Hi, I’m planning on installing a frost proof outdoor silcock. I need to go through a 14”-16” thick rock wall. So I have to rent a rotary hammer, but was wondering, in general, what size drill bit would normally be used for this kind of project. I’d really appreciate any advice you guys could give me!
What size rotary hammer drill bit do I need?
- Thread starter jgelack
- Start date
sparky 1971
Well-known member
Take the sillcock with you when you get the bit.
KnurledNut
Well-known member
@jgelack
I believe Woodford is something like 1-1/8".
Source your faucet first and see what it recommends.
The tube needs a slight downward pitch so it will drain properly.
Going thru that thick of a wall, you will REALLY need to make sure your drilling angle is spot on because there wont be much adjustment room after the fact.
You'll also want an extra long faucet. I would go with 24" in my climate zone.
Edited to add:
A core bit may be better suited for this job.
I believe Woodford is something like 1-1/8".
Source your faucet first and see what it recommends.
The tube needs a slight downward pitch so it will drain properly.
Going thru that thick of a wall, you will REALLY need to make sure your drilling angle is spot on because there wont be much adjustment room after the fact.
You'll also want an extra long faucet. I would go with 24" in my climate zone.
Edited to add:
A core bit may be better suited for this job.
Last edited:
I was planning on drilling the hole first, as I’m unsure of the exact length of silcock I’d need. I can get a rough idea of the wall thickness, but not exact. The biggest I can get, without having to order it, is 12”, and I know it’s going to be more than that. I just don’t want to have to be shipping parts back and forth. I rather know exactly what I need, and I won’t know that without drilling first. I thought maybe there was a standard bit size that most people use for this project.
With a 14-16" thick wall, you will need at LEAST a 20-24" long frost-proof sillcock IMNSHO.
In case you didn't realize it, the way a frost-proof sillcock works is that the seal area is at the far INSIDE end of the assembly and not outside where the knob/handle is. Thus the water in the piping (not the sillcock) is shut off INSIDE the structure where it is hopefully warm enough to keep the pipe from freezing.
So you need a sillcock assembly long enough to go through the wall and reach inside the structure with enough room to make up the connection between the sillcock and the supply piping.
In this case longer than the 'minimum' is desired and no problem.
example unit: https://www.supplyhouse.com/Woodfor...-1-2-MPT-x-Sweat-Inlet-Freezeless-Wall-Faucet
installation instructions for the above unit: https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.supplyh...oodford-19CP-14-Installation Instructions.pdf
And +99 on drilling the hole with a slight downward tilt angle, so that the water IN the sillcock drains out when the sillcock is shut off and doesn't freeze inside the unit. And remember to disconnect the hose from the unit , so that the water has a place to drain and not just sit in the hose and end up freezing the sillcock anyway.
And the hole has to be bigger than the sillcock piping OD, with some clearance so that the piping isn't scraping against the rock wall or touching the rock wall and has a little air space around it. A little bit of caulk or spray foam at the outside wall hole to prevent critters (4, 6, 8, or more legged
) from crawling through and to help hold the sillcock pipe in place is a good idea.
In case you didn't realize it, the way a frost-proof sillcock works is that the seal area is at the far INSIDE end of the assembly and not outside where the knob/handle is. Thus the water in the piping (not the sillcock) is shut off INSIDE the structure where it is hopefully warm enough to keep the pipe from freezing.
So you need a sillcock assembly long enough to go through the wall and reach inside the structure with enough room to make up the connection between the sillcock and the supply piping.
In this case longer than the 'minimum' is desired and no problem.
example unit: https://www.supplyhouse.com/Woodfor...-1-2-MPT-x-Sweat-Inlet-Freezeless-Wall-Faucet
installation instructions for the above unit: https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.supplyh...oodford-19CP-14-Installation Instructions.pdf
And +99 on drilling the hole with a slight downward tilt angle, so that the water IN the sillcock drains out when the sillcock is shut off and doesn't freeze inside the unit. And remember to disconnect the hose from the unit , so that the water has a place to drain and not just sit in the hose and end up freezing the sillcock anyway.
And the hole has to be bigger than the sillcock piping OD, with some clearance so that the piping isn't scraping against the rock wall or touching the rock wall and has a little air space around it. A little bit of caulk or spray foam at the outside wall hole to prevent critters (4, 6, 8, or more legged
) from crawling through and to help hold the sillcock pipe in place is a good idea.
