Once you’ve made it through with the small drill swap for the large bit and then re-drill the hole from the inside. Once about half way through, go outside and drill out the rest of the hole. As said, this will prevent the large drill bit blowing a huge chunk off the face of the outside wall. Step 4 – Fit Isolation Valve and Drain Plug Push each olive down to meet the body and then wrap 3 or so layers of PTFE tape around the threads on the body and screw the compression cap up and tighten, making sure the joint for the new pipe branch is straight and level and pointing the right way.

Ideally this will be somewhere where there is plenty of space as you will need to get a large drill in there. If you intend to use a Power Washer, we recommend you don’t use a self cut tee, use one of our Professional Tap kits. The sleeve stops any pressure from the masonry on the actual water pipework to the tap. Expansion and contraction can cause the water pipe to rub across the masonry and over time weaken it to the point is bursts. Step 6 – Connect Pipe Through Wall If you are a competent DIY person go for kits with the Isolating T-piece, for the less so inclined go for the Self Cut TapThe last job to do then is to use a suitable exterior sealant and pump a load of it into the sleeve and around the external hole to seal it up and prevent any draughts or water ingress. Do this on the inside also. Each installation is different and as we have mentioned, will allow you to use a range of different fittings and techniques so take a look at our projects on how to join copper pipes by either using compression joints, or you can use soldered joints if you’re handy with a soldering iron or you could even use SPEEDFIT® plastic piping and joints.

Finally, cut another length of pipe so that it runs up to the hole through the wall. It should be around 10 – 15mm short of the hole to allow for a 90° bend to be fitted. A pipe clip also needs to be fitted along this section. With the pipe cut, unscrew and remove the compression nut and olive from the end of your compression fittings and slip them over each end of the cut pipe, cap first and then olive and then wiggle the fitting body over each end of the pipe.

Aside from the tap the next most important item is a water supply. When looking for a location to install your tap, it’s a good idea to select one next to or near an existing mains water supply pipe.