Pam Moore wrote:
On Sun, 03 Oct 2004 16:48:43 +0200, Martin wrote:

On Sun, 03 Oct 2004 14:44:43 GMT, "Sue" wrote:

........ how can I protect my outside tap from freezing up?

Turn off the supply to it and then drain it.

I have trouble with this also. I turn off the inside tap, leave the
outside tap open, but it does not drain. The pipe goes down on the
wall, outside. (inside tap is in loft) I have lagged pipe and
outside tap and it has not frozen since I did this ( after several
years of having to have bits of pipe replaced because of bursts).
This is because the outside pipe does not drain. I'd welcome any
tips
on how to do this.
I've also wrapped the tap itself in bubble wrap.

If you haven't had a problem since you lagged everything, I'd say
you've cracked it (bad choice of word there!). If you check the
lagging every year, I don't think you need to worry about draining
the pipe-run. A traditional practice, more attractive than
bubble-wrap, is to enclose the tap and its exposed rising pipe in a
neat wooden box with insulation inside, and hinged top section or a
little door for access to the tap. In most areas, though, I'd say the
box probably wouldn't need to enclose the business end of the tap
itself.

Alternatively, if the wooden thing is too much bother, I find you can
paint over that round hardish foam lagging they sell in the sheds. A
cheap bouncy ball with a slit in it might make quite a neat cover for
the tap itself, and should be cosy enough for most winters.

Mike.