Brass frost-proof outdoor tap

This model is sold as a frost-proof tap: it is presented for staying in place outside, summer and winter. What really protects it is draining. A tap with no water inside has nothing that can freeze, and that is true for this one as for all the others.

Before the big freeze, close the stop valve in the house, open the lever to let the remaining water out, disconnect the hose from the quick connector and leave the tap open. In spring, close the lever, reopen the supply, reconnect the hose: the season can start again.

The black lever, about 80 mm, is open in the centre and folds down along the body. Right next to it, a lug with a hole takes the shackle of a small padlock: handy on a street-facing facade, in a residential complex or on shared land. The padlock is not listed in the package.

The body is marked 1/2 in relief. Stated as brass in the title, it has a dark grey, almost black tint, discreet on dark render, a stone wall or next to a downpipe.

The outlet is a tip ready for the quick connector: the garden hose clips on without tools and comes off with one press. The photos show this tip unscrewed, with a black seal and a white perforated part housed in its nut.

If the flow drops, unscrew the tip, rinse the perforated part and put the seal back before screwing it on again. On the wall side, the 1/2″ (15x21) threaded inlet measures about 20 mm in the dimensions photo, and the tap is about 118 mm long in total. Fit it with PTFE tape on the thread and tighten with a spanner.