Sillcock Types, Conventional vs. Quarter Turn

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sagittaire

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I'm adding two sillcocks, and am trying to decide between conventional globe-type anti-siphon frost-free sillcocks and quarter-turn anti-siphon frost-free sillcocks.

Questions:
1) What are the advantages and disadvantages of each type?
2) Does the quarter-turn type adequately modulate the water flow? (Such as for trickle flow watering of plants)
3) Are the Legend Valve Company products T-552 and T-550 good quality frost-free sillcocks?
 

Master Plumber Mark

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Woodford sillcocks...

just get yourself a couple of woodford sillcocks..

we have tried them all over the years and most have
caused us nothing but greif..with call backs, ect.....

the Woodford common frost free sillcock has never , ever
failed us in 20 years....

if you put those in and remember to take off the hose in the winter time,
they wont give you troubles for a long time






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Cass

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Woodford is good and reliable, nothing wrong with them, but I happen to like the Legend 1/4 turn hose bibs as they are well made...the only draw back that some may not like is that in some instances I have to ream the existing hole about 1/4" or so...

legend_hosebib.jpg


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Juneappal

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Repair leaking legend

I have exactly the model of legend sillcock shown. I like how it feels and operates, except that mine is now leaking. This winter, we had a pretty good freeze here in seattle - several consecutive days with temperatures between 10 and 25 degrees. That did it in.

The chrome cover on the top unscrews to reveal plastic threaded pressure/vacuum relief valve of some sort. There is a black rubber gasket inside that plastic housing. During the hard freeze, that gasket somehow squeezed up through the crossbars on the plastic housing. I couldn't get it back in, so I took it all the way out.

I don't know if that is the cause of the leak, but the leak also happened this winter. Now the spigot has a minimum flowrate of about 5 gallons/day. Without that gasket, the spigot can't hold pressure, so we have to leave an open hose on the spigot to prevent a constant slow drop of water down the side of the house.


Anyone have any success repairing one of these sillcocks? I can't get at the back end, unfortunately, so replacement would be a pain in the ...sheetrock.
 

Terry

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If the faucet will not shut off, you can buy a new faucet and rob the interior parts.

If the faucet shuts off, and it only leaks out of the vacuum breaker, you can replace those parts.

If the faucet shuts off, but leaks from the pipe behind, which would be if the hose was left on and ice split the copper tubing, then you have to replace the faucet.
 

Juneappal

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Probably "A"

I think I am on "A." It never shuts off completely.

I buy a new unit, how much of the guts will I be able to replace? Can I get that black rubber washer back in, or replace that white plastic housing? I guess there is one way to find out.....
 

Kingsotall

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I will say I am not impressed with the quarter turn bib's we've been using. Someone's always going out to do service on them.

legend_hosebib.jpg
 

Cass

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I have exactly the model of legend sillcock shown. I like how it feels and operates, except that mine is now leaking. This winter, we had a pretty good freeze here in seattle - several consecutive days with temperatures between 10 and 25 degrees. That did it in.

The chrome cover on the top unscrews to reveal plastic threaded pressure/vacuum relief valve of some sort. There is a black rubber gasket inside that plastic housing. During the hard freeze, that gasket somehow squeezed up through the crossbars on the plastic housing. I couldn't get it back in, so I took it all the way out.

As of yet I haven't had any problems with the Legend 1/4 turn valves...

Yours sounds like it may be installed, pitched the wrong way severely...thats all I can think of...unless you left the hose on and it froze...it only takes 1 freeze even B 4 you removed it...
 

Juneappal

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Bingo

As of yet I haven't had any problems with the Legend 1/4 turn valves...

Yours sounds like it may be installed, pitched the wrong way severely...thats all I can think of...unless you left the hose on and it froze...it only takes 1 freeze even B 4 you removed it...

I had a flow splitting assembly - two hoses on one spigot kind of thing. I probably left the sillcock open and the two split valves closed - that would do, I think.
 

Cass

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That would do it...replacing the guts may not work depending on what was affected when it froze....
 

Roger the Carpenter

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A little *Bumpage* here: I'm interested in hearing the answers to questions #1 and #2. A divergence OT is great when it goes that way, but I've just installed a 1/4-turn anti-siphon jig on my sister-in-law's house, and am curious to know how I did! Maybe I missed something, but I'm not clear on the resolve of this post...

I'm adding two sillcocks, and am trying to decide between conventional globe-type anti-siphon frost-free sillcocks and quarter-turn anti-siphon frost-free sillcocks.

Questions:
1) What are the advantages and disadvantages of each type?
2) Does the quarter-turn type adequately modulate the water flow? (Such as for trickle flow watering of plants)
3) Are the Legend Valve Company products T-552 and T-550 good quality frost-free sillcocks?
 

bugmugs

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Where to get parts?

In an answer to one of these posts, someone mentioned replacing the parts in the vacuum breaker. Try hard as I can, I can't find anyone online or around town who offers frost-free sillcock parts for sale. Anyone have any suggestions? (I have a Legend model T-550.)
 

alexlloyd

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Same here

I have the same legend sillcock and it leaks too. I bought it at *********. Is there a repair kit or am I buying a whole new valve. It the option is a whole new valve, i will avoid a legend as it should last more than two years. As for Seattle and freezing, two winters at minus forty that may have contributed to the leak but I have never removed the hose, drained or adjusted it and it never froze.
 

Jadnashua

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There are a few hose bibs that can survive freezing, but other than those, you WILL break something if you leave a hose on and it freezes. The only chance you might have is if the hose can drain easily. ANy trapped water WILL freeze at -40, and it will damage the valve unless it is designed for it...most aren't designed to have a hose left on.
 

LLigetfa

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I wish the 1/4 turn hose bibs were available when I built my house. I also wish they could standardize on the length so that I could change them out without having to resolder the pipes. I've had to change out one of the originals already and will eventually change them all.

As for regulating flow, I do it at the other end of the hose, not at the hose bib.
 

Dlarrivee

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I wish the 1/4 turn hose bibs were available when I built my house. I also wish they could standardize on the length so that I could change them out without having to resolder the pipes. I've had to change out one of the originals already and will eventually change them all.

As for regulating flow, I do it at the other end of the hose, not at the hose bib.

Why would you solder it right on anyways?

I just solder a FIP adapter to a chunk of pipe, tighten it onto the hose bib, and then use a coupling to join up to the rest of the pipe in the house...
 
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