Outdoor tap not up to water regs

[Jennie]

Hi all,
I was called out to fix an outdoor tap last week - it had a pinhole leak on the metal on the backplate. I simply fitted a new backplate, and put the original tap back on (at the request of the customer, who didn't see the need to spend £8 on a new tap).
I also advised him that the installation didn't meet the water regs, and told him about check valves and back flow/siphonage risks. His outdoor tap doesn't contain check valves, and I said I could fit one that does.
Blue poly pipe runs under his garden and pops up in a flower bed. He doesn't know where it tees off from (and wasn't minded to look for it), so can't isolate it, and possibly doesn't have a double check valve at the other end. We had to turn off the stopcock in the house to work on it. The pipe is poorly insulated - it has a kind of material rubbery lagging, with no boxing around the pipe.
I pointed this out to him. He was on a budget, and just wanted the leak to be fixed. Because our local water authority had detected the leak, and had been round and looked at his tap - and hadn't mentioned the regs - he decided to just deal with the leak.
So.. two questions.
1. Did I fulfill my responsibilities as a plumber? Should I have refused to screw the original tap back on, as going on a new backplate turns it into a new installation?
2. I doubt he'll spend the money on it, but what do you reckon on this solution I found at Standpipe | Tap Boxes
Thanks again for your advice.
Jennie

 

[clarky101]

You can't police the country.......just do what he asked, tell him your reservations about the regs , but in fairness the public don't give a hoot if its gonna cost them & if you persist you or your company will lose that customer..

 

[snowhead]

it has a kind of material rubbery lagging,

Class 0, used on refrigeration pipework normally

 

[PlumbBobBob]

i agree with clarky, you pointed out what was wrong with the installation so did your part. as you said they wanted a cheap job doing so wouldn't have stumped up to rectify the situation.

 

[REDSAW]

get paid and go home!

 

[WHPES]

Probably more than 50% of all outside taps dont meet water regs. The one outside my house is the original one when I moved in and I doubt theres a non-return valve on it (would have to dismantle the kitchen to check). No risk of backflow here as the pressure is pushing 7 bar.

 

[gassafe]

Probably more than 50% of all outside taps dont meet water regs. The one outside my house is the original one when I moved in and I doubt theres a non-return valve on it (would have to dismantle the kitchen to check). No risk of backflow here as the pressure is pushing 7 bar.

you can get the taps with built in check valve...

Even at 7 bar there is a back flow risk, we have all seen the pic of the hosepipe left in a dirty pond... Then if the tap was left open & the water board turned the water off then it could siphon dirty pond water into the water mains...

 

[WHPES]

All new installations must have check valves in line.

Taps with built in check valves are OK until you get a hard frost and the thing splits.

 

[mtpipe]

As an outside water chap, I fit outside taps for custards who need it say for the vege patch, and found the double check valve bib taps are useless in the frost, as the bit of water trapped between the the two valves freezes, then explodes the internals once thawed,often splitting the SO CALLED BRASS, rendering it fit for the bin, this is despite isolating it within a chamber, to date I would say the old brass taps are best ,but we cant fit them.

 

[PlumbBobBob]

the taps with integral dcv aren't allowed under the water regs for new installs only to replace existing ones. i don't fit them at all because they can and do fail under freezing conditions.

 

[mtpipe]

Hi, thanks for that, what is the new type now, I have seen the quarter turn o/s taps available from Philmac etc, any good.? By the way I don`t do internal plumbing, except internal sleeved rising mains and know nothing about boilers and all that technical stuff you folks know about, and what alot of stuff there is to know, but what I do is Impact moling under houses,(yes under if need be) garages,gardens or chain trenching for water pipes for long distance pipe runs and of course water main leak correction.
Just a quick question : How do you lot keep up with all the new rules/regs/ and appliances which seem to flood the UK house building scene?