I have rental condos in Dallas areas. Although the weather in north Texas is relatively warm, but at least once yearly that the temperature drops to low 15's, therefore I have to winterize the outdoor hose bibs thoroughly. Here are my two questions:
(1) I would like to replace the outdoor hose bibs with frost-free models. Looking at the products sold in Amazon, it appears to me that there are basically two groups of hose bibs: One that costs around $15-$17, the another triple the first one at $45-$50. What are the catches? I also see that Home Depot and Lowes sell only the later, you can see the products by clicking the Amazon link here.(Keeping with the forum rules, I am not asking for recommendation of any specific brand name or manufacturers.)
(2) I plan also to supply the tenants with rolls of bubble wrap during the lowest of Winter times, and cap them off with foam cups if possible. Is bubble wrap more effective than rags in protecting the faucets?
Thank you for your time and pointers.
Best Answer
Much of the piping in the Dallas area is not able to receive these long-stem freeze resistant hose bibs. Maybe yours is, but maybe not. The threaded fitting must be way back in the wall on the inside of the insulation in the heated zone. And unless the valves go into a basement I wonder how one checks for leaks when installing a new one.
I also notice that the more expensive of these are described as "quarter turn" which almost certainly means they are ball valves. Ball valves are great as an on-off valve, but are not good for metering, i.e., adjusting flow through a range.
I installed quarter-turn ball valves at our house the last time I replaced the two outside hose valves at our house (in Dallas), but the ones I got are too hard to turn to use easily. These were good quality "garden valves" made in Italy, but were a mistake for this use. I am going to have to devise a longer handle for them. Everbilt 3/4" garden valve. Our hose piping comes out of the ground and not from the side of the house.
In cold weather I disconnect the hoses and cover the faucets with insulation and a plastic flower pot. Probably you could just supply your tenants with a foam cover that is secured to the faucet with a clip or a rubber band.
