"Frost Proof" Sill Cock Information - InspectionNews

Michael Thomas · #1 (**permalink**) 12-09-2007, 08:57 AM

Nice resource for explaining these to clients as the heating season starts:

HOW A STANDARD FROST PROOF FAUCET WORKS

Jim Luttrall · #2 (**permalink**) 12-09-2007, 09:10 AM

Good graphics, thanks Michael.

Bruce Breedlove · #3 (**permalink**) 12-09-2007, 04:29 PM

That's good info. You can't stress enough how important it is to disconnect the water hose if temps are expected to dip below freezing. You lose all benefit of being "frost proof" if the hose bibb cannot drain.

I prefer the term "hose bibb". That doesn't raise eyebrows like "sill cock" does.

Jim Robinson · #4 (**permalink**) 12-09-2007, 05:19 PM

Thanks Michael.

I just had a good friend and client who's hose bib froze a few weeks ago. This is a good PDF to show them. I replaced it and also added an inside shut off valve, since it was on the north wall, and I was worried about it freezing on them again.

I also don't like sill cock as a term. It's hard to say without laughing, so I use hose bib instead.

Michael Thomas · #5 (**permalink**) 12-09-2007, 06:33 PM

Jim,

Did you happen to take a picture? The reason I was I was looking at that was for a page I'm writing on winterizing properties, and I and I can't find the picture I'd intended to use.

--------------

Years ago, in another life, I owned a company that made remote access servers for corporate clients. These were big items $125-250K per, and I would often end up in a suit in meetings with the Dir of MIS or the CIO.

One of these sales was to a very large and very conservative religious organization.

In a meeting, discussing "diskless unix workstations" the words out of one of these guys mouth was "dickless eunuch workstations".

NEVER had as hard a time keeping a straight face before or since, so I suppose I'd best switch over to "hose bib" before it's somehow my turn.

Bruce Breedlove · #6 (**permalink**) 12-09-2007, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael Thomas

Jim,
"dickless eunuch workstations".

And you thought things couldn't be worse than being a eunuch!

Jim Robinson · #7 (**permalink**) 12-10-2007, 06:16 AM

Sure. This one was from last week at another house, but the same problem.

Michael Thomas · #8 (**permalink**) 12-10-2007, 07:02 AM

While I'm at it, does anyone have a really dramatic exterior shot of a frozen bib I could use? I took one a while back with a mound of about 4' of ice under it, but it was not at an inspection, and it looks like I did not get it copied to the PC.

Eric Barker · #9 (**permalink**) 12-10-2007, 07:35 AM

Michael,

I'm seriously wondering if you actually do inspections. You gotta spend a lot of time digging up this great stuff.

Now as far as dramatic photo, this one falls short, but maybe you can use it anyway.

Michael Thomas · #10 (**permalink**) 12-10-2007, 09:36 AM

I'm seriously wondering if you actually do inspections. You gotta spend a lot of time digging up this great stuff.

Well, the phones have been slow since early September, with only two years in the business and thus a thin referral base it's been tough. I just looked at the November December stats for Northbrook; there are around 250 properties on the market and were around twenty sales, if that's fifteen home inspections and 10-12 are going to already well established inspectors...

I expect the ratios are similar in Evanston, Morton Grove, Skokie, Glenview and the others areas where I do most of my business.

But you know, I really do feel it took me about that much time to really get my skill level up to the point where I'm confident that my clients are getting the level of service they deserve. I'm just not the kind of guy who can - like the inspector in a nearby town who started up around the same time (and who to his credit has also worked very hard at learning the business) - letter my vehicle "XXXXXXX's Most Trusted Home Inspector" on the day I started. Just not my style.

Anyway.. now that the new site is up I'm starting to get some additional business from there, a lot of what you see me doing here related is to building content for the site as part of my marketing efforts, which is this winter's project.

Meanwhile the willingness of posters here to share their knowledge has been one of the main reasons I've been able to improve so quickly as an inspector, and I really feel a sense of responsibility to share what I find in the course of my efforts - including my site-building research - in return.

Michael Thomas · #11 (**permalink**) 12-10-2007, 09:42 AM

Eric, thanks for the picture.

Later this week I'm putting up an acknowledgments page that will include a link to everyone who has provided pictures, this will give contributors an additional in-link to their site to help a bit with search engine results.

BARRY ADAIR · #12 (**permalink**) 12-10-2007, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael Thomas

I'm seriously wondering if you actually do inspections. You gotta spend a lot of time digging up this great stuff.

Well, the phones have been slow since early September, with only two years in the business and thus a thin referral base it's been tough. I just looked at the November December stats for Northbrook; there are around 250 properties on the market and were around twenty sales, if that's fifteen home inspections and 10-12 are going to already well established inspectors...

I expect the ratios are similar in Evanston, Morton Grove, Skokie, Glenview and the others areas where I do most of my business.

But you know, I really do feel it took me about that much time to really get my skill level up to the point where I'm confident that my clients are getting the level of service they deserve. I'm just not the kind of guy who can - like the inspector in a nearby town who started up around the same time (and who to his credit has also worked very hard at learning the business) - letter my vehicle "XXXXXXX's Most Trusted Home Inspector" on the day I started. Just not my style.

Anyway.. now that the new site is up I'm starting to get some additional business from there, a lot of what you see me doing here related is to building content for the site as part of my marketing efforts, which is this winter's project.

Meanwhile the willingness of posters here to share their knowledge has been one of the main reasons I've been able to improve so quickly as an inspector, and I really feel a sense of responsibility to share what I find in the course of my efforts - including my site-building research - in return.

Michael,
A link to your site in your signature could help generate traffic to your site as posts here and elsewhere are also posted on the www Nice resource for explaining these to clients as the heating season starts: HOW A STANDARD FROST PROOF FAUCET WORKS - Google Search

Rick Hurst · #13 (**permalink**) 12-10-2007, 10:49 AM

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.

Granted we don't experience that much freezing weather here for long in the Dallas area, but I have been finding a unusual number of faucets that are leaking within the wall void, suggesting they have froze in the past.

Here's a couple pics.

Michael Thomas · #14 (**permalink**) 12-10-2007, 12:10 PM

Test...

Joshua Hardesty · #15 (**permalink**) 12-10-2007, 07:35 PM

Quote:

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.

Rick Hurst · #16 (**permalink**) 12-10-2007, 08:25 PM

Joshua,

This time of the year when the weather is near freezing I just take the liberty to take the hoses off the spigot and leave the seller a note on why. Many call to tell me thanks and sometimes I have booked a HI for them on the home they are moving to.

If I see those foam covers out in a garage while I'm there, I've been known to even put them on if I know freezing weather is in the forecast. I never got dragged into court for doing so either.

Rick