QUESTION FROM JOS91844

mY OUTSIDE SPIGOT IN LEAKING BAD. i TRIED TO TAKE IT APART BUT THE LARGE NUT WILL NOT MOVE. iT IS A MANSFIELD SPIGOT. cAN I FIX IT? sHOULD I JUST CUT THE PIPE AND PUT A NEW ONE ON? wHAT SHOULD I USE FOR A REPLACEMENT?
tHANKS

ANSWER FROM POLICY-Wizard™

Dear JOS91844:

Before you cut the pipe to take the water spigot off, a couple of things:

1) Have you checked to see if you have a valve inside your house that you can shut, so that you close the water supply to this leaking valve?

2) With the water turned off, have you tried drenching the valve packing nut overnight in penetrating oil that is made for loosening up threads that have "frozen" together?

After allowing the penetrating oil to soak in overnight, then put a wrench on the nut and hit the end of it with a wooden mallet. You want to use a quick impact rather than a steady pull to try to break the frozen threads. If this allows you to remove the packing nut, you should then be able to clean the seat (most hardware stores will carry a special tool for doing this), and replace the inside elements of the valve.

If you are still not able to get the nut to loosen, you might try heating the nut with a propane torch (be careful not to heat the body of the valve or the piping such that it causes the water inside to boil, if you have not been able to drain all of the water out of the valve). Then give the nut a good rap with a chisel to jar the threads. Then put a wrench on the nut and hit the end of it with a wooden mallet. As mentioned above, you want to use a quick impact rather than a steady pull to try to break the frozen threads.

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com

QUESTION FROM Robert

Two of my outside faucets still have a small flow of water when I shut off the inside valve. It is already freezing, so I need to know if it is better to keep it turned off and let the water flow, or connect a hose to let the water flow away from the foundation of the house

ANSWER FROM POLICY-Wizard™

Dear Robert:

I would definitely NOT recommend shutting off the outside water faucet (spigot) during the winter, as this could result in the valve freezing and bursting.

Allowing it to drip could still result in it freezing up if the weather gets cold enough (picture a frozen icicle forming from the ground to the spigot), and this is even more true if its running through a length of hose exposed to the outside cold over its entire length.

What you can try in the short-term is to shut off the outside valve, but insulate the faucet very, very well on the outside of your house, and then place a fan facing the immediate inside of the wall to circulate warm air around this area.

But rather than doing this, it would be much better if you could fix the inside valve from leaking, and then drain the outside spigot for the winter. If you haven't already, try tightening the valve packing to see if you can stop it from leaking. To do this, put a pipe wrench on the body of the valve to keep it from moving, then use an adjustable or open-end wrench to tighten the nut on the valve stem. If this doesn't work, then you should replace the valve. Here's a webpage that can help you to replace a water valve:

http://www.homefurnish.com/homeimprovement/plumbing/doityourselfrepairingaleakingwatervalve.aspx

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com

QUESTION FROM Betty

On my outdoor faucet, the anti syphon top leaks terribly when I put my tap on. Did it happen to freeze over winter. I just moved into this house,, so I am not the original owner.

ANSWER FROM POLICY-Wizard™

Dear Betty:

You have a couple of options when your anti-siphon is leaking on your outside faucet. You can replace the inside components of your anti-siphon, or in some cases, it is easier to replace the entire faucet. If your faucet just threads on (i.e., it is not soldered on), then it could be easier to just un-screw and replace the entire faucet.

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com