DIY guideOutdoor faucet
Is the outdoor faucet frost-free? How to tell
Follow the outdoor faucet's pipe inside: a long stem with its valve in the warm wall means frost-free; a shutoff just inside means a standard one.
- 5 to 15 min
- 6 steps
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Inside, find where the pipe comes through the wall behind the outdoor faucet.
A valve on the pipe just inside, for draining it in the cold: a standard faucet. Shut and drain it for winter.
The faucet's long body runs into the wall with no valve near it: frost-free. Its valve sits inside the warm wall.
A faucet set in a box in the wall, with a handle or key inside: a recessed hydrant, frost-free too.
Even a frost-free faucet freezes with a hose left on. Take the hose off before the cold.
Water inside the wall or the basement when it runs, or a split faucet: shut its valve or the main, and ask Handyman for a plumber.
What you need
- A flashlight
Call a pro if
- Water shows inside when the outdoor faucet runs
- The faucet is split, or drips with the handle shut
- A standard faucet has no shutoff inside
Handyman says: Leaking inside? I'll find a plumber.
Free for every home. Handyman asks a few questions, then books a pro it trusts.
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