Banging pipes when running outdoor spigot. Darn kids....

[TBrownMA]

Have a few outdoor spigots on newly purchased house. One of them has an inline ball valve shut-off about halfway across the basement toward the outdoor spigot.

When my kids play with the outdoor hose/sprinkler, and they put the water on any setting other than off or entirely on, it makes a horrendous and loud banging sound. First time I heard it, I thought something was about to explode and my next $15,000 expense was appearing before my eyes. If I fiddle with the basement shut-off valve, I can get it to subside for a while, until my kids mess around with it again and it starts banging.

I'm considering replacing the kids, but hoping there's an easier and more effective fix. I have replaced spigots before, but I did it when I had nice access to the inside wall. In this case, I don't, since it's a finished basement. Is this going to require replacing the spigot, or is there something inside the spigot I might be able to replace? I'm comfortable with soldering, etc, but hate doing drywall work to patch things up.

Thanks for any info!

 

[Reach4]

I won't know the solution, but I wanted to clarify your symptom. Does the banging occur repeatedly, at maybe a 4 per second rate, while the outside faucet is half on, even if nobody is touching the handle on the faucet? Kind of a slow machine gun sound?

 

[Sponsor]

 

[TBrownMA]

Yes, exactly. When the outside spigot is on, it's like a slow machine gun sound, even if nobody is touching the faucet. If I turn it all the way off, the banging is gone. If I turn it all the way on, the banging is gone. If I fiddle with the ball valve to adjust the flow rate, I can usually make the banging go away.

 

[Terry]

How about a picture of what you're dealing with?

 

[LLigetfa]

There is likely to be play in the washer or stem. Replace the spigot with a 1/4 turn type.

 

[TBrownMA]

Thank you for guidance, will do. I'm just hoping that when I go to unscrew the spigot, it's not soldered on and I end up ripping apart the copper and having to tear into the finished basement wall!

 

[DonL]

Do not blame everything on the Kids. You started it.


Have Fun.

 

[DonL]

How about a picture of what you're dealing with?

I was thinking something like this. Kids not included.

 

[LLigetfa]

Thank you for guidance, will do. I'm just hoping that when I go to unscrew the spigot, it's not soldered on and I end up ripping apart the copper and having to tear into the finished basement wall!

If in doubt, then look at adjusting or replacing the packing on the stem and the washer. I don't know if your sillcock has a replaceable seat but look to see if the seat is loose while you have it apart.

 

[FullySprinklered]

It might be a vacuum breaker going bad. It would be a brass add-on device, maybe looking like a real short extension onto the regular spigot. Has a break-off set screw on it usually, somewhere around the larger section. It partially mutilates the spigot threads when you go to replace it, if the set screw is snapped off.

 

[TBrownMA]

Thank you for all the input and advice. Just in case someone out there ends up with the same issue, here's how I fixed it. I tried to unscrew the entire sillcock (it's 12" long and goes into a finished area of basement behind a wall) but it wouldn't budge. So I found the same exact one online (WATTS FHB-1) at CAPP/USA, and pulled out all its parts and used them to replace all the parts of the old one (washer assembly, stem, bonnet, vacuum breaker/anti-siphon). Only old part remaining in the wall is the outer core of the sillcock itself. So not certain which part was the issue, but that fixed it.

 

[WorthFlorida]

Take a look at page two, http://media.wattswater.com/1915928.pdf The frost proof unit have a built in check valve. At the end of the stem is is spring loaded so when the hose nozzle is shut off, the stem will seat it self as off because the pressure is almost equal on both sides. When the hose nozzle is opened, the pressure drops and the water pressure opens the check. You may have had a bad stem, vacuum break or both. When the nozzle was shut off the stem slammed into the seat, the high water flow had no where to go, so bang.

It might have been more exciting to have replace the kids. Glad the problem was fixed.