Originally Posted by
Rick Hurst
As inspectors here in Texas we have to note as a repair if a back flow prevention device is not present, but many times I think we don't put enough importance on recommending "frost free" or "Freeze-free" faucets.
You know to be honest I spend more time replacing burst "freeze-proof" hose bibs than "normal" ones. Why? Most of the time the person has left a hose on the bib, but also a lot of the time it was installed incorrectly by the previous plumber and couldn't drain. The way I see it, the current design just gives the pipes an additional way to burst. If they could take out the idiot installer factor they'd probably work a lot better. But then we'd have to work on the idiot homeowner.
