How to Install an Outdoor Faucet?

Are you planning to set up an outdoor faucet? Usually, people prefer installing a faucet outside their home for gardening or cleaning purposes. It becomes simple to water a garden using a remote outside faucet. Most people struggle a lot by dragging the lengthy hoses all over the lawn to cover the entire area. If you are one among them then, you can totally relate and find the best solution in this post. By installing an outdoor faucet, you can easily carry out various activities like washing a car, gardening, washing hands, etc. With minimal room for mistakes, you can easily wrap up the installation process because of the enhanced outdoor faucet designs. If you are exploring the web to learn how to install an outdoor faucet, you landed in the right place. This guide gives in-depth information about the step-by-step procedure to install an outside faucet. Have a glimpse!

How to Install an Outdoor Faucet – Step by Step Guide

For some people, the idea of installing an outdoor faucet sounds as if it’s a complicated task. If you have the required tools and the right equipment, it’s not a tough job as you assume. If you are looking for the process on how to install an outside faucet, read the detailed guide below. But, before that, you need to have a clear understanding of the required tools and materials essential for this task. Check it out!

Tools & Materials Required

  • Adjustable wrench
  • Drilling Machine
  • 4-in-1 Screwdriver
  • Silicon Caulk
  • Plumber’s Tape for Sealing
  • Measuring Tape
  • Air Hose
  • Spade
  • Utility Knife
  • PEX Crimping Tool
  • Lead-free solder
  • Air Compressor
  • Copper Pipe & Fittings
  • Sand Paper
  • 3/4-inch PEX Tubing
  • Shutoff Valves
  • Tubing Cutter
  • Soldering Torch
  • Sill Cock
  • Female Adapter [3/4-Inch]
  • A Plug

Outdoor Faucet Installation Procedure

Once you ensure all the aforementioned tools and materials are handy, you can proceed with the outdoor faucet installation. One must arrange every single material that’s essential during the installation. Hence, proper planning is highly necessary. Check the step-wise procedure of the installation furnished below. 

Step 1: Determine the Perfect Spot

  • At first, you need to select the best location for installing an outside faucet.
  • Once you have opted for an ideal location, you need to make the surface suitable for installation. 
  • Ensure that the location is near to the main water line.

Step 2: Take Accurate Measurements

  • Once you have selected the location, you need to take measurements for the installation. 
  • With a clear understanding of the materials, the length of the pipe, and the required fittings count, installation becomes easy.
  • Ensure you are aware of the accurate size of each part required during the installation. 
  • In this way, you need to prepare the layout perfectly.

Step 3: Turn off the Main Water Source

  • Make sure you are aware of the accurate location of the main water source in your house.
  • You need to switch it off before commencing the installation procedure. 
  • Irrespective of the location from where water is accessed, just close the valve for carrying out your work.

Step 4: Dig a Hole

  • Dig a trench that’s at least a 6-inch deeper so that you can easily hide the water line underground.
  • Regardless of the soil type, it’s better to dig a minimum of 10 inches to evade reparations in the future.
  • Even if you dig much deeper, you need to cover the piping with some soil and concrete mix. This ensures no damage could happen to the tubing.

Step 5: Measure your Faucet

  • Mostly, people prefer PEX tubing for the water to get supplied through piping systems without any interruption.
  • PEX tubing is the primary choice for most of them as they are flexible and make the installation process easier.
  • However, there are some other materials like copper, PVC, steel, and others. Still, any plumber’s choice is PEX. 
  • When you are worried about how to install an outside faucet, ensure you take proper measurements.
  • Consider a 3/4-inch PEX tubing that’s perfect for the water to supply through the piping.

Step 6: Fixing PEX to a Copper Line

  • Speaking about the pipeline, a copper pipe is perfect for outdoor and underground installations. 
  • Compared to the plastic material, copper makes your installation simple and cost-effective.
  • Moreover, FEX can withstand slight freezing climatic conditions.
  • You need to fix PEX to the copper line on the transition fitting.
  • Further, compress the PEX tubing to make it fit in the accurate place using a PEX crimping tool.

Step 7: Extinguish the System

  • If you reside in colder locations, make sure you blow out the system prior to the initial stiff freeze.
  • It’s possible to blow out the system using an air compressor available a home.
  • Connect a female adapter with a tee. Once the connection is done, cover it with a plug. 
  • At that place, you need to connect the compressed airline.

Step 8: Set up a Blow-out Valve

  • If you are doing this in your lawn, just install the blow-out valve in an open pit. 
  • Close the shutoff valve and remove the plug. 
  • Place a basic air hose fitting using a screw alongside a reducer. 
  • You can then connect the air hose. 
  • After that, make sure you blow out the leftover water in it using the compressor. 
  • Once you ensure no water is remained in the faucet, just shut off the blow-out valve. Put the plug back in its position.

Step 9: Fit the Faucet

  • To position the faucet outside the house, you need to make use of a hollow PVC fence.
  • Cut the hollow PVC fence based on your requirement.
  • PEX tubing must get into the fence that assures protection of the pipe from sunlight. The harmful UV rays curtail the durability of the pipe.
  • Make sure you install the post keeping depth of about 18 inches into the ground.
  • Fit the sillcock and the ball valve to the post and set up a backflow preventer as well.

Step 10: Solder the Coupling 

  • The final step is to solder the coupling that ensures easy flow of water through the pipe and the faucet.
  • The pipe hangers need to be loose enough so that there will be a proper movement for it.

Final Words

That’s all! This is everything you need to know about how to install an outdoor faucet. We assume this guide has given adequate knowledge about the installation of an outside faucet. By now, you might have clearly understood the process of installing an outdoor faucet in your home. If you think you are too naïve to install a faucet, contact an experienced plumber. If you still have any doubts, feel free to ask us in the comments section.