POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about outdoor wall faucets, sillcocks, hose bibbs, and freezeproof or frostproof faucets or faucet troubleshooting

Using a backhoe or trencher, create a trench that is safely below the frost line from the supply to the intended location of your hydrant. Dig out a pit at the hydrant end that is roughly 3 feet in diameter and about a foot deeper than the level of the trench. Fill that bottom foot with pea rock or crushed stone to act as a small French drain.
Installing a frost-free hose bib on a well before the pressure tank; Author: RTW (SC) We live in the country and are on a well. When we built we had a water line run off the main and capped prior to the pressure tank in the house so that we could eventually have water at the garden.

Extend from the hole for proper installation. Note 2: To assure proper drainage, turn the handle to the closed position (clockwise). Detach the hose from the spout during winter, otherwise the trapped water could damage the faucet when freezing. Note 3: This faucet assures a frost-proof operation because.

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Diagnose & fix frostproof hose bibb & sillcock leaks:

This article series gives the steps in diagnosing leaks at outdoor spigots, hose bibbs, or sillcocks.

As our illustration at page top 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.

Using the popular Woodford Model 17, we illustrate & explain the steps in replacing a leaky sillcock anti-siphon valve.

This article series 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 also provide an ARTICLE INDEX for this topic, or you can try the page top or bottom SEARCH BOX as a quick way to find information you need.

How to Install or Repair a Leaky Frost-proof Outdoor Faucet SillCock or Hose Bibb

Frost-proof or freeze-proof outdoor hose bibbs or sillcocks use longer-stem frost-proof outdoor faucet (shown at left). These are required in new construction in most jurisdictions. This outdoor includes a vacuum breaker is designed to permit water to drain out of the faucet when the faucet is closed.

Explanation of the faucet's anti-siphon feature: The 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.

Explanation of the faucet's frost-proof feature: 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.

[Click to enlarge any image]

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.

The sketch above, showing the two types of outdoor water faucets is provided courtesy of Carson Dunlop Associates, a Toronto home inspection, education, and report-writing company.

What Kind of Faucet Have I Got?

Before starting to tear things apart or to buy repair parts, let's check that we know what kind of faucet we're repairing: the procedures and parts are not the same.

Our first photo above is a typical frost-free anti-siphon faucet, or 'Woodford' valve. Repairing that faucet is discussed here on this page.

If your outdoor faucet looks like our second photo at above, and if needs repair, it is NOT a frost-proof anti-siphon valve, it's a traditional compression valve faucet or spigot. You want to see the leak repairs starting

at FAUCETS, OUTDOOR HOSE BIBBS

Why do we Want an Anti-Siphon Faucet?

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.

How to Repair Sillcock Leaks at the Anti-Siphon Valve

This leaky anti-siphon hose bibb is the same one as shown earlier in this article, before it leaked. The hose bibb worked perfectly for about fifteen years before in a sudden change of behaviour it began gushing water when the faucet was opened.

Question: where can I get repair parts for my frost-free anti-siphon sillcock

2018/06/27 Jim said:

I would like to replace the only the stem assembly (4 inch, spring loaded) in my frost free anti-siphon sillcock. Where the handle attaches the stem assembly is very bent.

Also, to replace the whole sillcock would require I open a hole in the bedroom wall.

I'm having trouble finding the replacement part and would like to know if anyone can identify the attached stem assembly and know where I could find one. Thanks

Reply:

Jim

Take the valve stem that you removed to a good hardware store and you may find they have a plethora of Replacements one of which will match.

Or if you can see a brand and model on the sillcock, such as the Woodford No. 17 shown above on this page, you can buy the exact parts from your local plumber supplier or you can order replacement parts from online vendors.

I agree that for a typical frost-proof sillcock installed in a building wall above ground you will have no access without cutting an access opening in the wall from inside or outside.

The Woodford sillcock shown above is installed in a wall outside of a bathroom on a wall abutted inside by a cast iron bath tub. There is no access from inside the building whatsoever. (You'd have to demolish the bathroom to remove the bathtub.

A plumber having to replace the entire sill-cock would cut an access opening from outside, make the repair, then repair the wall.

Reader follow-up:

Found the frost free anti-siphon hose bib at a local plumbing supply store

It only cost about $20. I will rob the stem assembly from the new hose bib and insert it into the old (still good) hose bib. Will save time and money from cutting a hole in my wall to get to the pipe connection and replace the whole thing.

Reply: How to Replace the Anti Siphon Valve on a Frost Free Woodford No. 17 hose bibb

Very smart, Jim.

But before replacing the valve stem, let's be sure we understand just where the leak is occurring.

[Click to enlarge any image]

You can identify the brand and model of your frost-free anti-siphon faucet by looking at the cap - photo below.

Mansfield sillcocks series #500 use a gray plastic cap on the anti-siphon valve.

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How To Install A Frost Free Hose Bib