Leaking garden hose valve.

bigp · 02-21-2010, 11:53 PM

Hi guys, I just discovered that the valve is leaking from the handle. I tried to turn it tight, but only made things worse because it is so rusted. Dripping became drizzling now.I also unscrewed the yellow cover and water came out like crazy. It seems the valve did not shut the water off at all. I have never seen this kind of valve and neither has the guys working in local hardware store. Can anyone tell me what valve it is? How does it work? ( there is flange at the bottom that got screwed to the wall. I can not see how are things connected inside. But it seems not to be something popular.) Can the leaking be fixed by only replacing the valve head? Thank you!

**phishfood** · 02-22-2010, 12:17 AM

It looks to be some type of female boiler drain. It might be possible to rebuild the valve by replacing the sealing washer, but I wouldn't bet on it. Often time the brass that the rubber washer seals against is worn down, and you will never get it to seal again. And, it can be next door to impossible to get the stem to unthread. If it were me, I would replace the whole faucet. It can be a bit of a pain to do sometimes.

I would try to unscrew the mounting screws and carefully try to pull the faucet away from the wall to see if you can determine how the faucet is attached to the pipe. If it is threaded on, and you can get ahold of the adaptor with a wrench to hold that while you unthread the faucet, you might just be able to thread a new one on. Warning, it is rather easy to wring the pipe off in the wall, and getting a plumber out to fix that would probably be more expensive than to just have them out to change it for you. Proceed at your own risk.

**Reedwalker** · 02-22-2010, 02:12 PM

This valve is called a "hose bib". It is likly threaded on like Phish said. It is also possible that it is soldered on. This appears to be a handyman special judging by the sloppy caulking and use of screws not intended for outdoor use.

There should be a shut-off inside the house that services only this valve.

I recommend replacing this with an anti-siphon hose bib. This can be installed without too much hassle and would protect you and your family from backflow.

**majakdragon** · 02-22-2010, 03:32 PM

Looks like a contractor grade valve (think cheap). It probably has female threads on the back side and screws onto a male adapter or is soldered. Probably easier and cheaper to replace rather than repair. I would go with a Frost Free silcock. Many of the new ones also have back-flow preventers on them.

bigp · 02-23-2010, 03:18 AM

Thanks for the reply guys. I went to another hardware store and the staff told me what I have is a Frost Free Silcock. One possible repair is to unscrew the valve head and replace the gasket attached to the end of the shut-off shaft. I will try to take it off during the weekend and let your guys know what I find. Thank you again.

**Reedwalker** · 02-23-2010, 12:51 PM

Good Luck!

Let us know how it goes.

**majakdragon** · 02-23-2010, 04:03 PM

If it is a frost-free model, it should not have the plastic cap on the end unless you are sure all the water has drained from it. Frost-free models are made to drain the water in the shaft and, as with all outside faucets, should not have a hose attached during cold periods.

bigp · 02-25-2010, 03:40 AM

I suspect the previous owner made this quick fix by putting on the plastic cap when he found out the faucet is leaking.

Quote:

Originally Posted by majakdragon

If it is a frost-free model, it should not have the plastic cap on the end unless you are sure all the water has drained from it. Frost-free models are made to drain the water in the shaft and, as with all outside faucets, should not have a hose attached during cold periods.

bigp · 02-28-2010, 01:18 PM

Had a look at the leaking valve yesterday. It turned out to be a old model Frost Free Silcock with no Vacuum breaker assembly. This things is badly damages. First of all, the shut off valve washer (Bibb washer) screwed to the far end of the stem is damaged. Secondly, the screw attaches the handle to the valve is so rusted that I can not unscrew it (I did applied a fair amount of WD40, and it wouldn't budge a bit); The o-rings of the stem packing were broken (I saw debris of the o-rings);The bibb washer seat appears to be damaged (11 o'clock position from the picture).

I did replaced the washer. Because I can not get the handle screw removed, therefore the handle, I was not able to remove the stem packing from the packing nuts. I then couldn't replace the o-rings. The damages washer seat is what I am seeking for information about.

Is washer seat for Frost Free Silcock replaceable like those of bathroom faucet? I talked to couple of guys in the hardware stores. Some of them said it might be, some said it is not. All model in the stores have built in seat though. With a long enough Hex screwdriver, I might be able to see if it can be removed, but there is no where I can find one long enough.

If I can not fix it from outside, I will have to break the wall in my finished basement to create an access panel and have the whole thing replaced which represent a fair amount of work and some cosmetic work of the wall once done, because of the way the house was built, no access panel for anythign. This is the last thing I want to do.

Let me know what your guys think. Thank you.

**havasu** · 02-28-2010, 02:42 PM

Being from the West Coast, I am not too familiar with those specific valves. I will comment on your use of WD-40. This is not a penetrating oil and is primarily a "water displacement" spray liquid. Go to any well known hardware store and buy a can of PB Blaster. It is made to penetrate, and is well known in the jeep community, who knows frozen and rusted parts. Give this a shot, wait a few hours, and give it another shot. With any luck and repeated attempts, you can remove the rusted and damaged parts and fix what you have.