4 Reasons to Have Your Outside Faucets Replaced

Whether you’ve bought a new pool or you’re refilling the old one, you need a lot of water before you can swim. At  40 pounds of water pressure , a standard 1/2-inch diameter garden hose needs at least nine hours to fill a 5,000-gallon pool or pond. A 5/8-inch-diameter hose only takes five hours to deliver the same amount of water to your outdoor water features.

You can always add an adapter to your existing faucet, but you increase the chances of faucet leaks wherever there are extra fittings on your faucets and hoses. Have your plumber upgrade your outdoor faucet to one that fits a 5/8-inch hose for pool and pond filling.

While the plumber is on site, they can also install a hose connection vacuum breaker (HCVB) on any outdoor faucet used to fill water features. If you accidentally leave the hose’s delivery end in the pond or pool water after filling, the HCVB won’t allow water to siphon back into your potable water supply.

An HCVB is connected to the faucet or hose bib and has a set screw to keep it firmly in place once installed. If any backflow occurs from your pool or pond, the HCVB drains off water before it can enter your plumbing system.

A leaking outdoor faucet seems like a slight annoyance, but it can spell trouble for your home over time. A tiny wet patch is all mosquitoes need to infest your property. Other biting insects appreciate standing water for their breeding efforts, so your leaky faucet turns into itchy bug bites and gnats in the lemonade.

Other pests including mice and ants are attracted to free water that drips around the foundation of your home. These pests set up nests close to the water sources they find. Your home becomes a perfect pest nesting spot when you let outdoor faucets provide the drinking water for rodents and insects.

Leaking outdoor faucets can eventually soak nearby structural wood on siding, in a basement, or in a crawl space. Wet wood attracts dampwood and subterranean termites that can destroy the framing and other wooden components of your home.

Powderpost beetles and carpenter ants are also drawn to wet wood in your home. The soaked boards and joists make it easy for insects to chew through the cellulose they crave in the wood. Stop attracting pests and insects by having your leaky outdoor faucets replaced.

You get a bonus when you fix outdoor spigot leaks. The United States Environmental Protection Agency says your water bill could decrease by as much as 10 percent when you let your plumber resolve all of your home’s leaky pipes, fittings, and faucets.

Are you limited to one outdoor faucet in an inconvenient location? Do you need a new outdoor faucet for a specific purpose?

Your plumber can run new supply lines to outdoor faucets for:

Have your plumber install a frost-free faucet when the new faucets are added.  This can prevent leaks from freezing when the winter weather arrives.

If your outdoor faucets are not delivering enough water at a high enough pressure, have your plumber examine your plumbing system to find out why. A number of reasons could cause outdoor faucets to lose water pressure.

Some cause of low outdoor faucet pressure include:

Reduced water pressure in outdoor fixtures is common when you have a landscaping irrigation system. Water pressure drops due to the irrigation’s backflow prevention because it’s connected to your outdoor water supply.

Some fixes for your low-pressure outdoor faucet include replacing or repairing pipes, flushing your plumbing system, and repairing a problem faucet. If these fixes don’t work, your plumber may need to install a booster pump to increase water pressure to exterior fixtures.

For more bells and whistles, ask your plumber about specialty outdoor faucets including quick-connect faucets that allow you to click a hose or attachment on and off with ease. Specialty outdoor faucets also include brass decorative faucets with shiny polished finishes or intricately shaped floral and animal themes.

Contact Jim Dhamer Plumbing & Sewer, Inc., (630) 964-2222 to schedule  installation, replacement or repair of your outdoor faucets. We install plumbing and repair plumbing problems for homeowners in Will, Kane, Cook, and DuPage counties.

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