How to Repair a Hose Bib on an Outdoor Faucet
Summer is finally here! Children are out of school and ready to play in the sprinkler. You’re probably ready to start gardening and landscaping. With 90-degree days on the horizon, your lawn will need to be watered soon too. As you prepare yourself for a fun day in the yard, you might be disappointed when you realize your garden hose bib is leaking.
If you live in a state that has cold winters, the hose bib can freeze and burst in the winter. Some homeowners will brush off a leaking hose bib as nothing more than an annoyance, but leaky hose bibs waste a large amount of water for being such a small leak. Over time, a leaking hose bib can cause water damage to your foundation, which will turn into a much larger and more expensive repair!
4 Tips for Fixing a Hose Bib:
- Always turn off the water supply line for the bib you are repairing.
- Try to tighten the packing nut as your first attempt to fix the leak.
- Replace the washers in your hose bib if tightening the packing nut doesn’t work first
- Use a pair of needle nose pliers to remove any of the old packing material inside the valve – this is usually more common in older bibs. Newer hose bibs will have rubber O-rings.
Generally, we propose two options for our customers: repair the leaking hose bib or install a brand-new hose bib. If we repair your hose bib, we will determine what is causing the leak. There’s a chance we need to replace the packing nut, main washer, or spigot. If your hose bib isn’t fixable through a simple repair, we will propose replacing your outdoor faucet.
While you have a plumber at your house, ask him to inspect any other outdoor faucets to check for leaks. Save yourself the additional trip fee and get everything fixed all at once so you can enjoy those summer days running through the sprinkler, gardening, and enjoying your beautiful green grass.
For more information on options and pricing for fixing your leaking hose bib, call our Hope Plumbing at (317) 641-4673 or contact us online!
