If you have an old house, there's a good chance you may not have an outdoor water spigot. With no convenient source of water in the yard, activities like gardening, filling the bird bath, hot tub, or the kids' swimming pool, washing the car, using the sprinkler to water the yard, or simply washing your hands is virtually impossible. Some people work around this by putting an adaptor on the kitchen faucet, attaching the hose, and then hanging it out the window, but this is not a good long-term solution. Thankfully, this is a situation that a plumber can easily fix for you. Here are the steps a plumber will take to install a new spigot.

Decide The Location

The plumber is going to want to know where you want the new faucet to be. Think about where you will most use the garden hose. For most people, this will be their backyard. Consider how large your home is and the layout as well as where the driveway is in proximity to the backyard. Try to pick a spot that is centrally located and will require the least amount of dragging the hose around.

Head To The Basement

Once the plumber knows where you want the spigot, the next stop is the basement. If you only have a crawlspace, he'll need access to that. The plumber will assess the plumbing and locate the water supply line. If the water supply line isn't near where you have decided you want the spigot placed, he will have to run a pipe from the water supply line to the desired location. Once the new line is run and soldered to the old pipe, the plumber will use pipe hangers to secure it.

Install The Spigot

Next, the plumber will drill a hole from the basement or crawl space to the outside of the home and feed the new pipe end through the hole. Once this is complete, he will move back outside and install the spigot on the side of the house. He will connect the pipe and then apply plumber's putty to the back of the spigot and then press it into place, making sure it is directly over the hole and level. He will then screw it into the side of the home and, voila! You now have a working outdoor faucet, ready to attach a garden hose.

If you have any future plans for other outdoor water needs, such as a spigot for your hot tub or water in your outdoor kitchen area, let the plumber know before he installs the garden hose spigot as he may decide to run the supply lines differently. For more information, contact your local plumbing contractor.