On Sun, 27 Mar 2011 07:42:59 -0700 (PDT), jamesgangnc
wrote:

On Mar 27, 7:13Â*am, mm wrote:
On Sat, 26 Mar 2011 05:51:41 -0700 (PDT), bob haller
wrote:

On Mar 26, 8:06 am, "Ed Pawlowski" wrote:
"mm" wrote

I have that valve but I'm tired of using it. How effective are those
styroam boxes that go over the spigot and are held on with sort of
like a rubber band?

They insulate, they don't make heat. In really cold weather, once the heat
is gone, it will freeze. It relies on heat being transferred from inside
and not being lost. No way would I trust it.

I have to check with my neighborss. Â*We all have the same house
construction, and I doubt everyone drains their pipe for the winter,
like i did until two years ago. Â*So now, one is drained and I don't
use it, but the other I have to get on a ladder and use a pliers to
open the knurled cap and the water runs onto things stored underneath,
and the knurling on the cap is wearing out.

IOW, it's marginal or maybe unnecessary whether draining is needed n
Baltimore. Â*One two-month period I let it drip a little.

then relocate valve to a place thats heated in winter and install a
freeze proof valve. you should still disconnect garden hose in winter.

a neighbor didnt like worrying about freezing outside faucets. he
replaced the damaged ones and never used them again.

he had a faucet nstalled indoors and ran the garden hose out the door.
kinda inconvenient if you ask me- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

If you have a turn off valve you may simply be able to turn off the
valve and leave the faucet open during the winter.


I'm always surprised when I see this talk of hose lines freezing.
It's standard up north to have an inside shutoff and close it when
winter rolls around, then open the outside faucet.
I've got one in front and one in back. Takes no more than 5 minutes.
It'a easier than cleaning gutters, another late fall ritual.
Never saw a "freezeproof" valve.
All it takes extra is a 3 buck valve and a nipple for an inside shut
off.
Maybe they don't get enough freezes down south to make it standard?
Another reason might be the disadvantage of using other than
galvanized lends itself to taking those shortcuts..
You're going to have sweat an additional 2 joints with copper and add
whatever fittings required by PEX of plastic.
With galvanized it's just a little more cranking.
Another thing I don't get is this removing brick to get at a water
fitting. Seems to be design by criminals.
And running anything but lead pipe through concrete, and tearing up
100-year slabs because of a 10-year leak.
Seems to be short term thinking behind that too.
I suppose that's fear of lead poisoning, but there's mostly lead
water feeds up here around Chicago, and nobody's pulling them out.
I feel ok, but do get dumber as time goes by.

--Vic