Last edited:
With a 14-16" thick wall, you will need at LEAST a 20-24" long frost-proof sillcock IMNSHO.
In case you didn't realize it, the way a frost-proof sillcock works is that the seal area is at the far INSIDE end of the assembly and not outside where the knob/handle is. Thus the water in the piping (not the sillcock) is shut off INSIDE the structure where it is hopefully warm enough to keep the pipe from freezing.
So you need a sillcock assembly long enough to go through the wall and reach inside the structure with enough room to make up the connection between the sillcock and the supply piping.
In this case longer than the 'minimum' is desired and no problem.
example unit: https://www.supplyhouse.com/Woodfor...-1-2-MPT-x-Sweat-Inlet-Freezeless-Wall-Faucet
installation instructions for the above unit: https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.supplyhouse.com/product_files/Woodford-19CP-14-Installation Instructions.pdf
And +99 on drilling the hole with a slight downward tilt angle, so that the water IN the sillcock drains out when the sillcock is shut off and doesn't freeze inside the unit. And remember to disconnect the hose from the unit , so that the water has a place to drain and not just sit in the hose and end up freezing the sillcock anyway.
And the hole has to be bigger than the sillcock piping OD, with some clearance so that the piping isn't scraping against the rock wall or touching the rock wall and has a little air space around it. A little bit of caulk or spray foam at the outside wall hole to prevent critters (4, 6, 8, or more legged
I only going to bring the silcock in only until it just cleared the inside wall, while still leaving enough room to make the connections. Thanks guys for the tip on angling the hole to allow for drainage, I’ll be sure to do that! I was planning on using spray foam to seal the hole, to help keep out any unwanted visitors!With a 14-16" thick wall, you will need at LEAST a 20-24" long frost-proof sillcock IMNSHO.
In case you didn't realize it, the way a frost-proof sillcock works is that the seal area is at the far INSIDE end of the assembly and not outside where the knob/handle is. Thus the water in the piping (not the sillcock) is shut off INSIDE the structure where it is hopefully warm enough to keep the pipe from freezing.
So you need a sillcock assembly long enough to go through the wall and reach inside the structure with enough room to make up the connection between the sillcock and the supply piping.
In this case longer than the 'minimum' is desired and no problem.
example unit: https://www.supplyhouse.com/Woodfor...-1-2-MPT-x-Sweat-Inlet-Freezeless-Wall-Faucet
installation instructions for the above unit: https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.supplyhouse.com/product_files/Woodford-19CP-14-Installation Instructions.pdf
And +99 on drilling the hole with a slight downward tilt angle, so that the water IN the sillcock drains out when the sillcock is shut off and doesn't freeze inside the unit. And remember to disconnect the hose from the unit , so that the water has a place to drain and not just sit in the hose and end up freezing the sillcock anyway.
And the hole has to be bigger than the sillcock piping OD, with some clearance so that the piping isn't scraping against the rock wall or touching the rock wall and has a little air space around it. A little bit of caulk or spray foam at the outside wall hole to prevent critters (4, 6, 8, or more legged
sparky 1971
Well-known member
Are you planning on using a silcock with a 1/2 or 3/4 pipe fitting? I haven't seen one, but they may be available to accept pex without a threaded fitting. Decide what you want and someone might be able to measure one for you. If not, go to a box store and measure one on the shelf.
finn
Well-known member
Select the brand sillcock you’re going to use, then match up the bit.
generally, the length of the tube is all that varies within a given brand sillcock.
generally, the length of the tube is all that varies within a given brand sillcock.
It will vary on the silcock like everyone says. if you have an idea of what you want, go to the manufacturer's website and they'll have installation instructions that say how big of a hole you need.
I installed a Prier at my brother's house and it required a 1" hole. I bought another model prier for my house and that required a 2" hole.
I installed a Prier at my brother's house and it required a 1" hole. I bought another model prier for my house and that required a 2" hole.
Will do! That’s actually the brand I’m planning to install! Thanks again!
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I did a couple Woodfords recent that maybe could have squeezed through a 7/8 hole, but spec'd a 1-1/8
make sure you drill the hole "upwards from outside" ( keep the inside higher than the outside) so it drains when shut off. if it is going down from outside, water will remain in the faucet and will freeze & split .
easy to overlook that especially when drilling a tough hole like you have
easy to overlook that especially when drilling a tough hole like you have
Will do, thanks again!