Outdoor faucets

I am going to replace the sillcocks on each of my outdoor faucets. Both of the stems inside the old ones are shot. I have two new ones but need to be able to tell for sure if the old ones are sweated or will just work with the threaded ones that I have.

How can I tell?

Is there a picture somehwere I can see/

If they are I need to know what is invovled in sweating them so i can decide whether or not to just call a plumber. If there is fire involved I'm all for doing it myself but wife isn't so keen on the idea. : > )

Thanks

I have never seen frost proof sill cocks sweated to the supply line. They come with 3/4" male threaded ends and screw into a female adapter which is attached to a tee in the supply line and all wrench work is done at that point. While it's not rocket science, there are a couple of things to be aware of in removing and installing these valves. It is vital that you use a second wrench to apply counter torque at the joint to prevent twisting the supply line when you turn the sill cock. Reverse the prodedure when installing. Also, the sill cock will have an indicator mark to show the proper orientation of the valve-it's a "this end up" thing. The ones I have use an arrow. They will turn on/off install wrong, but they will not protect against freezing. Usually the biggest problem is gaining access to the joint end.