tap attachment for French taps

kelbal

Hi guys,
I'm trying to get ready for the summer trip. Just wondering, for the times we pull up alongside a water tap that has a screw connection - it would be handy to have a length of hose with a fitting on the end that I can just screw onto the tap, rather than having to repeatedly fill bottles. Do any of ye know off hand whats the connection I'd need for the end of the hose? Is it something you can easily get in a hardware here, or is it something a bit more specialist? Pictures would be handy!

thanks

Martin_D

kelbal wrote: »

Just wondering, for the times we pull up alongside a water tap that has a screw connection - it would be handy to have a length of hose with a fitting on the end that I can just screw onto the tap, rather than having to repeatedly fill bottles. Do any of ye know off hand whats the connection I'd need for the end of the hose? Is it something you can easily get in a hardware here, or is it something a bit more specialist? Pictures would be handy!

Fairly straight forward from my experience - taps that allow a screw on attachment seem to come in 2 sizes. I have a fitting that has both as standard - bought in B&Q so readily available in hardware/garden centres.
See pictures (this one is brass but available in cheaper plastic versions)

niloc1951

kelbal wrote: »

Hi guys,
I'm trying to get ready for the summer trip. Just wondering, for the times we pull up alongside a water tap that has a screw connection - it would be handy to have a length of hose with a fitting on the end that I can just screw onto the tap, rather than having to repeatedly fill bottles. Do any of ye know off hand whats the connection I'd need for the end of the hose? Is it something you can easily get in a hardware here, or is it something a bit more specialist? Pictures would be handy!

thanks

You will need one of these http://www.hozelock.com/watering/hose-fittings/connect-to-tap/2175---tap-connector.html to connect to the tap, it's imperial threads so when in France it sometimes will not fit exactly so buy a metric equivalent in the garden stuff section of a supermarket over there.

You also need one of these http://www.hozelock.com/watering/hose-fittings/connect-to-hose/hose-end-connector-12-5mm-15mm-2166.html to connect the end of the hose to the yoke above.

kelbal

great, thanks lads

bluethunder

My experience is that a lot of the taps over there, especially the ones in the aires, are a non standard type which will not allow easy attachment of a hose. Some are like bathroom taps and you simply have to try and get the rubber seal around it as best you can. The other problem is opening the tap. Many of the aires ones are push operated, meaning you have to stand by it and hold it down for the length of time it takes to fill. Frustrating...but if it's sunny you don't mind

kelbal

bluethunder wrote: »

...... a non standard type which will not allow easy attachment of a hose.

Yeah, thats what I've seen too

niloc1951

kelbal wrote: »

Yeah, thats what I've seen too

As said in my previous post, the taps have a metric thread and the imperial thread units you can buy here sometimes won't fit properly, which is why you need to buy the metric screw-on adapter as well.

I have the two imperial sizes, 1/2" & 3/4" (I find that the 3/4" does fit a lot of the French taps) and the two metric sizes, 25mm & 30mm (which I only have to use on very rare occassions), in my 'bag of bits' and have never found a tap I couldn't connect to.

As regards the push taps, many of those have to be kept pressed in while filling as they are set to cut off immediately they are released, a pain in the ar@e in know, but it's to prevent water wastage.

Tip: use a short length of wood with a squere of something non-slip stuck on the end to press in the button, it's much easier on the hand, for a de-lux model screw a little pad to the other end and you can just lean against it

kelbal

well they don't all have a screw connection by any stretch of the imagination. I came across loads last year that were of the type in this pic - I know the taps at the toilet emptying points are mostly like this, but loads of fresh water ones are too. I guess another type of adapter is needed for those taps!

niloc1951

kelbal wrote: »

well they don't all have a screw connection by any stretch of the imagination. I came across loads last year that were of the type in this pic - I know the taps at the toilet emptying points are mostly like this, but loads of fresh water ones are too. I guess another type of adapter is needed for those taps!

Not doubting your experiences.

Often there are more than one tap one of which is for rinsing out the toilet cassette, as a rule this tap does not have a thread so people will not be tempted to use it for drinking water. You don't want a tap which is contaminated to come near drinking water.
Hope you weren't selecting this tap for you filling you water tank :eek:

My own is of filling up hundreds of times in France over the last eight years and never coming across a tap that didn't have a thread. We spend many weeks there every year and over 90% of the time use 'Aires',
I would add however, that some of the chrome taps can look like they don't have a thread unless you look closely and quite a short thread can be seen, but it's enough to make a watertight connection.

Referring the the OP I think he/she should now have enough information to answer his/hers original concerns

Lucena

I'll have a look this evening if I get a chance (there a parking area for campervans in my village). Might be just the pushy ones though.

kelbal

niloc1951 wrote: »

Hope you weren't selecting this tap for you filling you water tank :eek:

No, always very careful about what tap I select, and give it a quick wipe with a disinfectant wipe before use. Unfortunately you can never be sure how the person before you has used it though

thanks for the advice

niloc1951

Have a look HERE, the two threaded taps for drinking water and the single tap for rinsing the cassette are shown clearly and the difference is obvious.

Many units needs a token for the drinking water flow. However, the cassette rinsing tap is usually free flowing. Don't be tempted to use this free water when filling as you may get a few 'extras' with it :eek:

kelbal

niloc1951 wrote: »

Have a look HERE, the two threaded taps for drinking water and the single tap for rinsing the cassette are shown clearly and the difference is obvious.

yeah, I'm familiar with the service point setups, it is obvious which is the cassette rinsing one alright

AutostratusEB

I've found that a watering can overcomes almost any tap in any European country...:-)

niloc1951

AutostratusEB wrote: »

I've found that a watering can overcomes almost any tap in any European country...:-)

Ferrying 120 litres by watering can would give me very long arms not to mention what it would do to the ould back :eek:

the rambler

Sounds like the fitting on the left of this lot will cover all your needs,

Cost about €3 in local hardware with 3/4" & 1/2" connections,

Hope this helps, image.jpg

dfbemt

We have always used water from a bottle !!!

We keep 2 2 litre bottles in the bathroom for 'flushing' the toilet and brushing teeth

We keep 2 under the kitchen sink for making tea / coffee

We wash our dishes in the kitchens

We wash and shower ourselves in the on site showers

We fill up the bottles on site

Saves us 100Kgs on weight too

Lucena

Had a look, the tap in the village is one of the pushy ones, but with a fitting to screw on a hosepipe.