Replacing Outdoor Faucet (Frost Free Anti-Siphon)

[LikeFrozenPipes]

I have a friend who left his hose attached during a very cold Chicago winter. For simplicity sake, I'll just pretend it's me for this post. The pipe apparently froze inside during the winter (since it couldn't drain as intended with a frost free faucet), and water gushed into the basement when the spigot was turned on outside this Spring.

After researching for several days (including reading many posts on this forum - thank you!), I think I'm comfortable enough to try replacing the faucet myself rather than pay $250 for a professional to come out and replace it. I'm able to access the inside connection without too much difficulty, and am fairly comfortable with basic DIY after watching enough videos.

The inside water supply goes from a CPVC piping to a brass connector to the male end of the copper faucet pipe (faucet is Mansfield brand, left to right in the picture below - you can also see where the pipe burst as a result of freezing). From what I can tell it appears to just be threaded on, so I'm hoping this is a simple swap and replace with a new faucet that has the same length pipe (current stem is approximately 6.5" from the inside wall - not sure of the thickness of the wall at this point to know the full length - guessing it will end up being either a 10" or 12" stem).

My question is with detaching and reattaching the current connections. I'm assuming I am going to hold the female connector ("square" middle piece) in place, and the turn the faucet portion counter-clockwise. When turning the faucet portion, will the entire faucet pipe turn - or is it made so that just the part at the end (the round treaded portion) will turn independently from the rest of the faucet? If it's all one piece, will the outside portion of the faucet just turn as well - or is there a different way I should be detaching this? I realize I could just cut the broken faucet pipe and then remove the connector portion - but I guess I would still have the same question when installing the new faucet - assuming I can just leave the existing brass connector on the CPVC pipe (instead of putting in a new connector, or adding a Shark Bit connector to the mix).

I've attached a picture to give you a better sense of the attachments.

Thanks for any guidance that you can provide me...errrr, or my friend.

 

[Terry]

The entire frostfree is replaced. And the entire faucet spins out. You will want to remove any screws that are on the outside siding.
You may or may not get a perfect match on length depending on brands. If not, you can always cut back the CPVC and couple where needed.
We generally expect that more or less parts are needed.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[LikeFrozenPipes]

The entire frostfree is replaced. And the entire spins out. You will want to remove any screws that are on the outside siding.
You may or may not get a perfect match on length depending on brands. If not, you can always cut back the CPVC and couple where needed.
We generally expect that more or less parts are needed.

Thanks Terry - exactly the info I was looking for. Much appreciated.

 

[Oldyellr]

I'm just going through the same thing, but copper pipe. Some years ago the faucet started to leak and I found the stem assembly tube was cracked. I bought a new faucet of the same type from Home Depot, but rather than trying to replace the whole thing, I just used the stem assembly from the new faucet. This lasted for years until it started to leak again. I replaced the washer, but it didn't help because the seat had apparently eroded, which isn't replaceable, even if I had such a long tool. So I plan to use the new faucet I bought years ago. While I couldn't even see where the faucet screwed into the copper fitting before, I can now because the downstairs ceiling has been cut out for another project. I can see the joint, but not sure if I can easily reach the hex on the copper to hold it. So I have 2 options. #1 is to unscrew the faucet from the outside, hoping the copper pipe doesn't corkscrew, or #2, a bit more work, cut the copper where I can easily get to it, pull the whole thing out, the re-solder it when I'm done. So my question is, how likely is the 1/2"copper pipe likely to corkscrew if not held at the joint?

 

[Terry]

It's very likely that when twisting a hosebib off from the outside:
The pipe gets twisted badly.
A solder joint inside the home breaks and leaks.
How far do you want to go to replace all the possible damage that may incur.

You could use a push type fitting, like a Sharkbite if soldering isn't a good option in the ceiling.

 

[Oldyellr]

I'm no stranger to soldering copper pipe, been doing it for decades. Problem is, if I twist the copper, it may not be good for soldering or a SharkBite connector. No experience with with SharkBite, but it may be the safest thing to try.

 

[Oldyellr]

One more question. When I cut the 1/2" copper pipe, how much do I have to cut off to keep the same length with a ShyarkBite coupling? Near as I can figure out from what I find on line is the coupling is 2", insertion depth 0.95", so I'd have to cut out 0.10". Am I right?

 

[Terry]

One more question. When I cut the 1/2" copper pipe, how much do I have to cut off to keep the same length with a ShyarkBite coupling? Near as I can figure out from what I find on line is the coupling is 2", insertion depth 0.95", so I'd have to cut out 0.10". Am I right?

Whatever the directions say for the fitting that you have on hand.
Looks like 1/2" CPVC, which is the same OD as copper sizing.

 

[Jadnashua]

If you use the Sharkbite slip fitting, you have a couple of inches of leeway. https://www.sharkbite.com/us/en/brass-push-to-connect/fittings/couplings/brass-push-slip-coupling

They also make one with a threaded end opposite the slip fitting. https://www.sharkbite.com/us/en/brass-push-to-connect/fittings/adapters/brass-push-slip-male-adapter

You can also buy a frost-free silcock that will drain even if a hose is left in place. Attached is one. I don't have any experience with these, so can't say which is best, just mentioning that that feature is there. I've heard good things about Woodford valves, and their model 25 will drain even if a hose is attached.

 

[Oldyellr]

Okay, first of all, I didn't have to worry about the exact length of the pipe because once I cut it, the part of the pipe in the house could be moved back and forth quite a lot. After I cut the pipe I pulled the faucet out of the wall to where I had access to the threaded connection and replaced it. The struggle was to align and install the SharkBite coupling. I first pushed the coupling onto the outer end no problem, but inserting and pushing in the other end was a struggle. Not having the recommended tools for de-burring the pipe, or room to use them if I did, I had to do a lot of filing and finally was able to get the pipe in the coupler by pounding on the shutoff valve. I had even marked the recommended 0.95" insertion depth, but on both sides, it didn't seem to go in quite that far. Nevertheless, there were no leaks and the job is done. Years ago I would most certainly have used a solder coupling, but wanted to try out this new fangled SharkBite thing. There doesn't seem to be any data on how long these things last and professional plumbers don't use them, just DIY'ers, but at my age it will probably outlast me and can always still be replaced with a solder coupling. Thanks for the help.

 

[Jadnashua]

They're warranted for 25-years, and will likely last longer. But, if there WAS a burr on the pipe end, you could have damaged the O-ring. Not seating it fully could introduce a slight turbulence in the water at high volume, but that would take years to create a problem, and then only at maximum flow for long cumulative times.

Pros don't tend to use them because a soldered fitting can be 1/10th the cost, depending on which one you're dealing with.