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The garden tap in the front yard has no water coming through. What causes this problem?
I was told the tap has seized over time (house is about 60 yrs old) and to replace the tap itself. Is this replacement costly? I was quoted $88 aud for the whole job. This quote was given over the phone without going to the property to inspect.
I will be calling another plumber for a quote cos i don't want to go right ahead and change the tap if this isn't the only problem.
Any insight or advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks |
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Did it used to have water? When was the last time?
Can you turn the handle / knob? Is it actually turning the shaft?
Is there an inside shut off you may have turned off? |
since I've had the property it hasn't run, so I'm not sure on the history. (just over a year)
the handle can be turned, not sure about an inside mechanism that can be turned on or off. I think there is just one on and off main. |
It is customary (in the US) to have a shutoff inside the house for outside faucets, most especially if the climate is such there could be a freeze.
Especially if your home's foundation has a basement and not just an open crawl space or a slab, I would try tracing back the plumbing until you get to the main shutoff. If there's no shutoff, perhaps the line has been disconnected.
A handy friend bribed with a beer or two might be useful too!
If you can't trace the line and don't have a handy friend, call the plumber. $88 doesn't sound like a lot of money for replacing the faucet -- just ensure with the worker that s/he will diagnose the problem independently and that a replacement will fix the issue. Before they begin.
Please keep us posted and feel free to drop by with any further questions! |
thanks, for the reply
I had got a 2nd opinion from a local plumber and he tells me there is galvanized piping behind the wall and is unable to function properly. (the rest of the piping around the house is copper)
he is going to replace the pipe with copper and resolve the whole problem with the garden tap- quoted $350 for the whole job done, which also involves cutting a small square in the front of the houses exterior.
Also was told by the tenants that the water is discolored at times, the galvanized pipe is probably the problem right, maybe rusted?
The hot water system i bought brand new and installed just over a year ago. |
| I'd ask the local plumber about the discoloration. |
The tenants claimed the water comes up green/yellow occasionally.
I searched online before getting plumbers to look at it and i found a few common problems which may cause water discolouration.
Could be having rusted galvanized piping over time.
Or that the hot water system needed to be flushed out (every ten yrs) mine was next to brand new. Or local water pipe maintenance.
I got about 4 different plumbers to try diagnose the problem. They all checked the piping and found copper and tested the water-was all clear and couldn't manage to find any faults.
I then rang the water company to see if they did any local pipe work in the area and none had been done in recent time. They also said this was quite unusual and went on to do a report and some tests. Had changed the water meter first time on site and now in the process of testing the water samples.
I remembered when i bought the property the garden tap wasn't working so i thought I'd have that fixed also i noticed the tenants added their collection of pot plants in the front garden so could be convenient for them also.
Fingers crossed the faulty garden tap is the cause of the defect in the water. |
