|
|
 Faucets, Sill-cocks, Hose Bibbs & hose hook-ups : types, installation, drip or leak repairs
|
InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.
This article describes outdoor faucets, hose bibbs, sillcocks, or hose hookups, how they work, where they should be installed, freeze-proofing hose hookups, and troubleshooting or repairing stuck, broken, or dripping outdoor faucets. We describe the component parts of outdoor faucets, how water flows through the faucet, and where drips or leaks occur. Leaky outdoor faucet repair instructions address each of these faucet leak locations & types and suggest a repair sequence from easiest that may work to more challenging faucet repairs that may be necessary. Our photo at page top shows water gushing out of the building wall just above the foundation. The owner/occupant had forgotten to turn off water to the outside hose hook-up, leaving that line full of water. The water line just inside the foundation froze and burst.
Green links show where you are. © Copyright 2013 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Author Daniel Friedman.
Outdoor Faucets, Hose Bibbs, Sill Cocks
Page top schematic of a frosst-proof hose bibb is provided courtesy of Carson Dunlop Associates. Also see VALVES, PLUMBING for a description of the different types of plumbing valves found at buildings both inside and outdoors.
Traditional outdoor hose bibbs used in non-freezing climates - Compression Faucets
 Traditional compression faucets (shown at left) allow water to flow from the building supply piping out through the faucet mouth by opening (turning) the valve handle counter-clockwise (to the left when looking at the top or face of the handle).
As you can see in our sketch at left (courtesy of Carson Dunlop), opening the faucet allows water to flow from the pipe up through a passage cast into the body of the faucet and out the faucet mouth.
When this type of faucet is closed, the stem washer presses against the faces of the valve seat to stop water flow.
This faucet, when mounted on the wall of a building in freezing climates, is not protected from frost damage and can freeze, break, and subsequently leak when freezing conditions warm up.
|
 If you live in a freezing-climate and if your outdoor faucet is the older type that is not frost-proof (photo at left), you should be able to turn off water to that faucet and open a small screw fitting on the faucet body side to assist in draining that device when draining the building piping.
For the hose bibb shown at left, we found a water shut-off inside the building close to this device.
Watch out: notice that hose splitter attached to the sillcock at left? If those little black valves are left in the "closed" position in winter the faucet won't drain even when shut-off inside, and it may freeze and break.
Even in a building where heat and water are being left on for the winter we make sure to find and use (or install if needed) the valve to turn off water to each outdoor faucet. Then we open the faucet to let it drain, leaving it open (and making sure it's not dripping from an indoor shutoff valve that is not working well).
Never leave a garden hose attached to your outdoor faucet in winter as water in the hose may add to the risk that the faucet will be freeze damaged.
Anti-siphon & vacuum breaker outdoor faucets & hose bibbs
As our illustration (left) explains, the long shaft (green) of this frost-proof faucet permits the actual stem washer and valve seat to be located on the warm side of the building exterior wall.
A hose bibb faucet that includes a vacuum breaker is designed to permit water to drain out of the faucet when the faucet is closed.
The attached atmospheric vent (allowing air into the faucet) combines with a check valve to prevent back-flow of unsanitary water from a garden hose backwards into the building water supply piping.
The check-valve shown in this sketch (adapted from Woodford's frost-proof hose bibb technical data [9][10][11]), prevents back-flow into the building. [Click any image to see a larger, detailed version]
How might we get backflow from a garden hose into the building piping? Easy. Suppose you are filling an above-ground pool, or a fish pond, with your garden hose.
The above-ground pond in our photo at left includes three levels, at least two of which are high enough to cause water back-flow when the pond fill-hose is left connected as shown in our photo.
As long as the upper surface of water in such an outdoor water container is higher than the hose bibb location on the building, the potential for back-flow occurs.
Back-flow of water from such a source through an open hose bibb faucet would then occur if the building happened to lose water pressure.
