Keeping Hose Bibs from Freezing in Winter?

[micky]

Not all crawlspaces require crawling.

OTOH, the one time I went into our crawlspace, the bottom was semi-soft clumpy mud. I was 11 and assumed all were like that. If I'd tried later it might have been dry**.

If you think you might have to kneel in yours, you can bring with you 2 or 3 big pieces of cardboard and move them along as you check out the space, and keep your knees clean.

**Our backyard had a patch in the rear that was sopping wet for a while in the spring, but the whole backyard of our neighbor, 300 feet away, was soaking wet. Later I noticed on the city street map that there was supposed to be a stream pretty much where the neighbor lived! If his back yard was that wet, I can't imagine how wet his crawlspace was. It might have been 3 feet deep! No one had fences and now I would check out the yard behind his and the area across the road from him, but I didn't think of that then.

[Marilyn Manson]

I don't have that type of hose bib so I have a question:

How can the pipe drain if the shut off inside the house is closed? Doesn't there need to be some method to satisfy the "air behind water" requirement? (That's why house drain systems have vents)

If I hold my finger over the end of a water filled straw, it won't drain. The shut-off is acting like my finger. Why would the pipe drain?

How do you get the water that drained out, back in? ;-)

[Marilyn Manson]

"Required" doesn't always mean what people think it means.

It may be required for new builds, but older dwellings will be grandfathered. It's up to the owner to choose to be silly or not.

[Scott Lurndal]

That is the function of the "little knurled nut on the valve" referred to in the part of the article you quoted.

[Marilyn Manson]

You may need to be a little more specific than "the handle is on a plane with the wall".

If you know what a FFHB looks like, you can be pretty sure that this one isn't one, but if all you have to go on is "the handle is on a plane with the wall" you could be dangerously mistaken.

[Clare Snyder]

No, hey are "hydrants" They are generally about 14 inches long, with the actual "faucet" or valve insife the house, and a pipe to the outside with a long shaft tothe handle from the valve. They must be installed level or pointing down to the outside to drain, andtobe effective the hose must be disconnected so it doesn't maintain water in the 'pipe" Nothing thermostatic or complex about it at all.

[Clare Snyder]

I'd say they were invented over 50 years ago and became common in the "frost belt" about 40 years ago.

[Marilyn Manson]

I do know that. That is why I clarified your statement. Not *everyone* knows that.

[Marilyn Manson]

Sorry, I missed the step in Micky's process where he said "open the spigot on the outside". I took it to mean that the knob was the drain.

[Marilyn Manson]

Sorry, I missed the step in Micky's process where he said "open the spigot on the outside". I took it to mean that the knob was the drain.

[Marilyn Manson]

Sure. And "most of the people" here probably know what a FFHB is. However, almost 20% of people in this thread, including the OP, didn't. So we explain what a FFHB to those that don't.

We should also clarify other statements that might be misunderstood, because not everybody knows everything.

You were nice enough to explain to me how the hose bibs with the drain work, why can't I be nice enough to clarify what "requires" means in this situation? I wasn't saying you were wrong, I was simply clarifying your statement for others.

[micky]

I had to use pliers to get the knurled cap nut off the first time, and thereafter, and eventually the knurling was pretty much gone, but they sell new ones at Home depot, a set of two, for different manufacturers I suppose.

[micky]

So it just missed my house, built 42 years ago. And designed and the first matching ones built the year before that.

Plus Baltimore is probably not thought to be the frost belt, but if there's only one day a year pipes can freeze and break, that's reason enough.

[Clare Snyder]

Some cneasp-assed contractors STILL don't install them, even in cold areas because they cost about $50 - or about $30 more than using a shutoff valve and standard hose bib.

[trader_4]

Depending on the climate and crawl space, it could freeze there too. But most crawlspaces, if you insulated it too, it would probably be OK.

[trader_4]

The shutoff valves inside have a drain. It's a little cap on the side of the valve.