Outdoor Faucet Replacement

Outdoor Faucet Replacement Questions

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Is A Hose Bib and Spigot The Same Thing?

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While they may sound like something completely different, a hose bib and a spigot are the exact same thing. You may be surprised to learn that these unassuming but crucial faucets outside of your home, other buildings, and appliances actually have a few names. They are also called hose bibbs, sill cocks (or sillcock), hose cock, hose faucet, and outdoor spigot. Some of these terms are more dated, such as sill cocks, and others, such as hose bibb, are preferred for plumbers and building code language.

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What Kind of Hose Bibs Are There?

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When you think of hose bibbs, you may think that there’s only one type, and that’s on the outside of your home. In fact, there are five different types of hose bibs, and not all of them are outdoor faucets, as mentioned in the previous FAQ. Some hose bibs are on items in your home, like a water heater that allows you to drain your hot water tank for regular maintenance quickly.

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Outside of your home, you can expect to have either a frost-free hose bib that helps to protect it during cold weather or a non-frost-free hose bib. You may wonder what type is attached to your home, and often, it all has to do with age and where you live. Newer homes are usually equipped with frost-free hose bibs to help protect them from cold weather, especially in areas where cold weather hits. Non-frost-free hose bibs are often on older homes, even in areas where the weather can turn wickedly cold. If your home has a non-frost-free hose bib, you’ll need to winterize your hose bib to prevent freeze damage. Hot water heaters can have different types of hose bibs, such as round plastic hose bibs and knobbed hose bibs. A round plastic hose bib is made of plastic and easy to work with using your hand. A knobbed hose bib is made of metal and requires a pipe wrench to turn it. Finally, the loose key hose bibs that the homeowner can take the key off it that keep the spigot from being used without permission.

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How Do You Turn Off Hose Bibs for Winter?

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If you live in an area where winter weather is a concern for freezing, it can be helpful to know how to turn off your hose bib for the winter months. Did you know that it only takes about 6 hours for a pipe to freeze when exposed to freezing temperatures? Follow these steps to protect your exterior hose bibs:

• Remove any attachments to your hose bib. That means putting away your hose and any splitters you may have on it.

• Identify the indoor water shut-off valve for the hose bib. You’ll want to turn it off inside.

• Once that’s completed, turn on the outdoor faucet and let the remaining water in the line drain. Leave it open for another minute or so after the water has drained to ensure that it’s completely empty.

• Turn off the faucet.

• Repeat these steps for all of your outdoor faucets.

• Voila, you’ve successfully turned off the water to your outdoor spigot.

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Keep in mind, if you’re planning on going on vacation during the winter, you may need to not only drain the water from your outdoor spigots but from your entire house to prevent coming home to a big mess. You’ll follow the same steps to drain the water from the other pipes in your home.

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You may even find it helpful if you’re going out of town or turning off your hose bib for other reasons.

Source: https://gardencourte.com
Categories: Outdoor