I am trying to change a hose bib on outside of the house. The bib is stuck and I cannot seem to free it up. When I turn it the pipe it is connected to turns as well. I tried to hold the main pipe with a plumber's wrench and pliers, but I cannot grip the pipe very well because it is smooth and round. Should i use lock-tite or is there some other chemical I can use to loosen the bib's connection from the pipe?
Are you sure it is not soldered on? Some have dual use fittings.
Plus, OP better check on what may have broken loose w/ the turning of the supply line...sounds like a leak potential inside a wall or in a crawl space to me.
I have changed others in my house, but not this one, so don't think it is soldered. No others have been soldered. I think it is just tight and old. Luckily it is right outsid of my garage, so the lead pipe is not too difficult to access if there are signs of a leak. I have drywall there, but it isn't finished.
Isn't there some type of chemical I can use to loosen the tension?
WD-40 (not the best but easy to find) may help, heat may help, really opening it up for access so you can get a really big wrench on the pipe, and have someone on the other end is likely to be the best choice. Be ready to do some additional repair work as they don't always come apart easily. Sometimes it is just easier to cut it off.
Why not just remove the pipe that is turning easily along with the hose bib? Then the rest should be easier and if worse comes to worse saw a hole in the sheetrock to access the pipe. probably an elbow in there.
Mark
Yeah, it's self-generated as well...persperation. :)
What kind of pipe are we speaking of here? If it's turning, I'm guessing galvanized? If so, and if you have or can get access, heat (preferably a real torch, not just a propane torch) is best.
Or, if it isn't some other access problem, just go ahead and take it apart where it wants to break loose and go from there. It can also just be simpler to cut it somewhere convenient and then go on rather than fight the disassembly.
Got the same problem. My house has stucco. It has a copper feed, coming up to a nut that holds on the hose bibb. I am first going to try getting another set of "guts, and just taking that stem and seal out, and hope that will fix it.
If'n that don't, the nut that holds it on there looks as corroded as one of those Carlsbad Caverns formations, and I am not looking forward to attacking it with a wrench. Plus, there is no space to put a backup so I don't twist off the copper feed.
So, I am going to shut the water off ONE OF THESE DAYS, and take the guts and see if I can find a match. Will probably have to buy the whole hose bibb, but if it works, that will be a real deal. If that don't work, I will just have to crack out the stucco enough to get a backup on there, and if that don't work, I will have to crack out the stucco more enough to get in there and cut it and put new copper.
Yikes. It's always something.
Let me know how yours works out so I know what NOT to do.
Steve ;-)
I don't know what a plumber's wrench is; we have pipe wrenches and they will grip a round smooth pipe.
I would start by apply> I am trying to change a hose bib on outside of the house. The bib is
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