Why does my outside hose bib (spigot) have a hollow stem that LEAKS???

Maybe like a prevention for a frozen pipe. Blows out if under pressure? Could be.

" Nothing is easy in home repair!!!

I've also never heard of a completely hollow valve stem. Usually, the hole is tapped only deep enough to take the handle mounting screw. Are you sure it is leaking through the hole, and not from the base of the stem where it goes into the valve nut? May be easiest just to replace the hose bib valve, if replacing the packing and replacing the handle does not do the trick. Bib valves are fairly cheap.

Replace it. That is a boiler drain valve, not a true hosebib. You can't stop it from leaking, because it looks like its been modified to use the screw instead of the nut to hold the handle on. Since it is a boiler valve, you can replace the whole stem and washer from another 3/4 inch boiler valve. The guys at Lowes ought to be able to sell you on of those for less than $10.

Replacing would probably be difficult. It might be welded on the pipe. Do any of these things get screwed on??? I don't want to risk making things worse.

I can SEE the lower part of the screw through the hole in the stem and I'm sure the water is leaking from this hole (probably squeezing past the screw threads). WITHOUT the screw, the water squirts from the hole under pressure. Caught me by surprise, it did.

I don't believe the hole is to relieve pressure since you can just open the bib valve and do the same thing.

Joy

Boiler valves are NOT welded. They screw on. Yours looks like a 3/4 FIP valve. Depending upon what the attaching pipe is, you may or may not be able to wrench it off. If its old galvanized pipe, you're probably better off replacing the guts of the valve.

Looks like it could be removed and replaced. It's brass so it couldn't be welded to steel.

AAhhh. I tried my best to be clear. I'm afraid you assumed the picture is of my actual bib... It's not. It's just a picture I found so I could illustrate.

The bib does not appear to be modified and I doubt it was leaking from that hole until I removed the screw holding the handle on. Hmmmm. Maybe some loc-tite or something to seal the threads and block the water? Anyway, still want to know why the hollow stem and how it should REALLY be repaired.

Joy

I make 2 or 3 posts to alt.home.repair per year, and one of 'em gets hi-jacked??

Take a picture of it if you can and put it up so we can see it.

Post a real picture then if you real help. Still might be able to fix it for less than $10.

This hole that leaks......are you saying it is the same hole as the screw screws into, or are you saying that it is a hole that goes through the side of the stem?

Ok. If nobody figures this out I will take actual photos. It will have to wait until my camera is repaired so it may be a while but I'll do it first thing when it returns.

Joy

It is leaking from the hole in the side of the stem through which you can see the side of the screw that holds the handle on.

Joy

Shucks, figures your camera would be on the blink.

I'll make a WAG that maybe the other end of that valve stem is pretty conventionally shaped and has a rubber washer on it which should be held in place by a screw. Maybe THAT screw has loosened (or even fallen out) so that the rubber washer is no longer compressed under the screw's head to keep water from entering the screw hole at that point.

To the OP, disassemble the hose bib further and let us know what you find on the business end of the stem.

What that cross hole in the stem is for is a question I'd like to hear the answer to.

Jeff

Could that be a "freeze-proof" spigot? It's a little unlikely based on the picture but you said it's a generic picture, not one of the actual item.

Freeze-proof spigots have a long (6+ inches) stem that _is_ hollow (mine are, anyhow), and the actual water-stopping valve portion of it is at the far end of that stem.

Freeze proof spigots are great since you don't have to go around the house in November turning off the outside water. That's not hard, but here in Montana where it can freeze in September the freeze proof spigots are nice to have.

I can't see how a freeze-proof spigot is relevant. After shutting water supply to the bib, the water would drain from the bib. Why have to remove the handle screw to let it dribble out the side????

Joy

Until you can show us a picture of what you really have, everything that goes on in the thread is conjecture. I'd really like to help, but I need a little more information. KTHNXBY