Outdoor Hose Bib Repair in Etobicoke

Telltale signs: outdoor hose bib repair

Garden taps live a hard life, half in the weather and half inside a cold wall. Signs that yours needs work:

• A drip from the spout when it is closed
• Water leaking inside the basement when the tap is turned on in spring
• A handle that turns and turns while the water keeps coming
• No interior shut-off, so it cannot be winterized

On the job: what we open, clear and test

For a dripping spout, a new washer or cartridge sometimes cures it. A tap that leaks indoors when first used in spring has almost certainly frozen and split behind the wall; the only proper fix is replacement. In goes a frost-proof sillcock: its seat sits a foot or so inside the heated wall, the long barrel empties itself when shut, and we tilt it a touch toward the garden. A vacuum breaker prevents garden water being drawn back into the house supply.

Where there is no inside shut-off, we add one with a drain cap, so the line can be isolated and emptied in the fall.

What can change the job

Wall thickness determines the length of frost-free tap needed. Brick or stone facing takes a careful bore; siding is simpler. Some houses have a tap fed from a long, exposed run through the garage, which needs insulating or rerouting. While on site we can check other outdoor services; gas lines for barbecues are a separate trade, described on our gas line page.

Etobicoke homes and this job

Many houses in Sunnylea and the Kingsway were built with simple compression taps and no interior valve. After a hard winter we see several each week split inside the wall. Gardens with big trees also tend to have hoses left on all autumn, which trap water in the tap. A split tap can flood a basement corner quickly, and if that happens, our emergency line is the right call.

Before you call

Note whether there is a shut-off inside. Tree roots near the foundation may also be worth a word; see roots in sewer lines. Ring (365) 816-2905.