaged garden taps may good for your landscaping and favorite plants, but the leaking is a waste of water and can only get worse with time and further wear.
Make sure that you fix the leak so that when you turn off the water, the area under the tap stays dry and you do not have to spend money on water that you are not consuming. A professional plumber can help with this process, such as Active Plumbing.
PREPARATION
We will need to turn off your home’s main water supply. Apply lubricant onto the tap where it connects to the pipe. This will help get rid of any rust that may have developed on the threads. Open the tap completely so that all of the excess water is drained.
REMOVING OLD GARDEN TAP
We will Position one pipe wrench onto the water pipe and one on the tap. Using a non-dominant hand to hold the pipe wrench on the water pipe to keep it in place. At the same time, gradually turn the pipe wrench that you have on the tap counterclockwise until the tap is completely loose. After this, unscrew the tap by hand using a counterclockwise movement. Get rid of any rust or debris by brushing the threads on the pipe using a stiff bristled brush. Cover the thread with two to three layers of Teflon tape. Making sure to apply them in a clockwise direction. This process seals the connection and makes sure that there are no leaks.
INSTALLING NEW GARDEN TAP
Make sure that if you purchase a new tap from a supplier that you have the correct specifications. You can take a photo with a tape measure next to the tap, bring the photo with you when you go to the home hardware of plumbing suppliers store. One of our plumbers will Connect the new faucet onto the pipe by screwing it a clockwise direction by hand until the faucet is tightened. Like before, we will position one pipe wrench on the pipe and another on the tap. Turn the tap wrench clockwise until the connection is tight and the tap is facing the appropriate direction. Then Turn on your main water supply and open the new tap to check for leaks.