Also see CROSS CONNECTIONS, PLUMBING.
|
Frost-proof Outdoor Faucets & Sill Cocks or Hose Bibbs
Frost-proof or freeze-proof outdoor hose bibbs or sillcocks use longer-stem frost-proof outdoor faucet (shown at left) used in new construction in most jurisdictions.
The long faucet body of a frost-proof hose bibb is long enough to extend fully through the building exterior wall or foundation and into indoor or heated space, places the actual shut-off stem washer and valve-seat inside the building (see lower illustration in the sketch at left.
Frost-proof outdoor faucets are installed with the faucet body sloping down from its connection inside the building.
This position assures that when the faucet is turned off, any water remaining inside the faucet body will drain fully.
As we explained above in describing standard compression type hose bibbs, you should never leave a garden hose attached to the outdoor faucet in winter. Even with a frost-proof faucet, water in the hose may add to the risk that the faucet will be freeze damaged by preventing the faucet from draining fully even when it is turned to the "off" position..
Sketch at left showing the two types of outdoor water faucets is provided courtesy of Carson Dunlop Associates.
|
Also see FREEZE-PROOF PIPES and Find & Fix Water Pipe Freeze-Up Points.
How to Repair a Standard Hose Bibb or Sillcock - an outdoor faucet that is dripping or leaking
The repair of a dripping hose bibb of this type depends on where the leak is occurring.
Repair a faucet that leaks around the valve stem when the faucet is turned on
This leak can usually be fixed by gently tightening the large packing nut (see sketch above). Tightening this nut will further compress the packing washer to cause it to squeeze more tightly around the valve stem and stopping the leak.
Watch out: do not so over-tighten the packing nut on the faucet that you cause it to crack or break, or it's new faucet time. Try just turning it 1/4 turn, then open the faucet again to see if the leak has been repaired. Tighten in small increments. Don't tighten more than necessary or you'll find that the faucet handle becomes very difficult to turn.
If tightening the faucet packing nut does not stop the leak you can often repair this component easily as follows:
- Turn off the main water shutoff that feeds this water pipe
- Open the faucet to drain off water and pressure.
- Remove the faucet handle - this means loosening the screw in the center of the handle that holds the handle to the faucet stem or spindle.
- Gently wiggle the faucet handle side to side while pulling it away from the faucet stem to remove it.
- Unscrew the packing nut - this should expose the packing washer.
- Pull off the packing washer and install a new one of the same size and type.
- Replace the packing nut and faucet handle and close the faucet.
- Turn the water supply back on and check for leaks.
- Tighten the packing nut further if water is leaking around the stem.
Repair a Dripping Hose Faucet
- Turn off the main water shutoff that feeds this water pipe
- Open the faucet to drain off water and pressure.
- Unscrew the faucet packing nut and unscrew the smaller nut below the packing nut that holds the faucet stem or spindle into the faucet body.
- Remove the faucet spindle assembly by unscrewing it from the faucet body. You should see the stem washer secured to the bottom of the spindle assembly, usually by a brass screw.
- Replace the stem washer, and while you're at it, replace the brass screw too. We use a small dab of non-hardening teflon paste on the new stem washer screw to make a future repair easy.
- Re-assemble the parts in the reverse order of your disassembly.
- Close the faucet.
- Turn the water back on - you should see no leaking.
If the dripping hose faucet still leaks we suspect that either the stem washer you installed is not the right one or that the valve seat itself has become corroded or damaged.
How to Repair a Faucet Valve Seat
Disassemble the faucet spindle and handle assembly as we described above.
Inspect the valve seat inside the faucet. Often you will see a small groove in the valve seat that has been worn through the seat by dripping water. If that groove is shallow you can often smooth the faucet seat to a sealable condition by purchasing and using a faucet valve seat repair tool at any hardware store or building supplier.
The faucet valve seat repair tool includes a stem that fits inside the packing nut of your faucet, and a round "grinder" face that mounts on the end of the stem. Select a grinder face that fits inside the diameter of your valve and covers the valve seat.
