Outdoor tap

This tap comes in two inlet sizes. 1/2″ corresponds to 15x21, the most common case for a garden wall tap; 3/4″ to 20x27, found on larger supplies. Both versions are the same price, so there is only one question to ask: which one fits your wall.

Not sure of your size? Unscrew the old tap and look at its male thread: a 15x21 is a little over 2 cm in diameter, a 20x27 closer to 2.6 cm. 3/4″ is also often engraved on the body of old taps, next to the brand name.

The cross-shaped wheel, about 6 cm wide according to the dimensions photo, recalls old-style garden taps. You turn it by hand, without tools, and its red colour makes it easy to spot against a wall, a hedge or a woodpile.

The body is marked 1/2″, moulded into the metal on the version photographed. The supplier states it is zinc alloy, with a gold finish. In the same photo, the threaded inlet measures about 2 cm and the outlet nozzle about 2.5 cm: a compact tap that doesn't stick out much from the wall.

The outlet is an externally threaded nozzle: screw on a hose connector, or an adaptor if you use quick connectors. At the inlet, PTFE tape wound on the male thread is enough to make the joint watertight; then tighten with a spanner while holding the body.

When autumn sets in, shut off the water from inside, open this tap so the residual water runs out, then unscrew the hose and store it away. Leave the wheel open until spring: nothing stays trapped in the body, and restarting just means closing the wheel.