Save Holiday Money for Fun Stuff Not Frozen Pipe Fixes by Santa's Elves
by
Home Repair Tutor
(IC: vlogger)
2 Hours
Medium
I'm forgetful.
Every year I always want to drain our outdoor hose bib. You'd think it'd be easy, we only have one.
But needless to say other things get in the way: holiday shopping, basketball practice for kids, Star Wars movie marathons, etc. (I'm always a sucker for The Empire Strikes Back, who does't love the "I'm am your father..." scene).
This past weekend I installed a freeze proof outdoor sillcock. So if I forget to shutoff the water to the hose bib I won't be at risk of having frozen pipes in January or February when temps get down to single digits here in Pittsburgh.
The last thing I want to be dealing with when the Steelers are in the Superbowl are burst pipes (okay, so this year the Black n Gold kinda stink but it's always a possibility).
The cool thing about this quick project is you don't need to use a torch or solder. SharkBite push on fittings make the installation so easy my 10 year old daughter could do it.
Here are some tips:
+turn off water to the exterior hose bib before temps reach freezing (32 F)
+drain the water from the exterior hose bib
+buy every size of exterior sillcock (it's easier to return them then drive back to the store)
+use a 1/2 female SharkBite straight connector to attach the sillcock to copper pipes
+apply teflon tape to the male end of the new sillcock
There are more tips and videos on my post which you can find here http://www.homerepairtutor.com/frost-free-sillcocks-for-outside-water-faucets-and-hose-bibs/
Every year I always want to drain our outdoor hose bib. You'd think it'd be easy, we only have one.
But needless to say other things get in the way: holiday shopping, basketball practice for kids, Star Wars movie marathons, etc. (I'm always a sucker for The Empire Strikes Back, who does't love the "I'm am your father..." scene).
This past weekend I installed a freeze proof outdoor sillcock. So if I forget to shutoff the water to the hose bib I won't be at risk of having frozen pipes in January or February when temps get down to single digits here in Pittsburgh.
The last thing I want to be dealing with when the Steelers are in the Superbowl are burst pipes (okay, so this year the Black n Gold kinda stink but it's always a possibility).
The cool thing about this quick project is you don't need to use a torch or solder. SharkBite push on fittings make the installation so easy my 10 year old daughter could do it.
Here are some tips:
+turn off water to the exterior hose bib before temps reach freezing (32 F)
+drain the water from the exterior hose bib
+buy every size of exterior sillcock (it's easier to return them then drive back to the store)
+use a 1/2 female SharkBite straight connector to attach the sillcock to copper pipes
+apply teflon tape to the male end of the new sillcock
There are more tips and videos on my post which you can find here http://www.homerepairtutor.com/frost-free-sillcocks-for-outside-water-faucets-and-hose-bibs/
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Published December 22nd, 2012 10:29 AM
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2 of 7 comments
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Home Repair Tutor on Dec 27, 2012Thanks Becky and Tammy for your kind words.
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Home Repair Tutor on Dec 27, 2012Great tip Woodbridge, definitely making sure the frost free hose bib tilts down to ensure proper draining is huge. Otherwise, the installation is a waste of time.
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