I forgot to install an external hose bibb on the front of the house, as did the plumbers (who were hired to inspect my supply work), and now I’ve got everything drywalled and painted. The first floor is close to at grade with the front yard, so if I ran it directly out of the basement, it’d be at/below grade.
Short of cutting open the wall in the living room to run a hose bibb, could I run it out of the basement and up the exterior of the house? Not pretty I know, but it’ll be well disguised behind the landscaping. I would add a shutoff with drain directly inside the house in the basement to keep it from freezing and keep the kids from screwing with it. There would be about 6″ of it below grade.
Or is that just a bad idea, and I should suck it up and cut into some perfectly good drywall? 😉
Thanks,
Z
Replies
run out and elbow up into the shrubbery
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because of DC area.. hydrent stile bibb???
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mack,
If you're gonna cover/disguise it, you might consider hooking up a yard hydrant. You'll still want the handy shut off just inside the basement, but no worries about draining to prevent freezing. Plus if installed properly, no extra support should be needed.
Just a thought.
pb
Thanks for pointing those out, I didn't realize such a beast existed. I'll have to look into that more, seems like the ideal solution. And yes, definitely need a keyed/locked type bibb as either the kids will turn it on and leave it running (or poke the hose through and open window) or you'll get homeless in your yard bathing (yes, seen both).Thanks!
Z
mack,
If you decide to go with a yard hydrant, make sure to put a nice pile of gravel ,(#9' or #57's or such, not sand), around that weep hole on the bottom. Very important.pb
I was going to ask about that as one of the top google results for 'yard hydrant' was an ASSE report about contamination from the weep hole.
mack,>>>"I was going to ask about that as one of the top google results for 'yard hydrant' was an ASSE report about contamination from the weep hole"<<<If my guess is right, what that is talking about, is the possibility of ground contamination getting into the water main.According to plumbing code a dual check valve must be installed for each hydrant, (KY code).The idea is that if a water main burst somewhere in your area it could cause ground water/bacteria to get drawn into the public water system.
But for that to happen, I believe the hydrant would have to be left on. It's not as critical as they make it sound,IMO.The gravel 'nest' however helps to keep the small stuff from getting in the weep hole and causing problems, like the hydrant not shutting off totally.Hope that makes sense.pb
Would it be easier to T off of the main where it enters the house? That's how I plumbed the new hose bibs on this house, when I installed the new sprinkler system.
One nice benefit is that I now have unregulated pressure on 3/4" lines. If there's ever a fire, the volume and pressure are available at their maxium, using a 3/4" hose of course.
BTW, I installed keyed bibs, for the reasons mentioned.
Edited 10/6/2009 4:18 pm by Hudson Valley Carpenter
It would, if it wasn't all hard packed clay, mixed in with whatever rocks, mortar and brick chunks they decided to chuck in when they filled the area (used to be a railroad coal yard, and I dig up hunks of coal all the time). And if the water main wasn't about 5 ft down ;)Z
<<One nice benefit is that I now have unregulated pressure on 3/4" lines. If there's ever a fire, the volume and pressure are available at their maximum, using a 3/4" hose of course. >>Here's a down side to that -- I have one hose bib in front which is unregulated (about 140 psi) and it burst the hose on me. Came home to a drenched front yard -- but no homeless bathers. :)
Speaking from experience...almost all garden hoses will fail if left under pressure, even normal regulated pressure, for a long time, even the most expensive ones.
I now have two hose bibs in the back yard, the original 1/2" regulated and the 3/4" PVC line on full street pressure. Comparing the volume and the force of the water from the two is like night and day.
Funny, I'm facing the exact situation as you, although I don't have anyone to blame but myself (I planned the house).
I'm opting to cut drywall. It's not as big a deal as you might think. I'll need to remove about a 3' square, then drill through the bottom plate of the wall. The Pex manifold is in the room below.
Scott.
No, I have myself to blame as well, I should have put one in while the walls were open and uninsulated, but part of the reason I paid the plumbers extra was to catch this stuff. Oh well. I have a pex manifold system as well, so the plumbing part of this will vastly easier if I do cut through the wall, rather than a yard hydrant which will require copper... I think I even labeled a port on the manifold "front hose bibb" and then forgot to install it!Never done DW repair before, so that is one of the reasons I'm hesitant. I'm good at digging holes though ;)Z
>>>I think I even labeled a port on the manifold "front hose bibb" and then forgot to install it!Hahaha... yup, great minds think alike....Good luck with that.Scott.
you say your tapped on the main over to a sprinkler? how about bringing a hydrant off at the sprinkler box? i have one there just so it's handy.
would save digging and messing with basement.
the older i get ,
the more people tick me off
That was a comment from HudsonValley, I don't really need a sprinkler system for a 10'x11' front yard ;)Z
You could just get a longer hose.
Yours truly,
A guy with a long hose
I'd need about 500' of hose to go out the back, down the alley, over the broken glass, out to the street, around the neighbors house, through the gate and into my yard :)Z
I dont see any problem with running it out the basement, then up the outside....... (aside from cosmetic reasons)
but use a "stop and waste valve" in the basement. these have a second small valve on them that lets you drain the line inside the basement.
If it's simply a matter of cutting drywall, why waste time figuring out another approach?
If your still deciding between hydrant and hose bibb, something to consider is my plumber buddy gets a lot of business in about another month or so replacing hose bibbs that froze because a hose was left on them.
Might end up patching drywall more than once.