Ginahoy
Building Systems Engineer
Hi, My area has been experiencing record cold temps and one of our hose bibs broke last night as temp hit 19. Our codes don't require freeze proof bibs as it rarely gets below 30. This particular bib sticks out from house about 6" to accommodate a T to an irrigation system valve, which had been shut off for the winter (see image below). But the extra exposure makes it particularly vulnerable. The T is a compression fitting, so fortunately, the irrigation feeder pipe came out of the fitting instead of rupturing. It took me about 5 mintues to fix, but we lost about 1000 gallons before a neigbor knocked on the door. Not good when you live in the desert!
I'd like to install a freeze-proof bib, but I just saw a diagram of how they work and it appears I can't use one here because of the exposed T joint. Moreover, this faucet is plumbed into the middle of an interior wall, so there's no way to access the backside.
This is a rental house and I need to help the owner figure out how to prevent this from happening again. Are there any alternatives short of replumbing the irrigation supply? This would require tearing out drywall.
David
I'd like to install a freeze-proof bib, but I just saw a diagram of how they work and it appears I can't use one here because of the exposed T joint. Moreover, this faucet is plumbed into the middle of an interior wall, so there's no way to access the backside.
This is a rental house and I need to help the owner figure out how to prevent this from happening again. Are there any alternatives short of replumbing the irrigation supply? This would require tearing out drywall.
David