A frost-free spigot, or sillcock, keeps its shut-off valve inside the heated part of the house at the end of a long tube. When it's installed and used correctly, the tube drains every time you close it, so there's no water left in the part exposed to the cold. When something goes wrong, it tends to go wrong inside the wall.
Why frost-free spigots still freeze
The most common cause is a hose left connected in winter. The hose holds water in the tube, the tube can't drain, and a hard freeze splits it inside the wall. Other causes are a spigot installed level or tipped back toward the house so it can't drain, or a sillcock too short for a thick wall, so the valve sits in the cold.
Powhatan winters aren't long, but nights in the teens do happen, and a single hard freeze with a hose attached is enough.
How to tell it has split
- Water running inside when you turn the spigot on, but little out the spout
- Water in the crawlspace, basement or behind the wall after the first spring use
- A wet ceiling or wall below a spigot on an upper floor
- The spigot runs fine with no hose, but leaks inside the moment a hose nozzle is closed
How it's repaired
A split frost-free spigot can't be patched; it's replaced with one of the correct length for the wall, installed with a slight downward pitch so it drains. The inside connection and shut-off are checked, and the wall penetration is sealed. A worn washer or vacuum breaker on an otherwise sound sillcock can often be replaced on its own.
For standard spigots and hose bibs, see outdoor spigot and hose bib repair. If the leak is on an inside faucet, see leaking faucet repair.
Simple winter habit
Disconnect hoses before the first freeze, every year. It is the single most effective way to protect a frost-free spigot.
Call for a quote on frost-free spigot repair at your home.
How it works
- 1
Test
Run the spigot and check inside for water.
- 2
Measure the wall
Correct sillcock length chosen for the wall thickness.
- 3
Replace
New frost-free spigot installed with a drain pitch.
- 4
Seal and test
Penetration sealed; inside and out checked.