Outdoor tap locate in Ottery St Mary
Looking for professional outdoor tap locate help in Ottery St Mary? Hembury Contracting provides reliable moving services across Ottery St Mary and surrounding areas.
Price Guide
£60
Typical Duration
30 mins
Location
Ottery St Mary
Quick service to locate your outdoor tap and its isolation valve. I'll test everything works, show you how to winterize properly, and label clearly - preventing expensive frost damage and surprise floods.
### The Winter Problem Nobody Mentions Until It's Too Late
January. Temperature drops below zero overnight. That outside tap you used all summer for garden watering?
The water in the pipe **freezes solid**. Expands. **Cracks the pipe**. You don't know yet.
February. Temperature rises. Ice thaws. Water floods through the crack. Into your wall cavity. Under your kitchen floor. You discover it when water starts pooling in your kitchen or running down the wall.
**Damage:** £100s or £1000s.
**Prevention:** Turn off the isolation valve and drain the tap. Takes 30 seconds if you know where the valve is.
> 💡 **Pro tip:** Insurance companies routinely reject frost damage claims if you didn't winterize outdoor taps properly. They call it "lack of due diligence." Finding and using your isolation valve is basic homeowner responsibility.
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### What I Find & Test
**🔍 Location Service**
| What I Locate | Why It Matters | |---------------|----------------| | **Outdoor tap(s)** | Confirm they work, test flow rate | | **Isolation valve** | The critical bit for winter protection | | **Pipe route (if visible)** | Helps understand where problems might occur | | **Drain point** | Lowest point where water collects |
**🔧 Testing**
Once found, I: - Turn isolation valve off and on to check it works - Verify it actually isolates the outdoor tap - Check tap operates smoothly - Look for existing leaks or damage - Test drain-down works properly
**🏷️ Labeling**
Clear labels on: - The isolation valve itself - The cupboard/access door - The outdoor tap - Simple instructions for winterizing
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### How Isolation Valves Work
**Simple concept:**
1. **Summer (valve open):** Water flows through valve to outdoor tap, tap works normally 2. **Winter (valve closed):** Water supply stopped before it gets to outdoor pipe, tap pipe empty 3. **Drain the pipe:** Open outdoor tap after closing valve - remaining water drains out 4. **Leave tap open:** Prevents any water accumulating and freezing
**The bit people miss:** You must **drain the pipe** after closing the valve. Just closing the valve isn't enough if water's still sitting in the pipe.
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### Pricing
| Service | Time | You'll Pay | |---------|------|------------| | Locate tap & isolation valve | 30 mins | **£60** |
*Includes locating, testing, labeling, and demonstration of winterizing procedure.*
If valve is seized or non-existent, I'll quote for repair/fitting separately.
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### What Could Go Wrong
| ❌ Without Winterizing | ✅ Properly Winterized | |------------------------|------------------------| | Frozen pipe bursts | Pipe stays empty, can't freeze | | Water damage in house | No water to leak | | Insurance claim rejected | Following correct procedure | | £££ emergency plumber | 30 seconds' effort in October |
Why Choose Us for Outdoor tap locate in Ottery St Mary?
Outside tap located and tested
Isolation valve found and labeled
Shown how to winterize properly
Prevent expensive frost damage
What to Expect
### Step 1: Locate the Tap Find all outdoor taps - front, back, side of house, garage. Some properties have multiple. Test each one works. ### Step 2: Find Isolation Valve Check under kitchen sink, utility cupboards, garage - common locations. Once found, test it operates and actually isolates the tap. ### Step 3: Demonstrate & Label Show you exactly how to winterize - which way to turn, where to check, how to tell it's drained. Label everything clearly for future reference.
Our Ottery St Mary Service Coverage
We cover Ottery St Mary and a 30-mile radius from Exeter, meaning you get local service with the backing of an established business. Whether you're in the centre of Ottery St Mary or in the surrounding villages, we're here to help.
Good to Know
> 🏚️ **Old Exeter properties?** Plumbing can be archaeological in Victorian houses. I've seen outdoor taps added in about six different decades with varying levels of competence. Sometimes there genuinely isn't an isolation valve - it needs fitting. **Multiple outdoor taps** - some properties have front and back, or tap plus garden hose point. Each should have its own isolation valve. Find them all. **Frost protection tape** - available for exposed pipe sections that can't be drained. Electrical heating tape that prevents freezing. Worth considering for complex pipe runs. **Hose pipes** - disconnect and drain these too before winter. Water trapped in hose can freeze, burst the hose, and damage the tap connection. **Spring reactivation** - when you turn isolation back on in spring, check tap for leaks. If it drips from the spout when turned off, washer needs replacing (simple job). **Combining with other move-in jobs?** Often makes sense to locate outdoor tap isolation when I'm locating main stopcock anyway - they're often in similar places. Efficient use of time. **Can't find it yourself?** Some are genuinely hard to locate - hidden behind kick boards, boxed in, painted over. That's where professional help saves frustration.
Frequently Asked Questions about Outdoor tap locate in Ottery St Mary
Why do I need to find my outdoor tap isolation valve?
Because outdoor taps freeze in winter. When water freezes, it expands, cracks the pipe, and when it thaws you get a flood - often inside the house where the tap pipe comes through the wall. The isolation valve lets you shut off just the outdoor tap without affecting your house water supply.
Where are outdoor tap isolation valves usually located?
Most commonly under the kitchen sink or in a utility cupboard - wherever the tap pipe branches off the main water supply. Sometimes in the garage, under stairs, or in a dedicated access point. Older properties can be creative with locations.
When should I turn off my outdoor tap?
End of October through to March minimum. Basically any time temperatures might drop below freezing overnight. Turn the isolation valve off, then open the outside tap to drain the pipe. Prevents ice formation.
What if I don't have an isolation valve?
Some older properties don't have one - the outdoor tap just branches straight off the mains. In that case, you either need a valve retrofitted (straightforward plumbing job), or you have to turn off your whole water supply to isolate the tap. Much better to fit a valve.
Can this service include fitting a valve if I don't have one?
I can locate where one should go and quote for fitting it. The fitting itself is a plumbing job - requires cutting pipe, soldering in valve. I can do simple ones, complex situations need a proper plumber. Either way, you'll know what's needed.
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* Same rates for all locations in our service area
Got multiple jobs?
Make the most of your first hour - I can often tackle several small tasks in one visit. List everything you need done when you call!
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