LLigetfa
DIYer, not in the trades
When I built my home in '98, I installed a half dozen sillcocks all around the house. Some of them were for hot and cold soft water, some were iron filtered hard water and one was unfiltered. I am fully aware that the hoses need to be removed so the sillcocks can drain. I am also aware that they need to be pitched to drain.
The problem is with the design and I would love to have a Dutch Uncle talk with the mechanical engineer that designed the model I have. The internal "valve stem" is a hollow 1/4" brass tube that is crimped onto the end pieces and this tube has a propensity to fill up with water. With the small 1/4" ID of the tube and the small gaps around the crimped ends, capillary action keeps the tube from draining. The freezing then splits the tube lengthwise and in so doing the crimped ends not longer hold.
My problem for years was not being able to find the same make and model of sillcock or repair kit locally. The place I bought them at went bankrupt long ago and I've not been able to find new units before now. A few years ago I replaced two of the units that I could still get easy access to on the inside so I had an old unit I could take with me on my travels to try to match up a replacement. Back then I tried unscrewing one from the outside and it twisted the pipe inside the wall. The only safe way IMHO is to get two wrenches onto the flats of the fittings on the inside or to cut back the copper pipe and sweat in a new stub.
Anyway... cutting to the chase... I finally found another source for the sillcocks 360 km away and I snapped up the only two they had. I modified them by soldering the crimped ends to the end pieces so that they should never suffer the same fate. Hopefully on a future trip I will find more of them in stock and will do likewise.
I did consider just sourcing the 1/4 ID tubing and cutting it to length and I may still do that but some of the old units are also starting to leak around the stem/packing nut. I probably could replace the O-ring seal but then the stem might also be pitted. Anyway, now that I have a couple of spares, I may keep it in mind as plan B. Plan C is to buy the longer version of sillcock and cut the innards down to size.
The problem is with the design and I would love to have a Dutch Uncle talk with the mechanical engineer that designed the model I have. The internal "valve stem" is a hollow 1/4" brass tube that is crimped onto the end pieces and this tube has a propensity to fill up with water. With the small 1/4" ID of the tube and the small gaps around the crimped ends, capillary action keeps the tube from draining. The freezing then splits the tube lengthwise and in so doing the crimped ends not longer hold.
My problem for years was not being able to find the same make and model of sillcock or repair kit locally. The place I bought them at went bankrupt long ago and I've not been able to find new units before now. A few years ago I replaced two of the units that I could still get easy access to on the inside so I had an old unit I could take with me on my travels to try to match up a replacement. Back then I tried unscrewing one from the outside and it twisted the pipe inside the wall. The only safe way IMHO is to get two wrenches onto the flats of the fittings on the inside or to cut back the copper pipe and sweat in a new stub.
Anyway... cutting to the chase... I finally found another source for the sillcocks 360 km away and I snapped up the only two they had. I modified them by soldering the crimped ends to the end pieces so that they should never suffer the same fate. Hopefully on a future trip I will find more of them in stock and will do likewise.
I did consider just sourcing the 1/4 ID tubing and cutting it to length and I may still do that but some of the old units are also starting to leak around the stem/packing nut. I probably could replace the O-ring seal but then the stem might also be pitted. Anyway, now that I have a couple of spares, I may keep it in mind as plan B. Plan C is to buy the longer version of sillcock and cut the innards down to size.