Connect garden tap to washing machine

[laura2989]

Hi, so I live in a small apartment with zero space for a washing machine, but tbh going to the laundromat is not working out, I hate it there.. So I want to get a washing machine and put it in my garage.

There is a tap located just outside the garage door I could use, but I just want to know if this is going to work out before I spend 2k on a washer/dryer.

The tap is a standard garden tap so I presume a hose will attach to it, idk, I have never gardened here as there is a lack of a garden to bother with. I put pics of said tap.

If this will work, I am wondering what other things I will be needing, like adaptors and such, I tried to look for youtube tutorials but I don't feel confident that I understood what they meant.

And is it okay to just have a cold water connection and leave the hot unconnected or will it not work? And when I'm not using the machine can I just disconnect the hose from the tap, as the tap is for other people too so I can't have it connected all the time.

Thanks for the help.

[laura2989]

@Peejay2  Thanks, that's a good tip

[StevieB]

Fantastic to see you jumping into this discussion @Peejay2.

It sounds like you've got plenty of great advice to share, and it's wonderful to have you join us. We're excited about hearing all your helpful suggestions, as well as your own projects and plans around the house and garden.

Stevie

[StevieB]

Thanks for contributing to this discussion @plumb. Let me tag @laura2989 so they are alerted to your comment.

It's great to see you sharing your helpful suggestions so quickly after joining us. 

I trust that you're getting plenty of inspiration from our wonderful community, and please let us know if we can help with any projects at your place.

Stevie

[laura2989]

Hi, thanks for the advice, I feel that I can tackle attaching a hose to a tap myself, should be pretty standard - the worst thing that can happen is water going everywhere, and its all on a concrete floor with concrete outside as well, so it wont really be a big deal if that happens.

What makes a garden hose blow apart? I'm only asking it to transport water from a tap to somewhere else, that's the only purpose a hose has, if it can't do that then it really has no business being a hose right?

I'm not worried about the capping thing, I'm going to get a machine with cold water only inlet.

[MitchellMc]

Hi @laura2989,

A garden hose is capable of withstanding mains water pressure which is quite high. However, their fittings can have a tendency to burst apart, and they are not considered hard plumbing. In my experience, when dealing with quality garden hose fittings that are new and properly secured together, I've never had an issue with them coming apart. 

The main concern with soft connections like these is that if you were to run this setup and a connection came apart inside your home, you could risk flooding portions of it if you were not there to intervene. This might have insurance consequences, and @plumb is likely just looking out for your best interests.

Mitchell

[laura2989]

Okay so here's an update on the situation.

I have purchased a washer and dryer, just waiting on delivery in 10 or so days.

I have purchased the tap fitting, hose with connectors, and sprinkler adaptor as suggested by @redracer01 

Now, when I was sweeping out my garage of a years worth of leaves and spiders, I realised that one of the previous tenants must have done this before, as I found 2 small holes along the garage wall (I promise I didn't make them!), one is below the tap on the other side of the wall, and the other comes out above a small drain, so with the 1.5 meter inlet hose I probably wont even need the garden hose anymore, just the tap fitting and adaptor.

Now that I can have the drain hose come out of the wall to above a little drain I will need to purchase the drain hose extension, this one you suggested looks good

https://www.bunnings.com.au/kinetic-4-1m-grey-pvc-washing-machine-and-dishwasher-outlet-drain-expand...

So I need to get hose clamps and a 19mm barbed joiner? But how do you know that it's 19mm because it doesn't say how wide the end is, and how do I know my washing machine one will be 19mm.. I just ask because I don't want to buy the wrong things and I saw some other drain hoses on bunnings that said they were 21.5mm or 29mm.

Also, the dryer has an outlet drain hose also because it's a heat pump one, is there some fitting I can attach to the extension hose so I can connect both the washer and dryer outlet hoses to that one and then run it outside. It's not a big deal as the dryer has a small catchment that is easy to empty, but if its possible then I will do it.

Thanks!

[MitchellMc]

Hi @laura2989,

The extension hose and your washing machine's hose will either be 19mm or 25mm, so you might like to pick up a Pope 25mm Barbed Joiner as well to be on the safe side. I've never come across a hose that wasn't 19mm or 25mm off a washing machine. The extension hose has a rubberised end on it that might slip over your washing machine's hose, and a clamp will hold it in position. However, if your washing machine's hose also has a rubber end on it, this is where you'll need the barb joiner. The hose ends are fairly stretchy, so although they might be labelled a specific size, they'll accommodate others as well.

Mitchell

[laura2989]

Ohhhh it's stretchy, makes sense, looking at the picture it seems to have two different sized ends so at least one will work. Thankyou!

[redracer01]

Hello @laura2989 

I was wondering if you've had any success and have finally hooked up your temporary washing machine? I'm looking forward to your first load of washing and telling us it was a success!

Cheers,

Red

[laura2989]

@redracer01 not yet, the washer I wanted wasn't in stock, but it's getting delivered this Thursday! So excited. I will post about how it turns out 😃