Turning off outdoor tap??

[butteriesplease]

Hi, am in a new build house and can't work out how to turn off the water to the outside tap. On the pic, should I turn the blue switch(at left)? Presume the tap at the bottom is for all the water?
Thank you in advance.

Does the grey pipe go to the outside tap? If yes, then close the blue valve.

Edit: If in doubt, close the blue valve and go outside and see if the tap still works.

Why do you want to turn it off?
Does that hose definitely go to that tap?

The bottom one looks like the stopcock

Yes the big one ag the bottom is the stop cock. The one with the blue looks like a feed for a washing machine and dishwasher. Is the outside tap on the other side of that wall? It will be one of the copper pipes going through the wall and you can turn it off with a flat head screwdriver on those isolator valves....see the silver bit on the far right pipe.

The blue tap on the grey pipe looks like the pipes to my washer and dishwasher.

The blue one looks like an isolater for a washing machine or dishwasher. The other metal stopcock looks like it's the mains one which will shut off your kitchen taps etc. Not all outside taps have an isolater as it depends on who and when it was added.

Edit - you can buy those insulated jackets for outside taps and if the pipes are exposed you can buy lagging materials.

The grey pipe looks more like a feed to a washing machine. What is outside? Normally I would expect an actual tap outside fixed to the wall and connected by copper pipe, or have you just got a hose lying on the ground outside effectively?

as per some above, the blue is almost certainly a washing machine or dishwasher connection. Then you have the stopcock going into a drain off and then pressure reducing valve. Only other isolation point in that picture is the the ball isolation fitting on the far right pipe. Turning this so the slit is horizontal rather than vertical will switch off whatever is on that loop but it would be really bizarre if that was the outside tap.

unless you can locate the pipe work running to your outside tap then nobody here is going to be able to help (or anywhere for that matter). Are you worried about the pipe freezing? Is it exposed / lagged? You can buy pipe heaters if you are that bothered. I have for the past decade or so just let mine freeze over winter as I don’t use it anyway. No problems.

If I had to guess I would guess the top right hand one which you need a screwdriver to close off? Turn it so the line goes across the pipe rather than in line with it and check the tap.

Just turn off the blue valve and check if the outside tap still works. If it doesn’t, try the isolator valve next to it.

It really isn’t that hard.

Thanks all - I presumed that there would definitely be a way to turn water to outside tap.off (to prevent freezing etc) from inside the house.
The outside tap is not on other side of the wall in pic.
Seems like consensus is that blue valve is likely for washing machine. Once weather is less freezing I'll try the suggestions above - thank you.

I never turn the outside tap off. Im not sure why you'd need to (and I"m in Scotland!). You can get covers to put on the tap to stop it freezing

it's recommended so water in pipe doesn't freeze and expand i thought? My dad always did! Am also in Scotland!

I often need to turn my outside taps off, and yes they have insulated covers. I need access to water outside all year several times a day, and they definitely freeze if cold enough.

Well yes. In the years preceding insulation lagging and insulated tap pouches to be fair.

I would do some investigating to see if you actually have a separate stopcock for it and if not (and you are still concerned) then get a plumber to add one in. It's quite a simple process for them to do (or any competent DIYer). I do appreciate Scotland is a LOT colder so understand your worries.

It will turn it off. It will also likely turn the water supply for all / most of the house off too. To isolate just the outside tap the OP is going to need to find the pipe that supplies it and isolate that either with an existing stopcock or similar or through applying one.

If it really bothers you then the below is how you solve it with likely much less faff.

www.frostprotection.co.uk/pre-made-frost-protection-kits

Unlikely, unless she turns off the main stopcock that she has already identified in her first post.