Split Sillcock due to Freezing
Winter woes – second to a burst pipe in your home, a burst pipe in your exterior plumbing! With the variance of temperatures we get here in Flagstaff, it’s unfortunately common for us to see split sillcocks due to freezing. When water freezes in the pipe (portion of the sillcock), it expands and splits the copper. Most of the time this is due to a hose left attached as the temperatures drop – the residual water in the pipe cannot drain properly.
As a friendly reminder: remove all hoses from your sillcocks during freezing temperatures. When the hose is left attached, the sillcock will not drain and the residual water can freeze, expand, and thus damage/split the sillcock.
The other reason we see for a burst pipe at your hose bib is that the sillcock was installed improperly without a downward grade. This does not allow water to drain entirely from the pipe; the remaining water then expands in freezing temperatures, and cue the burst pipe.
Takeaways:
Install sillcocks with a downward grade, using shims if necessary.
Always disconnect hoses when freezing temperatures are imminent.
