PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum - Frost Free Faucets

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Frost Free Faucets - Cut Off Water In Winter?

I just had my leaking exterior faucets all replaced with frost free units.

They all have shut off lever valves about a foot downstream from them (obviously inside the house).

For the winter, my plumber said to not bother cutting off the water to the exterior faucets with the lever valves, that I should leave the lever valve open and just turn off the frost free over the winter.

I guess I'm old school, and think I should cut off the water at the lever valve and then open up the frost free faucet over the winter. Maybe it's belt and suspenders but I don't see any disadvantage to what I'm thinking, and it would put less pressure on the frost free if we get a real cold snap. The pipes run just inside the cinder block walls, and I have had pipes freeze numerous times.

Any thoughts?

Thanks.
Al

I've done both but have never had a frost free faucet freeze.

I put some of those frost free outside faucets on my place. The faucets also included some sort of check valve. The next spring the check valves were junk and made a considerable obstruction to the flow of water. I dismantled both valves and removed the damaged parts. Later I determined that both valves still obstructed the flow of water and removed them, replacing them with ball valves and reverting to an inside drain.
YMMV

Never had them freeze, the frost free faucets have the valve way down in the wall so the water should always be in conditioned air.

Depends on the temperature of the basement. Heat from the water will be always trying to escape to the cold. If losses because the basement is too cool outpace available heat removed they will freeze.

In most cases they seem satisfacory. Do not insulate the pipe inside the house that feeds them. You want the pipe to pick up the ambient heat. If the part going through the wall or foundation where something other than metal the thermal conduction loss would be far less.

Quote:

Originally Posted by al76slc (Post 2811898)

As is my bad habit I perused your post quickly so if I missed it forgive me. What climate are you in? I am in a mild climate and my Frost Free on the North side of the house has never given trouble. I should point out that it is in an exterior wall and the house remains heated in the Winter.

No need to terminate the water supply inside the house.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

A bit more background should have been in order, but I get the drift that I should keep the lever shut-off open and use the frost free to turn off the faucet as intended.

The outdoor faucets all run into my unheated basement, which is above ground and gets cold (into the mid-40's) in the winter. The exterior walls of the basement are sheetrocked and insulated but the basement is otherwise unfinished.

I was going to close off the shut-offs behind access panels but it sounds like I should leave them open to the ambient basement air, which is at least above freezing.

I have another plumbing question, which I'll set up as a separate post....