304 stainless steel double-outlet garden tap with lever

Most double taps send water in two directions. This one lines up its two outlets side by side, both pointing at the floor: one at the end of the spout, the other in the middle of the body. Above a stone trough, a drain pit or a drinking trough, the water falls where you expect it.

The two control heads sit side by side on top. The flat lever is easy to take hold of with your fingertips, as in the photo where a hand operates it above a garden pond; a red or blue disc marks the top of each head.

End to end, the tap measures 130 mm. The inlet thread at the back is 20 mm: check that it matches your wall outlet, generally 1/2″, i.e. 15x21, on French outdoor installations.

Shut-off is by a disc valve, according to the manufacturer. The nozzles are barbed: a flexible hose pushes onto them and is held by a hose clip. They don't accept clip-on garden connectors without an adapter. For everyday use, keep a flexible hose on the middle nozzle and use the spout for a watering can. The polished stainless steel rinses clean with a jet of water after a muddy job.

The photos show the tap with a roll of PTFE tape and a stainless steel wall plate. Slide the plate over the thread, then wind on the tape in the direction of tightening, about half a dozen taut turns.

Then screw it on by hand, finish with a spanner and stop when the two heads are nicely upright, outlets pointing down. Turn the supply on and check the thread: a bead of water calls for a quarter-turn more, no further. Before winter, switch off the supply indoors and the tap drains through its two outlets.