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Outdoor Faucets

Jeff Wilson

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Apr 16, 2021
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Downstairs in the house
I am replacing a frost-free outdoor wall faucet because the seat has gone bad. Most of you won't be surprised to know that I have to cut the wall open (from the back) to do this.

Can anyone recommend a line of frost-free faucets that would allow the seat to be replaced from the front when it goes bad in the future and not have to cut a hole in the wall again?

Thank you in advance.
 
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yeldogt

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After a lifetime of failed and annoying hose bibs ..... have been using the Aquor for the past couple of years. End of problem
 

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MongoTA

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CT
Jeff, I used Woodford sillcocks on my house. They all have anti-siphon as well. Twenty-five years they've been in use. I had one valve that started leaking, I replace the innards in that one maybe 7 or 8 years ago.

They are repairable from the front or exterior end of the valve. Woodford has been around for quite some time, and repair/replacement parts are readily available.

I originally bought them at a box store, HD. If they no longer sell them at the box stores, they're available from Amazon.
 

Sumboodie

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The ones they carry here you can replace the guts from the front. Doesn't make sense to need to work at the back.
 

rlitman

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Long Island
normally outdoor faucets don't have replaceable seats , from what I've seen .

The quarter turn stuff they sell at HD has ceramic non-serviceable seats (the vacuum breaker parts can be found), so yeah, they're disposable. I've replaced a lot, and they're easy enough, IF you have access from the rear (which is usually the case when they face an unfinished basement).

That's why I (like others above) went with Woodford. They're fully serviceable from the front, though the rebuild kit does cost more than half of a new faucet, since you're pretty much buying the whole thing except the shell.

I chose the 30 model.
https://www.woodfordmfg.com/woodford/Wall_Faucet_Pages/Model-30.html

Most outdoor faucets stay full of water if you leave a hose connected. Woodford makes ones that self-drains when you turn the knob all the way clockwise. It also has built in double-check valves and vacuum breaker.

edit: I will say one negative for the Woodford self-draining faucets. They confuse people who are used to quarter turn faucets. It takes several turns to reach end stop in each direction, and there's at least one full turn from shut off to drain out. They strategically use plastic parts in places where metal on metal would notoriously get stuck, so that's a plus, but I believe it would also be possible for someone (a gorilla) to twist the knob to destruction.
 
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Sumboodie

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After a lifetime of failed and annoying hose bibs ..... have been using the Aquor for the past couple of years. End of problem

What problems? I've replaced the rubber valve stop in one at work, that's it. Have 3 on my house, been fine for 10+ years.
 

ace10

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Dec 17, 2017
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Rural NoVA
Rebuilt all the Woodfords at my place about five years ago. They were in service for over 20. One or two of the five were having problems at the time.
 
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Sumboodie

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I checked and mine say Woodford 17.

I'd love to have a hose bib on the front of my garage. Don't want to run piping along the wall though.
 

Ben Buck

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Dec 30, 2010
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S. W. Ohio
I replaced our outside faucet yesterday- bought an American Valveunit from Lowes.

Got lucky with the measurements to cut the garage wall- What- cut once and then measure ??

Now I have to fab up a cover for the opening in the house siding.

Unit came with parts to fix later on if necessary.
 

allinon72

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Jul 5, 2010
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Indianapolis
I replaced our outside faucet yesterday- bought an American Valveunit from Lowes.

Got lucky with the measurements to cut the garage wall- What- cut once and then measure ??

Now I have to fab up a cover for the opening in the house siding.

Unit came with parts to fix later on if necessary.

Ah yes the ole venerable American Valve brand....made in China.
 

Ben Buck

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Pictures didn't show !!
 

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yeldogt

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What problems? I've replaced the rubber valve stop in one at work, that's it. Have 3 on my house, been fine for 10+ years.

Most of them are junk .... plastic handles -- they leak .. JUNK

The Woodfords are ... well better than most. I have a hot and cold on one place and it's not been trouble free.


The Aquor are the best ...
 

Bert_

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Dec 24, 2016
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NW Iowa
I didn't even bother with frost free when I fixed mine. Regular old sillcock with a shutoff about 2' away in the basement. Turn it off in the winter, rarely need one on the side of the house in winter anyhow.
 

rlitman

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Long Island
I didn't even bother with frost free when I fixed mine. Regular old sillcock with a shutoff about 2' away in the basement. Turn it off in the winter, rarely need one on the side of the house in winter anyhow.

That works, if it drains free somehow. I actually ran all five of my outdoor frost free faucets back to a common manifold in my basement. It allows me to blow air out through the setup. Not that I'm worried about the faucets, but it makes it easy to blow out my hose reels. I have the frost free faucet, because in the winter, I can open it up and fill a bucket, and then shut it in one easy operation, and not have to worry about it freezing.
 

rlitman

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Thanks for all of the replies. As several of you have suggested and as I've learned on my own, Woodford is the answer.

Yeah. They've been around a while, and rebuild parts are readily available. The same cannot be said for much of the competition.

Remember, if you're sweating it for the install, pull the guts out before you do any heating! Also, IIRC, there's a left hand thread involved in this. Lastly, silicone grease applied to any sliding parts before you put it into use can increase your service life.
 
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Jeff Wilson

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Joined
Apr 16, 2021
Messages
5
Location
Downstairs in the house
Yeah. They've been around a while, and rebuild parts are readily available. The same cannot be said for much of the competition.

Remember, if you're sweating it for the install, pull the guts out before you do any heating! Also, IIRC, there's a left hand thread involved in this. Lastly, silicone grease applied to any sliding parts before you put it into use can increase your service life.

Thanks for the advice, but a professional plumber will do the work. I just didn't want him to install anything that would require opening the wall again in the future.
 

rlitman

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The rubber valve presses against a seat, and mine has worn out after 22 years. With most brands, this requires replacing the entire faucet.


If it has a rubber seat, you can usually find or make a replacement. It is the quarter turn ceramic seated valves that cannot be serviced.
 

FryZ

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Nov 4, 2009
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Tha Cuse, NY
No problems out of the two Woodford 17s on the house and the 22 in the garage for hot/cold water to wash the cars. Rebuildable from the front.
 
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