Freeze proof faucets that freeze

[homeowner]

They're called "FREEZE PROOF" faucets. Yet, I've never found one that dont freeze. I've tried several brands, one was cheap, the another was costly. They ALL freeze in cold weather.

Yes, I remove all hoses right after I use them. Yes, it pitches downward on the outside. Yes, the inside portion is in a heated building and the washer is well inside.

What happens is that the stem, seems to freeze where it goes into the packing behind the handle. Then the handle wont turn. A heat gun normally solves it in a few minutes, but when it's way below zero outdoors, the last thing I want to do is be f***ing around with that faucet, and that's every other day when I fill livestock tanks.

When the weather is above 20F deg, but below freezing, it's usually ok. Omce the temps get below 20F, it's almost guaranteed to be frozen. To make matters worse, this one I have now, has a plastic handle and plastic cap ion top as a vacuum breaker. That means I got to keep the heat gun away from the plastic parts, which makes it harder to thaw. (The rest of the faucet is brass).

Have any of you ever found one that dont freeze?

Yea, I know most of you never use these faucets in winter, but those of us who run farms and have animals that need water are always struggling with stuff like this, and it becomes real annoying when it becomes a daily or every other day hassle.

I will mention that they dont freeze bad enough to where they would crack, like a standard spigot, because they are not FILLED with water, yet they are always frozen enough to make it impossible to turn the handle. Actually I tried to force one of them, and broke the handle off. So they are frozen tight!

[Dave Stone]

Put one of those cheap foam coolers over the spigot when not in use.

[mike]

Do you cover the faucet with insulation so there's more heat coming from the building than can get out the (covered) metal spigot? I don't know what the number is, but there should be some amount of insulation that works. Build an insulated box around it with as much insulation as it takes in the door.

[homeowner]

Do you mean a cooler like ones made for beer in the summer, or is there something made for this use? Putting some type of insulation around it does make sense, so the heat is kept in in the exterior part of the faucet. However, is has to be easily removable to put the hose on.

Whatever it is, it has to be fairly durable because snow likes to drift there and sometimes burys the faucet, which means I got to shovel around it, and thats not always a gentle procedure, not to mention snow and icicles falling off the roof.

[DerbyDad03]

Outside Google Spigot Google Insulation Google

[CRNG]

On Wed, 23 Jan 2013 12:48:48 +0000 (UTC), DerbyDad03 wrote in Re Re: Freeze proof faucets that freeze:

Those should work.

[Retired]

Maybe an "electric heat cable" like these ??

[dennisgauge]

"Freeze proof" means that freezing won't destroy the faucet, not that it won't ever freeze up.

You put something wet in really cold temperatures, and it's going to freeze. That's physics.

The difference is that a "freeze proof" faucet doesn't put a pipe full of water out in the cold where it will freeze, expand, burst, and flood your basement.

[Larry W]

If you have a daily need it may be worth your while to have a frost-proof anti-siphon hydrant valve installed. Try googloing "frostproof hydrant" for some examples. These valves have a rod or linkage above ground, and the actual valve is below the frost line. The linkage operates the valve and water comes out through the above ground standpipe portion. When the valve is closed, the water in the upper part of the piping automtically drains, so no ice can form.

[homeowner]

Actually, I have two of these already. One in my barn and another near a lower pasture area. But I keep some small ponies next to the house in winter, and theur tanks get filled from the spigot on the house. I suppose putting in another yard hydrant would help, but th cost is prohibitive. The hydrant itself is about $100 and the piping is not too costly. I could even connect the pipes myself. But getting an excavator to even drive to the property is at least $750 and ends up costing $1000 and up. When I was younger, I'd dig a 25 foot long trench

6 foot deep with a shovel, but no more.

[micky]

This looks okay, but I think he'd be better off with a 24-can beer cooler. That way if he gets locked out of the house, he'll have the beer to keep him company.

[micky]

ever freeze up.

That's physics.

But that's the point. The water is supposed to stay where it's not really cold.

Maybe you havent' seen what he's referring to. They're about a foot long and the valve on the outside looks like any other garden faucet, but the stem is almost a foot long and the valve seat is 10 or 11 inches inside the house, in his case a heated basement probably.

out in the cold where it will freeze, expand, burst, and flood your basement.

Exactly. The water is not supposed to freeze.

[krw]

ever freeze up.

That's physics.

It's supposed to be installed so the valve seat is higher than the spigot, too, so water will run out after it's shut off. If this isn't done, they *will* freeze. They will also freeze if you leave a hose connected. The key point here is that the water has to be allowed to run out of the exposed part.

water out in the cold where it will freeze, expand, burst, and flood your basement.

The valve on a "frost free" silcock is inside the house, rather than outside. If it's allowed to freeze you can have a real mess. A regular silcock will tend to break outside.

They are supposed to be installed correctly, too.

[micky]

won't ever freeze up.

That's physics.

The OP said that was done.

He said he did that.

water out in the cold where it will freeze, expand, burst, and flood your basement.

I didn't repeat everything that was already said.

I want to concentrate on the OP's problem, not on other people's who didn't install it right, etc.

[homeowner]

won't ever freeze up.

That's physics.

full of water out in the cold where it will freeze, expand, burst, and flood your basement.

Yes, everything is installed correctly and no hose is left on it after use. Like others said, there is still some water in it that dont dry and freezes. Just enough to freeze the shaft so it wont turn. In the severe cold we are having, it probably freezes almost immediately. When I take the hose outside to use it, I must use it immediately. If I just leave it sit outside for more than about 7 minutes, it freezes up. And thats a room temperature hose brought out of the house. I have to unthaw the faucet first, or the hose freezes by the time I get the spigot unthawed. Then I leave the spigot run a little so it dont re-freeze while I drag the hose out of the house. WHAT A PAIN IN THE ASS THIS IS!!!!

I see this freezing of the spigot shaft cant be avoided. But some form of insulated cover might help. I'm still thinking of some method that I can use which can easily be removed when I use the faucet and easily replaced after. I dont think those styrofoam things sold for this use will hold up when snow and ice falls off the roof, in fact a neighbor said he bought one, and it didn't last one winter. Snow fell off his roof and smashed it.

[krw]

won't ever freeze up.

That's physics.

water out in the cold where it will freeze, expand, burst, and flood your basement.

There is something very wrong with the OP's story. If indeed everything was installed correctly and there was no hose left connected, it's impossible for the frostless silcock to freeze. You believe the OP's story. I do not.