Outside bib question

[Rcsupercat]

I am trying to stop an outdoor bib from leaking. Im assuming it is original to house, built in 1992. the handle is stripped and basically crumbling. i cant figure out if the whole valve is soldered on or if a small extention (.87) was soldered on (to .63) and the valve was screwed (or soldered) onto that. Im trying to avoid a catastrophe. if i take a pipe wrench (.87) and a open end wrench and try and unscrew it at the green circle, if i break it ill have to keep the water off to the house until its fixed, and that would totally suck. any ideas to getting this done? thanks.

 

[Chuck]

In the UK it is common practice to have a stopcock inside the house to isolate such garden taps. This is mainly for frost protection in winter but makes this sort of maintenance much easier.

I don't think that there is a zero-risk approach to this job. My advice would be to get a plumber to do it for you. The photo is not entirely clear but I suspect that you have some electrolytic corrosion going on there so ask the plumber whether the pipes and fittings are compatible materials and suitable for exterior use. Consider having an internal stopcock fitted while they're at it.

I've had to live in a house with no water for a couple of days recently and, call me soft if you wish, but I didn't enjoy the experience one bit. The advantage of using a plumber is obviously that if something does go wrong they'll be able to fix it then and there.

 

[Ben-gee]

I've had to live in a house with no water for a couple of days recently and, call me soft if you wish

You were lucky, I had to live in a rolled up newspaper at the bottom of a septic tank!

 

[Roy_66]

Not totally clear from photo how much pipe you have sticking out the wall to play with, so can you just cut the whole thing off and start again.

As Chuck says though you want an isolation valve inside. Guess that is probably in a tricky location, so unless you are confident, best get a professional in for a proper job.

Cheers,

Roy

 

[Rcsupercat]

Thank you all for your replies. I will post the outcome.