All modern houses have outdoor water spigots to provide water for landscape irrigation, garden maintenance, car washing, and other outdoor tasks. These outdoor faucets are known as Outdoor Hose Bibs, or simply hose bibs.
Most homeowners pay little, if any, attention to their hose bibs until something goes wrong. That can be a problem because, like all faucets, hose bibs require ongoing maintenance. In fact, since they’re located outside the home, they actually require more maintenance than indoor water fixtures.
Read on to find out about professional hose bib services available in Grand Junction, CO, and what homeowners need to know about these important fixtures.
Standard Hose Bibs
Standard hose bibs are made up of a pipe, a body, a stem, a handle, and a spout. The pipe leading to the hose bib is usually either ½ inch or ¾ inch in diameter, depending on how much pressure homeowners need, but adapters can be used to change the size of the pipe to fit outdoor fixtures like garden hoses and irrigation lines.
There’s more to hose bibs than meets the eye. The pipes of standard hose bibs lead into the home to meet up with the main water line. In most homes, there’s also a shut-off valve that turns off the water only to the hose bib. This makes it easier for Colorado homeowners to provide seasonal maintenance.
The shut-off valve is usually found in the home’s basement or directly on the other side of the wall from where the hose bib assembly is installed. Homeowners should always ensure they have clear access to this valve. Those who aren’t sure where a shut-off is can contact a plumber for help.
While it’s a good idea for homeowners to have a general idea of how their hose bibs work and how to shut them off, repairs should be left to licensed professionals. There are a few Common Hose Bib Problems that homeowners should know about, especially if their systems haven’t been receiving adequate maintenance. The pros at Home Comfort Services can fix all of them.
Colorado gets very cold in the winter, and hose bibs are prone to freezing and cracking. If homeowners forget to turn the water off to their hose bibs, that water will settle in the hose, freeze, expand, and cause serious damage to both the faucet and the plumbing line. The easiest way to avoid this form of damage is to hire a professional to winterize the system each year before the temperatures begin to drop. Otherwise, homeowners will be calling for repairs instead.
Leaks can occur as a result of poor connections in the plumbing lines, cracks in the hose bib’s faucet or pipes, or water shut-off valves that can’t be tightly secured. Hose bib leaks don’t just wastewater. They can also lead to foundation damage, so it’s best to call a professional for help as soon as possible.
Broken handles can lead to leaks, the inability to shut off the water completely, and difficulty turning the water on and off. In most cases, homeowners must have broken handles repaired before they can go back to using their hose bibs, so don’t put off calling for help.
There are several plumbing problems that can cause low water pressure to a hose bib. They range in severity from competing with other water sources leading to shared pressure, which causes the water pressure to drop on all the plumbing fixtures being used, to water line leaks or broken pipes, which can lead to substantial water damage. Poorly functioning valves and pipe obstructions can also cause low water pressure.
When to Replace a Hose Bib
Some of the problems described above can be resolved with professional repairs. Others require that the hose bib be replaced.
Here are a few factors to consider when deciding between repairing an existing hose bib and having it replaced:
The age of the hose bib
Whether the existing hose bib adequately meets the household’s needs
How frequently the hose bib has been repaired in the past
Whether the existing hose bib is easy to use and winterize
Hose Bib Installation and Repair are both tasks best left to the pros. Homeowners in the Grand Junction area can trust Home Comfort Services to take care of all their hose bib maintenance, repair, and replacement needs. Call us to schedule an appointment or browse the website to learn more about the company’s other services.
