How To Run Water To An Outdoor Kitchen

When planning your exciting new outdoor kitchen, you’ll find that the options are seemingly endless, meaning that you’ll have a lot of decisions to make along the way.

One of the considerations that often gets left out is that of running plumbing, as it’s not as glamorous as some of the other exciting choices you get to make. However, running water to an outdoor kitchen will drastically improve your experience of this new addition and will maximise your use of the area overall, so don’t let this one slip to the bottom of your list!

Plumbed-in outdoor kitchen sink

A plumbed in outdoor kitchen sink keeps you from having to run back to the house every time you need water for prep, cleaning up or cooking, making entertaining far more convenient and sociable, which are often two of the main motivations for wanting an outdoor kitchen in the first place.

It can also be a lovely looking feature as we can install it as an integral part of your countertops, giving it a seamless and integrated look.

This is something you’ll want to discuss with your contractor as it is a fairly technical undertaking.

Something to consider is also whether you need both hot and cold water. Whilst it’s simpler to just have cold water coming from the mains tap, as we’re in (often very cold and rainy) England, it will be a lot more pleasant to have the option of hot water too.

As an alternative to bringing hot water all the way from the house, we often recommend fitting a small under counter water heater unit which fits in easily to your cabinets. With this set up, you need only run a cold water line outdoors.

Outdoor kitchen in cold climates

We also advise clients to keep the weather in mind. When the temperatures start to drop, you’ll have to be sure you winter-proof your outdoor kitchen plumbing so you don’t run into frozen pipe issues.

In some parts of England this is more important than others, and in London it is less likely but still a good idea to know how to prepare for just in case. You’ll be able to turn off the water with a valve inside your home, and from there you’ll have to drain the pipes so the water doesn’t freeze, expand, then cause the pipe to burst. If we are your chose outdoor kitchen installer, we will be able to show you how to do this in case there is ever the need.

It’s worth noting too, that if you want a fridge that has an ice maker or water dispenser, then that will also need access to the plumbing!

Outdoor kitchen drainage

One of the less exciting considerations which is nonetheless very important, is the drainage. That is where your plumber or installer will come in handy as they should be able to find a solution that works safely and effectively, so that it’s not something you ever need to worry about.

Summary

Thinking carefully about the water, draining and plumbing options at the beginning of your project can ensure that you have a fantastic outdoor kitchen for many to come. It’s not as exciting as choosing the grills for example, but it’s certainly of very high importance and should be a consideration from the very start!