Richard Trethewey helps a homeowner install a new sill cock. (See below for a shopping list, tools, and steps.)
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Shopping List for How to Install a Frost-Proof Hose Spigot:
- Frost-proof sill cock (hose spigot)
- Copper pipe and assorted fittings
- Ball valve
- Lead-free solder and flux, for soldering copper pipe and fittings
- Emery cloth, for cleaning copper pipe
- Teflon tape, to create watertight seal on threaded fittings
- Masonry screws, for securing sill cock to the concrete foundation
- Expanding foam insulation,"] used to seal hole in foundation wall
Tools List for How to Install a Frost-Proof Hose Spigot:
- Hammer drill with 1[FRACTION 14]-inch masonry bit, to bore through concrete foundation
- 5/32-inch masonry bit, for drilling screw pilot holes
- Propane torch, to solder copper pipe and fittings
- Pipe brush, for cleaning copper pipe and fittings
- Pliers and adjustable wrench, to tighten threaded fittings
- Screwdriver
- Cordless drill
- Tubing cutter, for cutting copper pipe
Steps for How to Install a Frost-Proof Hose Spigot:
1. Bore a hole through the concrete foundation wall with an electric hammer drill and 1[FRACTION 14]-inch-diameter masonry bit.
2. Wrap Teflon tape around the threaded end of the sill cock.
3. Thread a copper adapter onto the end of the sill cock; tighten with pliers and a wrench.
4. Unscrew the handle from the sill cock, then loosen and pull out the stem unit.
5. Feed the sill cock through the hole in the foundation wall from the outside, then bore two screw pilot holes.
6. Fasten the sill cock to the foundation wall with two 2-inch masonry screws.
7. Turn off the water at the water main or well pump.
8. Use a strip of emery cloth to clean a short section of the existing cold-water pipe.
9. Cut out a portion of the pipe with a tubing cutter.
10. Clean the inside of a copper T-fitting with a pipe brush.
11. Brush flux around the outside of the just-cut tubing, and to the inside of the T-fitting.
12. Use a propane torch and lead-free solder to solder the T-fitting to the cold-water pipe.
13. Apply flux to the inside of the copper adapter threaded onto the end of the sill cock.
14. Insert a copper street elbow into the adapter.
15. Cut copper pipe to length and attach copper fittings to extend from the street elbow at the sill cock to the T-fitting on the cold-water pipe. Also, install a ball valve to the pipe assembly.
16. Solder together all the pipes, fittings, and valve.
17. Seal the hole in the foundation wall with expanding foam insulation.
18. Open the ball valve to allow water to flow to the sill cock.
19. Attach the garden hose, open the sill cock, and test your work.
About Ask This Old House TV:
Homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions for us on smaller projects, and we're ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by our viewers—and we make house calls! Ask This Old House features some familiar faces from This Old House, including Kevin O'Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook.
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How to Install a Frost-Proof Hose Spigot | Ask This Old House
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