How do you find the location of the outdoor faucet from the basement?

[Coachdes]

Hi, I'm trying to replace the outdoor faucet that froze last winter but I can't find a video that explains what to do when the stem won't pull out enough to change it and I can't figure out where it is located in the basement. Found the spot cut in the wall with the thing to turn off the water to the faucet but don't know where to go from there? Should I cut above to follow the line or would it be too far to reach from there? Any ideas on how I might go about figuring this out would greatly be appreciated.

 

[Reach4]

Guess you have a ceiling at that edge of the basement?

You could have somebody tap the faucet outside while you listen to where to go into the ceiling. It would be nice if it is a drop ceiling. Alternatively, you could put a portable radio at the outside and listen for that.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Terry]

I use a tape measure to locate the faucet inside.
Normally that are in a wall because of the length. Sometimes between floor joists, but not often. A typical hosebib is 6" to 10" long in 2" increments.
Well, sort of. A six inch may be about 7" from the flange to the end.

I have never been able to replace one from the outside before.

 

[Smooky]

A picture of the hose bibb/spigot on the side of your house might be helpful. Does the faucet leak when you turn it on? Is it leaking outside or in the wall? As Terry said you need to measure the location of the hose bibb. Sometimes I measure from the edge of a window or door and use that as a reference point on the inside of the house. In the crawl space I measure to the edge of the vents. You need a reference point for the horizontal distance and the vertical height. If you have to access it from the crawl space or basement you may have to measure to the end of the house. You have to account for the thickness of the wall if you measure to the corner.

 

[TownMan10]

Just come across this searching for something similar myself. Thanks for the expert advice as per!

 

[Gary Swart]

I assume you have never replaced one of these valves, so I will offer some tips. First of all, do not attempt to replace this from the outside. The reason is, the valve is either threaded into a fitting on the supply pipe or it might be soldered. In either case, twisting the valve from the outside will almost surely damage the supply pipe. So, you must find and gain access to the connection to the supply pipe. A soldered connection will be unusual, and required some skill to remove and replace. The most likely connection is the valve will be screwed into a tee fitting. To remove and replace requires two wrenches. One to turn the valve and one to apply counter pressure to prevent the supply line from twisting. When installing the new valve note the arrow that will indicate the UP side. This is a job that sounds easy, but what most folks find out, gaining access and having space to work is the real challenge.