External / Garden Tap Burst — What to Do Right Now
The garden tap is the first thing to freeze and split every winter. If you turn on the internal feed in spring and it gushes into the wall cavity, you've found last winter's split.
Make it safe — before anything else
Isolate internally first
Every properly fitted external tap has an internal isolation valve. Turn it 90° to the pipe = OFF.
Check the wall behind for damp
Water follows the pipe back into the wall cavity. Damp plaster or a bulge in the kitchen wall means the leak has been going on longer than you thought.
Never leave a split tap live overnight
Once the tap has split and the internal feed is on, every drop of mains water flows into your wall. Isolate immediately.
Photograph for insurance
Any internal water damage is normally covered under 'escape of water'. Photos before you dry anything.
What Kevin (our AI) will check first
Message Kevin and he'll ask exactly these questions before we send an engineer, so we bring the right parts on the first van.
- Is the tap the standard bib-tap, or a frost-protected long-shaft type?
- Copper or plastic feed pipe through the wall?
- Any internal damp on the kitchen / utility wall behind it?
- Is there already an internal isolator, or does the pipe run straight from the mains?
- Do you want a like-for-like replacement or an upgrade to a frost-protected outdoor tap?
Common causes of a external / garden tap burst
Water left in the tap over winter
The narrow neck of the bib-tap holds water; it freezes, expands and splits the brass casting overnight.
No internal isolator fitted
Common on older houses — the DIY install never included an internal valve to drain down for winter.
Frost-damaged pipe inside the wall
The pipe splits in the wall cavity, not just at the tap. Only reveals itself when the leak wets the internal plaster.
Failed washer / cartridge
Not a burst as such — a drip that runs down the wall and looks like frost damage. Cheaper fix, but same isolation steps.
Cracked wall boss / union
Where the pipe meets the wall plate. Frost stress after years of thaw-freeze cycles. Full replacement needed.
Honest cost band — why we won't quote blind
Typical
£140 – £220 to swap the tap and fit a frost-protected replacement with a drain-down isolator
Complex
Where the pipe has split inside the wall: £280 – £520 depending on access and replaster work.
We upgrade to a frost-protected tap and internal drain-down valve as standard — you'll never have to think about it in future winters. £50 diagnostic and refund-if-not-fixed apply.
Fixed £50 diagnostic
Flat fee. No hourly meter running.
Fair quote or refund
Transparent pricing — refunded if we don't fix it.
Vetted UK engineers
DBS-checked, insured, real reviews.
AI-triaged in seconds
KJ chats first so the right engineer arrives.
Related emergencies
See all in the emergency plumbing hub — or the leaks & water damage hub.
Areas we cover for external / garden tap burst
Same-day across Greater Manchester and Rochdale.
External / garden tap burst — FAQs
Dealing with a external / garden tap burst? Chat with Kevin now
Real triage in seconds. £50 diagnostic visit — refunded if we don't fix it.
Related hubs: emergency plumbing, leaks & water damage, all services.
Chat with Kevin about External / garden tap burst