Outdoor Hot Water Spigot

I'd like to get hot water outside for hosing off dirty dogs and wondered if there are various methods and how much I should expect to pay someone. I had a plumbing company come out and they gave me an estimate of $1700. No way can I afford that. They said they would run a pipe from the water heater to the outside which would require drilling through a cement wall. I have a sink in the laundry room against the wall where I want the spigot outside. Im also wondering about a tankless water heater outside.

 

Welcome to the forums.

Wow.....that's a tad pricey unless they are including some type of mixing valve which would deliver warm water outside rather than just straight hot water which could be too hot.

A tankless heater would freeze outside if you're in a cold zone. There is no hot water stored in it (just cold unheated water) waiting to be heated.

I'd call for a second price for that job.

 

Do you have an existing cold water spigot outside?

You could tap indoors to the pipe that feeds it with a connection and a valve from an existing hot water line. You could set the valve to get an appropriate temperature at the spigot. This may work without putting in a check valve but depending on your piping layout a check valve may be needed to prevent back feeding hot water into the cold water pipes throughout the house.

 

I don’t think you can bathe a dog outdoors in the winter or when it is cold. If you can’t use cold water outdoors for rinsing the dog, then I think it’s too cold to wet the dog outdoors. Hot water won’t help. At least that’s my understanding.

 

Oh- i live in San Francisco where it very rarely ever freezes here. When it does, evey couple of years, it touches freezing for a a couple hours over night and that's the end of it. Mild climate here year round. Summers are the coldest time of year here! I do use cold water but they'd be more cooperative & enjoy the warm water. We've never had an issue with our pipes freezing and I've lived here all my life.

 

Without knowing the details of your job I would say that is a ridiculous price for the work. I wonder if you can find a plumber who will quote you an hourly price plus parts.

I had a technician out to my home recently who quoted a price for my job at $375. I refused and he said he could call it some other type of service on his estimate form and would do the job for $150. 15 minutes later he was through and ready for his payment. I believe in the free enterprise system but a serviceman is not worth more than a
doctor (my opinion). I think you were given the opportunity to fund the plumbers 401k for a few months.

 

and the point above about mixing hot and cold sounds like a must if your using the water to bath anything that is living. I imagine they would complain about pure hot water a lot more then they would about the cold.

 

You can buy a rubber clamp-on spigot for your laundry room sink faucet. It will have a male hose fitting. Can you run a garden hose to the outside ?

 

This is a frost free blending faucet which might simplify the plumbing a little.

We rinse our dogs off outside all the time as long as it's above freezing, they love it!


https://www.doityourself.com/forum/a...1&d=1543505603

 

The item I had in mind is a Camco Water Thief, around $5.

 

OP........what's the latest ?

 

Hmm, missed this initially -

In middle Pennsylvania, it's nicknamed "hunter's shower"-
it allows you to stand on the lawn and wash/thaw the frozen mud off your boots and clothes..

It is just a spray nozzle and 100' of garden hose.

Usually hooked up to the hot water heater drain with a hose and left coiled up in a box by the exterior basement doors or in the mudroom. Usually has enough warm water in the hose to thaw out frozen mud on hunters, kids or dogs. You eventually get hot water directly from the heater, but it's usually cold enough outside that hot water on the outside of clothes of fur is not a problem.

Also can be hooked up to a laundry sink, (classic laundry faucets have a garden hose connector on the end of the spout) which allows you to set a temperature.