Basic tools needed to replace outdoor faucet

Q: I have an outdoor faucet that I use a lot to water plants and wash my cars. It leaks badly. I want to replace it with a freeze-proof faucet so I can use it year-round without worrying. Are those faucets hard to install and are they really freeze-proof? I have half-inch copper water pipes.

A: These faucets, usually called frost-proof, can freeze in some conditions. Freezing usually happens when a hose is left attached to the faucet in cold weather and the water in the hose freezes, backs up, and cracks the shaft of the faucet.

Some new faucets have a special valve to prevent this, but the best bet is to disconnect the hose in cold weather.

A frost-proof faucet is not difficult to install if you have a few basic plumbing skills and some common tools. The faucets have a long shaft that extends through the foundation or wall of the building so that the actual water-shutoff point is inside the building, where the temperature is presumed to be high enough to keep water pipes from freezing.

Start by turning off the water supply to the outdoor faucet; there should be an inside valve to do this. Next, measure the length of the shaft of the new faucet, cut off the water pipe that leads to the old faucet at a point where the pipe will connect with the new faucet and pull out the old faucet through the existing hole in the foundation or wall.

Most frost-free faucets have a threaded end on the shaft, so a fitting that will accept the threaded end should be soldered to the end of the cut water pipe (don’t neglect to figure the length of the fitting into your measurements before cutting the pipes).

Poke the shaft of the new faucet through the hole, enlarging the hole if necessary, and apply Teflon sealing tape to the threads of the new faucet before screwing it into the fitting. When the faucet is in the position you want outside the building, seal around the opening with patching cement, epoxy putty or caulk to hold it firmly in place.

When you buy your new faucet, try to get one with a metal handle. I owned a faucet with a plastic handle once, and when the handle broke I was unable to get a replacement handle even though the faucet was bought at a large home centre.

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