I Need to Replace an Outside Spigot With Galvanized Pipe

Old Spigots

• An old water spigot can present a few dangers to your house and plumbing. If the spigot is leaking water, it can raise your water bill and lead to flooding. When the outside temperature dives below freezing, any leaking water can then freeze, causing the galvanized pipe to expand suddenly and burst. Old spigots also do not have a vacuum breaker, meaning the water that has been sitting in a hose attached to the spigot can flow back into the house’s plumbing. This presents a sanitary problem since the water in a garden hose may contain bacteria.

Before You Begin

• As with most plumbing repairs, you must shut off the water to the outside spigot before you can begin the replacement process. Locate the shutoff valve handle on the water line leading to the spigot, which is located inside the house. Turn the handle clockwise until it stops, completely shutting off the flow of water. You must then go outside and turn on the spigot all the way, turning its handle counterclockwise until it stops as well, and wait for all of the leftover water in the pipe to run out of the spigot. Failure to shut off the water or drain the pipe can lead to serious water damage inside your house.

Undoing the Pipe Connection

• You must first remove any screws that hold the spigot to the outside of the house, since the spigot needs to rotate inside the hole in the side of the house. To unthread the galvanized water pipes, you must turn the female pipe, or the one that fits on the outside of the other pipe, counterclockwise using a pipe wrench. If the other pipe turns at the same time, clamp a second pipe wrench to the pipe to hold it stationary. Once the connection is loose, you can then pull on the spigot from outside the house and remove it along with the connected pipe.

Spigot Replacement

• When replacing the old spigot, you must decide if you want to install a new model with a galvanized pipe or install one with copper piping. Joining a galvanized pipe with copper piping leads to corrosion, which in turn clogs the water pipes and drops the water pressure. You must remove all of the galvanized pipes if you want to install copper piping, which lasts longer. With copper pipes, you must solder the pipe sections together, applying flux to the joints and heating the solder with a blow torch. You also must cut the copper pipe on the spigot so the spigot sits flush with the exterior of the house.