Non Freeze Hose Bibs Freezing

Sometimes called taps, faucets, spigots or just bibs.
This is a pain for many people that they do not find out until spring.

There are 3 ways a non freeze hose bib can freeze and then split.

split pipe, frozen water line, summerside edmonton
A split non freeze hose bib after freezing.

First
You left your garden hose attached to the hose bib over the winter.

Second
Your non freeze is slopping the wrong direction.

Third
The washer is worn and water is passing through and freezing.

The purpose of a non freeze hose is to close the water on the warm side of the house. Most non freeze hose bibs are 10 to 12 inches in length.

This allows the stem to shut off the water and never allow the water to freeze.

Any excess water that is left in the pipe will drain out. As long as there is nothing trapping the water inside. Each spring I get calls from clients that have left their garden hoses attached to the hose bib through the winter.

And many of those people will flood their homes when they turn on their water in the spring.

In some more rare instances people have a non freeze hose bib that is sloping the wrong direction. This traps water inside which then freezes.

Most of the time the water will expand out the end of the pipe and not cause damage. This does not mean you should not pay attention to how the pipe is sloped. You do want that water to drain freely out the end.

If the washer in the hose bib is passing water then there is an opportunity for the pipe to freeze and split. This is also true for regular hose bibs that have a shut off valve inside the house. If that shut off valve passes water then there is a chance for the copper pipe to split anywhere down stream of the shut off valve.

How to Repair a Leaky or Split Hose Bib

This is the tough part. Not so much tough for the plumber as all we do is cut into the ceiling, find the hose bib and replace with a new one. But for you the home owner you now have a hole in your ceiling.

Types of Pipe

Depending on the age of your house you can find pipes made of copper, poly-b or PEX. I have found some galvanized pipes attached to hose bibs but not to non freeze types.

Many non freeze hose bibs come with a male thread that you can attach your pipe to. This means either soldering or adapting your PEX or Poly-B pipe to the non freeze with a female fitting.

We all know that patching a hole in the ceiling is a lot more costly than patching a hole in the wall.

I like to use a return air vent cover. Place that over the hole and nobody is the wiser.

Then if something happens the next winter or 10 winters later you just remove the vent cover and remove and replace the faulty hose bib.

Feel free to give us a call at 780-264-0878 to repair or replace a split non freeze hose bib or any other plumbing and gas fitting jobs that you might have.

 

Thanks,
Kelly