Yard water distribution approach
I am relatively handy but tend more toward electrical/framing/drywall than plumbing. I’ve done some black pipe gas lines but not water distribution.
I now live in a condo building rather than a single-family home. Three units with patios (including mine) access a single spigot. At present, the owners have garden hoses run from the spigot with a 3-way splitter; the longest is about 70 feet of hose, which is a lot of opportunity for failure. Some like to leave them pressurized so as not to have to run in and out to the spigot to turn water on and off. (No patio gates, have to go through the building and around to access the spigot.)
Fine until it’s not, and then we have a leak for hours or days until someone notices. Leaks are usually at the spigot, but the maintenance folks could also clip a hose with a weed trimmer.
I’d like to install a permanent solution, with 1” (1 1/2”?) galvanized as distribution line and individual spigots for each patio. BUT the wall is stucco, and cutting in is not going to happen. So I need to attach to the existing spigot. I also don’t want to hire a plumber; the strata won’t pay for this as it benefits only 3 owners, and getting the other two to contribute will be a challenge as it is.
I can connect with a short length of hose, fewer points of failure but leaves us with the same issue of hose pressurized all the time and a potential rupture nobody will see. How can I safely connect solid pipe to the existing spigot? Only thing coming to mind for me is a splitter, backflow preventer, dielectric union to prevent corrosion, short (like 3”) piece of pipe and then a union to a longer piece to the first elbow. Feels unnecessarily complicated.
Better ideas would be welcome!