Backflow installation and testing
New backflow preventers installed for homes and businesses, and the annual tests commercial and institutional properties need.
For your home
Outdoor tap installation and repair in Kitchener-Waterloo
Frost-free outdoor taps installed, leaking or burst taps replaced, and new taps added where you need them.
- Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- WSIB covered
- Homes and businesses
Outdoor taps for homes across Kitchener-Waterloo
A standard outdoor tap has its shut-off right at the outside wall, where it can freeze and split in winter if it is not drained. A frost-free tap, often called a frost-free hose bib or sillcock, has a long stem that puts the actual valve inside the heated house, so the part that holds water stays above freezing.
We replace outdoor taps that drip, leak or have burst, swap older taps for frost-free ones, and add new taps on another side of the house. A tap with its own indoor shut-off can be closed and drained from inside before winter, so the line to it never sits full in the cold.
Signs you need outdoor taps
- An outdoor tap that drips or will not shut off
- Water in the basement when you use the hose
- A tap that froze or split last winter
- You want a tap on another side of the house
- An older tap with no indoor shut-off to drain it for winter
How the job works
Check the existing line
We find where the outdoor tap's supply comes off the house plumbing and whether it has an indoor shut-off.
Install the tap
We fit the new frost-free tap through the wall with a slight downward slope, so water drains out of it when it is closed.
Add a shut-off
Where the line has no indoor shut-off, we add one, so the tap can be closed and drained for winter.
Test
We run the tap and check the connection inside the house for leaks.
Common questions
Do I still need to disconnect my hose in winter with a frost-free tap?
Yes. A connected hose holds water in the tap, which can freeze and split it even though the valve is inside.
Why does my outdoor tap leak inside the house?
A frost-free tap that froze with a hose attached often splits inside the wall, so the leak only shows when the tap is turned on.
How do I get an outdoor tap ready for winter?
Take off the hose, close the tap's indoor shut-off, then open the tap outside so the water left in the line drains out. Leave the outside tap open until spring, so any water still inside has room to expand.
Where we do outdoor taps
Based in Kitchener, working across Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph and Stratford.
- Kitchener, our home base
- Plumber in Waterloo
- Plumber in Cambridge
- Plumber in Guelph
- Plumber in Stratford