Shut the main water valve, or the small shut-off for the outside faucet if your basement has one. Then call (413) 603-1274. We replace the faucet, fix the pipe and dry the wall and basement in one visit.
How outdoor faucets burst
An outdoor faucet, called a sillcock or hose bib, sits on the outside of the house, but the pipe that feeds it runs through the cold sill and foundation wall. Most burst outdoor faucets fail in one of three ways:
- The hose was left connected. Water trapped in the hose freezes and backs pressure into the faucet, splitting the pipe inside the wall.
- The inside shut-off was left open. Older faucets need the indoor valve closed and the outdoor tap opened for winter. If not, the line freezes.
- A frost-free faucet was installed wrong. If it slopes back toward the house, water sits in the long stem and freezes.
The trap is that a split inside the wall leaks only when the faucet is turned on. Many people find it in spring: they turn on the hose for the first time and water pours into the basement or behind finished paneling.
Signs your outdoor faucet line burst
- Water inside the basement right below the faucet when the hose is on
- Weak flow at the outside faucet with water spraying somewhere else
- Wet sill plate, stained foundation wall or damp insulation near the faucet
- Water dripping from the soffit or siding below the faucet
- A water bill higher than usual in spring
What to do now
- Turn the outside faucet off. Then disconnect the hose.
- Close the inside shut-off. Many Chicopee basements have a small valve on the line to each outdoor faucet. If you cannot find it, shut the main.
- Move stored items away from the wet wall.
- Take photos of the water and the faucet.
- Call us. (413) 603-1274.
One call: new faucet, fixed pipe, dry wall
- Find the split. We check the pipe from the faucet back to the shut-off. Frozen copper can bulge or crack in more than one spot.
- Replace the faucet. In most cases a properly sized frost-free sillcock, sloped so it drains, with a vacuum breaker.
- Add or replace the inside shut-off. So the line can be closed and drained for winter.
- Test it. Water on, faucet on, with a hose attached, and we watch the inside of the wall.
- Dry the area. Wet sill, rim joist, insulation and any finished wall or ceiling get dried and checked with a moisture meter.
Outdoor faucets in Chicopee homes
Chicopee averages about 50 nights a winter at 20°F or colder, and the frost line goes deep in a long cold snap. In February 2015, after weeks near zero, the Chicopee Water Department received more than 100 calls about frozen pipes in two weeks. Outdoor faucet lines run through the coldest part of the house: the rim joist at the top of the foundation. In older homes they are often original copper with no inside shut-off at all, and in some two- and three-deckers the outdoor faucet line runs through an unheated back porch.
See our Chicopee frozen pipes guide for the full picture, and how to keep outdoor faucets from freezing for the fall checklist.
What it costs
A sillcock replacement with an accessible pipe in an unfinished basement is a small job. The cost goes up when the split is inside a finished wall or ceiling, when the basement is wet, or when a shut-off valve has to be added. You get the price before work starts. See what changes the price.
Outdoor faucet questions
Can a frost-free faucet still freeze?
Yes, if a hose is left attached over winter or the faucet does not slope down toward the outside. The water in the stem cannot drain, and it freezes and splits the stem inside the wall.
Why did it only leak when I turned the hose on?
The split is between the faucet valve and the outside. With the faucet off there is no pressure in that section. Turning it on sends water out through the crack inside the wall.
Should I shut the outside faucets off every fall?
Yes. Disconnect hoses, close the inside shut-off if you have one, and open the outside faucet to let the line drain. Do it before the first hard freeze, usually by mid-November in Chicopee.
Is a burst outdoor faucet covered by insurance?
The water damage inside the house often is, if it was sudden. The faucet itself usually is not. Policies can exclude freezing damage if precautions were not taken. Check your policy and see burst pipe insurance in Massachusetts.
Outdoor faucet leaking into the house? Call now
Call (413) 603-1274 now. Locally owned in Chicopee: we replace the faucet and dry the wall in one call. See areas we serve.