By assembling the faucet seat repair grinder and stem through the packing nut, the grinder will be held in the proper position (with the grinder parallel to the valve seat). Pressing on and turning the valve stem repair resurfacing tool may suffice to "grind" the valve seat back to a smooth condition.
If not, but if the seat is almost perfect, the valve may still shut off without dripping when you install a new stem washer. If not, you will most likely need to replace the faucet entirely.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about outdoor faucets
Question: Our rarely-used outdoor faucet seems to be clogged internally, maybe with mud. What does the faucet look inside like & how can I clean it out?
First Thank you for all your wonderful help a couple of years ago with my well and septic tank issues. All fixed now.
Do you have any diagrams of what the INSIDE of an outdoor faucet (attached to the house) looks like.
I have one that is essentially never used except at the water supply for my swamp cooler in the summer. I am sure it is plugged with mud from all the times the well has been pulled out of the ground over the years and it now seems to be bad enough to be affecting the flow to the cooler.
If I knew what the inside looked like I could at least try to unclog it a little at a time. I am told that because it is almost as old as the house (39yr) that it could break if I tried to remove it to replace it.
I have tried pipe cleaners, wire, water pressure (syringe with Christmas tree adapter), all with no luck. If I just knew what it looked like inside I like to think it would help.
Thanks, - S.F.
Reply:
Thanks for the nice note. We are always very happy when our information proves useful, and thus much welcome questions & content suggestions such as your own. Because you live in an area where swamp cooles are used, I infer that you're not in a freezing-climate and that your hose faucet is a simple one such as we show above.
Provided you are talking really about an outdoor faucet or hose bibb, (not a water flow control valve installed in a section of water piping) the illustration provided earlier on this page and reproduced at above-left shows what a warm-climate standard hose faucet looks like. You can see from the cross sectional drawing that the bottom of the feed-pipe and faucet body could indeed accumulate mud and crud, leading to a clog that prevents water flow even when the faucet is "opened".
A simple fix for a debris-clogged faucet that usually works, though it sprays water all over the place (so is only suitable for outdoor repairs) is as follows:
- Loosen the faucet packing nut to expose the (usually but not always present) smaller nut below the packing nut that secures the stem assembly to the faucet body. You may have to remove the faucet handle to be able to un-screw the packing nut and smaller stem nut completely.
- Turn the faucet towards its "open" position (you may have to put the faucet handle back on to do this) which will now unscrew the faucet stem assembly from the valve body.
This will give a view into the faucet interior body. If you see mud and crud therein, stand back, and turn on the building water supply to this faucet.
The water should push the mud/crud right out of the faucet assembly and should flush it clean. If not you may need to pick at the internals of the faucet body to loosen hard-packed mud/crud.
Watch out: don't scratch up the valve seat face with a digging tool or the faucet may drip on reassembly.
Before reassembling the faucet, we recommend
- Installing a new faucet stem washer and screw
- A dab of non-hardening teflon paste on the stem washer screw and on all other threaded parts.
Questions or comments about this article
Questions & answers or comments about outdoor wall faucets, sillcocks, hose bibbs, and freezeproof or frostproof faucets or faucet troubleshooting.
Ask a Question or Enter Search Terms in the InspectApedia search box just below.
Technical Reviewers & References
Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.
 Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., 120 Carlton Street Suite 407, Toronto ON M5A 4K2. (416) 964-9415 1-800-268-7070 info@carsondunlop.com. The firm provides professional home inspection services & home inspection education & publications. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors. Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, for permission for InspectAPedia to use text excerpts from The Home Reference Book & illustrations from The Illustrated Home. Carson Dunlop Associates' provides:
- Commercial Building Inspection Courses - protocol ASTM Standard E 2018-08 for Property Condition Assessments
- Home Inspection Education Courses including home study & live classes at eleven colleges & universities.
- Home Inspection Education Home Study Courses - ASHI@Home Training 10-course program.
