Plumbing
Outside taps and garden plumbing
Whether this needs a licence in Ireland
No licence required
Taken from the statute below; not yet reviewed by a lawyer
Outside taps and garden plumbing: what the job involves
Fitting an outside tap or extending a water supply into the garden, for a hose, a car wash or watering. A proper installation has a check valve to protect the drinking water and an isolating valve inside so it can be drained for winter.
Also asked for as: garden tap · outdoor tap installation · tap for hose · outside tap leaking · garden water supply
How the job is usually done
- Choose the position, usually on the wall nearest the kitchen sink or mains supply.
- Isolate the water and tee into the cold mains supply.
- Fit an isolating valve and a drain-off point inside the house.
- Drill through the wall and run the pipe out, sleeving it through the wall.
- Fit a double check valve (or a tap with one built in) and fix the tap to the wall.
- Test for leaks and show the customer how to turn off and drain it for winter.
Outside taps and garden plumbing: what is included
Usually included
- Teeing into the supply and running the pipe through the wall
- An isolating valve inside and a check valve
- The outside tap and wall bracket
Usually not included — agree it separately
- Trenching a supply to a garden office, field or far end of the garden
- Irrigation systems and timers, unless agreed
- Making good any decorative wall finishes
Materials and who supplies them
- Tap, check valve, pipe and fittings: usually supplied by the plumber as a kit
- Insulated tap cover for winter
How long it takes
One to two hours for a tap close to the supply; longer for a stone wall, a long pipe run, or a second tap elsewhere.
When to book
Spring is the busy time; book before the garden season, and drain the tap down every autumn.
Outside taps and garden plumbing: the rules in Ireland
What the official sources say, checked against them on the date shown. A summary, not legal advice — follow the link to read the rule itself.
Plumbing is not a restricted trade in Ireland: there is no statutory register of plumbers. The restricted works are electrical (Safe Electric) and gas (RGI), and they often sit next to plumbing.
Applies to: the homeowner choosing a plumber
Commission for Regulation of Utilities · cru.ie · Checked 9 October 2026
In a water shortage, the water services authority can make a Water Conservation Order banning hosepipe use for gardens, cars and pools; breaching one is an offence.
Applies to: the householder using the tap
Water Services Act 2007, section 56 · irishstatutebook.ie · Checked 9 October 2026
Connecting to or altering a connection to the public water supply needs Uisce Éireann. An outside tap off your existing internal supply does not, but a new connection at the boundary does.
Applies to: the homeowner
Uisce Éireann · water.ie · Checked 9 October 2026
What outside taps and garden plumbing costs, and why
What jobs on Talqero came to
Not enough comparable jobs yet to publish a range here. Talqero shows a price range only once at least five comparable jobs, agreed prices or offers exist — a range from fewer would describe a handful of jobs, not the market. Post your job and compare the offers you get.
What affects the price
- Distance from the nearest cold supply pipe
- The wall to drill through: cavity block, solid stone or with external insulation
- Number of taps and whether a garden supply needs trenching
- A hot and cold outside supply, for example for washing down
- VAT: building work on a home is charged at the reduced rate of 13.5% by a VAT-registered business — unless the materials come to more than two-thirds of the price, when Revenue’s two-thirds rule applies the goods rate to the whole job. Ask whether a quote includes VAT.
Paperwork to ask for at the end
- An invoice describing the tap and check valve fitted
Safety
- A hose left in a bucket or a pond can siphon dirty water back into the house pipes: a check valve prevents this.
- If you have external wall insulation, the plumber needs to seal around the pipe so water does not get behind the insulation.
Outside taps and garden plumbing: before you hire
Questions to ask a tradesperson
- Does the tap have a check valve?
- Will you fit a valve inside so I can drain it for winter?
- Can you also run a supply to my shed or greenhouse?
What you can do yourself
Kits exist, but tapping into the mains and sealing through the wall is a job a plumber does quickly and properly; draining the tap for winter is the householder’s job.
What to put in your task
- How many outside taps do you need?
- Where do you want it?
- What is the wall made of?
- Do you need hot water outside too?
Photos that help
- The outside wall where the tap will go
- The inside of that wall, e.g. under the kitchen sink, showing pipes
- Where the stopcock is
Outside taps and garden plumbing by county
Choose your county for outside taps and garden plumbing close to home.
- Outside taps and garden plumbing in Dublin
- Outside taps and garden plumbing in Cork
- Outside taps and garden plumbing in Galway
- Outside taps and garden plumbing in Kildare
- Outside taps and garden plumbing in Limerick
- Outside taps and garden plumbing in Meath
- Outside taps and garden plumbing in Tipperary
- Outside taps and garden plumbing in Donegal
- Outside taps and garden plumbing in Wexford
- Outside taps and garden plumbing in Kerry
- Outside taps and garden plumbing in Wicklow
- Outside taps and garden plumbing in Mayo
- Outside taps and garden plumbing in Louth
- Outside taps and garden plumbing in Waterford
- Outside taps and garden plumbing in Clare
- Outside taps and garden plumbing in Kilkenny
- Outside taps and garden plumbing in Westmeath
- Outside taps and garden plumbing in Laois
- Outside taps and garden plumbing in Cavan
- Outside taps and garden plumbing in Offaly
- Outside taps and garden plumbing in Sligo
- Outside taps and garden plumbing in Roscommon
- Outside taps and garden plumbing in Monaghan
- Outside taps and garden plumbing in Carlow
- Outside taps and garden plumbing in Longford
- Outside taps and garden plumbing in Leitrim
Plumbing
Need outside taps and garden plumbing? Describe the job.
Post it once, free. Professionals near you reply with their own price and when they could start. You choose, and pay them directly.
Questions about outside taps and garden plumbing
Does outside taps and garden plumbing need a licence in Ireland?
No licence is required for this work in Ireland (source: www.cru.ie). Ask instead for references and photographs of similar jobs.
Why does my outside tap need a check valve?
It stops dirty water from a hose, bucket or pond being drawn back into the pipes that supply your kitchen tap. It is good practice on every outside tap.
Will an outside tap freeze?
It can, which is why the plumber fits an isolating valve inside. Turn it off and open the outside tap to drain it before the frosts, and fit a cover.
Can I use a hose during a hosepipe ban?
No. When a Water Conservation Order is in force, using a hose to water a garden or wash a car is an offence. Watering cans filled from the tap are allowed.