Special Offer: Carson Dunlop Associates offers InspectAPedia readers in the U.S.A. a 5% discount on these courses: Enter INSPECTAHITP in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.
- The Home Reference Book, a reference & inspection report product for building owners & inspectors.
Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.
- The Home Reference eBook, an electronic version for PCs, the iPad, iPhone, & Android smart phones.
Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference eBook purchased as a single order. Enter inspectaehrb in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
- The Illustrated Home illustrates construction details and building components, a reference for owners & inspectors.
Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Illustrated Home purchased as a single order Enter INSPECTAILL in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
- The Horizon Software System manages business operations,scheduling, & inspection report writing using Carson Dunlop's knowledge base & color images. The Horizon system runs on always-available cloud-based software for office computers, laptops, tablets, iPad, Android, & other smartphones.
- [2] "New Electric Heat Tapes Help Prevent Fires," US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) #00936
- [3] Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., 120 Carlton Street Suite 407, Toronto ON M5A 4K2. (416) 964-9415 1-800-268-7070 info@carsondunlop.com. Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, for permission to use illustrations from their publication, The Illustrated Home which illustrates construction details and building components. Carson Dunlop provides home inspection education including the ASHI-adopted a Home Inspection Home Study Course, and publications such as the Home Reference Book, the Home Reference eBook, and report writing materials including the Horizon report writer, and home inspection services. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.
- [4] "Freezeproof Your House," Mike McClintock, Rodale's New Shelter, p. 30, October 1985 (approximate date)
- [5] "How to Winterize Your Pipes," Mike McClintock, Homeowners How-To Magazine, p. 59-62, Nov-Dec
- [6] pending
- [7] pending
- [8] "Cross Connections", Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Water Bureau, Lansing Operations Division, Tel: 517-241-1300, web search 5/12/12, original source: http://www.a2gov.org/government/publicservices/customerservice
/Documents/customerservice_waterdeqCrossConnBrochure.pdf
- [9] "How a Frost-Proof Faucet Works", Woodford Manufacturing Company, 2121 Waynoka Road, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80915, Phone: (800) 621-6032, Website: woodfordmfg.com, Email: sales@woodfordmfg.com, WCM Industries, Inc., web search 5/12/12, original source: http://www.wcmind.com/woodford/Troubleshooting/19%20Troubleshooting.pdf
- [10] "Anti-Burst Freezeless Wall Faucet Model 16 & 19, Installation Instructions", Woodford Manufacturing Company, 2121 Waynoka Road, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80915, Phone: (800) 621-6032, Website: woodfordmfg.com, Email: sales@woodfordmfg.com, WCM Industries, Inc., web search 5/12/12, original source:
http://www.wcmind.com/woodford/Installation/16-19%20Installation%20Instructions.pdf
- [11] "How a Standard Frost-Proof Faucet Works", Woodford Manufacturing Company, 2121 Waynoka Road, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80915, Phone: (800) 621-6032, Website: woodfordmfg.com, Email: sales@woodfordmfg.com, WCM Industries, Inc., web search 5/12/12, original source: http://www.wcmind.com/woodford/HowAFaucet/How%20a%20
Standard%20Frost-Proof%20Faucet%20Works.pdf
- [12] "Cast Brass Hose Bibbs with separate tamper-proof vacuum breaker", Watts Regulator, ES-SC8, 2005, Watts Regulator USA: 815 Chestnut St., No., Andover MA 01845-6098, website: www.wattsreg.com; Canada: Watts Regulator, 5435 North Service Rd., Burlington ONT L7L 5H7, website: www.wattscanada.ca
- Hose bibb synonyms: sill cock, sillcock, hose faucet, outdoor wall faucet, frost-proof faucet, freeze-proof faucet, freezeless wall faucet, hose bib, sill cock, hose hook-up.
- ...
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
 The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 25th Ed., 2012, is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume. Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.
Or choose the The Home Reference eBook for PCs, Macs, Kindle, iPad, iPhone, or Android Smart Phones. Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference eBook purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAEHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
|
|
