Introduction
SUMMARY: A nice sillcock that works well and looks nice but may require intermediate DIY skills.
NOTE: The difference between a sillcock and a hose bib is that in a sillcock the water valve is located at the interior end of the fitting and a in a hose bib the valve is on the hose end of the fitting. Sillcocks are, by design, more freeze resistant.
BACKGROUND: This “House Hydrant” is unique because it uses a push and twist quick connect insert to provide water to your water hose or other connected water equipment. When the connector is removed a flip down cover hides the connection point. When you need water to push twist the connector body (with hose or valve attached) into the connection point and water is immediately available.The AQUOR comes with a single straight in connector but other connectors, and other cover plates, are available.
FIT AND FINISH: This is our first AQUOR product, but it is at least comparable to other freeze resistant sillcocks in construction.
FEATURES: From the Home Depot page, with my comments as appropriate.
• The House Hydrant V1+ is a flush-mount sillcock.
• Quick coupling that allows effortless garden hose connections (see photos.)
• A stainless-steel operating rod and high-performance O-ringo I try to use stainless steel in my outdoor areas where possible. The stainless operating rod gives one less concern about a corroded valve.
• The included polymer debris cover can be upgraded to match your home's style. o Home Depot does not carry the accessories as of this writing, but they are available from the manufacturer’s web site.
• Each hydrant kit includes a heavy-duty polymer CN-VB2 hose connector.
o CN-VB2 fitting is made of Acetal Resin Polymer which is is an engineering thermoplastic used in precision parts requiring high stiffness, low friction, and excellent dimensional stability. Widely in the automotive industry and for some firearm parts.
• Attach to any garden hose, and instantly connect to your hydrant without leaks or hassles.
• It is very easy to connect. The connector engages with the valve housing and as you twist it “screws” into the body.
• Ultra-reliable, pressure-closed valve prevents leaks or drips
o When you twist the connector in the interior end of the fitting pushes the valve rod which opens for water flow.
• Effortless garden hose connections, even under full pressure
o Because of the threaded connection the only force you must use is to twist the connector into the bode. MUCH easier to use than my quick-connect water hose fittings.
• Compatible with a variety of hose connectors
o I have this sillcock for one of our hose reels and an automatic waterer. No problems hooking any ¾ in. garden hose fittings.
• Use with any standard garden hose or accessories
o The supplied connector is ¾ in. Garden Hose Thread (GHT.)
• 100% stainless steel hydrant body and internals
o I love my stainless.
• Better freeze protection than traditional brass
• Hydrant automatically drains when disconnected
o The instructions state you must slope the valve body with the inside higher than the outside. The• 100% lead-free, non-toxic construction
• Repair parts readily available
• Use any ½ in. MIP or NPT fitting
o I used a ½ in. to PEX SharkBite adapter. The ½ in. end attached to the fitting with no problems.
INSTALLATION: My installation was not a beginners level DIY job (see photos and video.)
• My existing water line is ½ in. copper. I used ½ in. PEX run to the new sillcock.
• I first shut the house water off, cut the existing copper line and installed a SharkBite copper/pex cutoff ball valve.
• I had to enlarge the existing hole through the outer brickwork and inner concrete block with sill plate. The masonry work required a 1 ½ in hole through the brickwork and a 1 in. hole through the concrete block and sill plate. I used my SDS plus hammer drill for the masonry work. The largest masonry bit for SDS plus is 1 1/8 in. so I had to enlarge the hole after I drilled it.
• I used an epoxy putty to strengthen the hole to give the mounting plate screws a good grip.
• I installed the sillcock, then went under the house to attach the PEX. I used a “service loop” in the PEX to allow servicing the valve body from outside the house (see photos.)
OPERATION: There is no water control in the valve body itself. Inserting the supplied connector turns the water on so you must have any attachment(s) already installed or the connector will spray water out the GHT end. Even with an industrial “Y” gate, garden hose, and watering timer on the connection I found it easy to Insert and twist the connector. The “Y” gate gives me the water flow control to the two attachments when installed. A quick connect would probably make that connection easier.
SUMMARY: Although more expensive that other 12-inch-long freeze resistant sillcocks. I find the quality and features make this worth the money.
PROS: Stylish, easy to use, freeze resistant.
CONS: May require advanced DIY skills and tools to install.
Video
So I'm, getting ready to install this, aqua silcot and it's going through a brick veneer actually, it's a brick.
Um.
And this diameter is an inch and a quarter.
And so is this one and the largest concrete or masonry bit I have is an inch and an eighth.
So if you're going to run a masonry bit, you've got to have an SDS or similar masonry.
Hammer drill that'll, take an inch and a half bit.
Because if you'll notice up here is not an inch and a quarter it's, even bigger.
Now I can probably knock out the recess, but I really kind of hate to do that.
But this guy is coming in at almost an inch and a half.
So it would take an inch and a half bit to get it flush up.
So I'll give some more video later that uh shows what's going to happen, but that's definitely going to be an issue.
If you don't have sufficient tools, then this might not be something for a DIY person to try.
So this is the hole.
The old faucet came through here's, the new encore, obviously not going to fit so we're going to go in with the inch and an eighth to open that up and then we'll see what else we can do so I can't drill through the sole plate, which is a two by four with the concrete drill and I don't have anything that'll drill, a good inch and a half hole, except a hole saw.
And because it's on a short shaft, I had to break out the Frankenstein adapter.
But that hole is more like an inch and 5 8.
So what I had to do was take the concrete bit and basically put it in at an angle and use the side of the bit to make the hole bigger and I believe now, I'm able to get through and can drill through the sole plate with the whole bit, which we'll find out and I'm, not going to do that one-handed.
So I'll just give the aftermath, but I will say that right now it does fit through the hole and I believe is hitting on the sole plate and I'll know in a few minutes.
So after many minutes of drilling with the inch and a half hole drill, including having to re-sharpen it and the masonry bit, we finally have gotten through the brick veneer and the sole plate.
So now we can go into mounting, and the mounting bracket does have a wedge so that it angles up for draining.
But we've got plenty of room to do that as well I just have to fill in the excess of the hole with something to put the mounting screws in film at 11.
Okay, I used a piece of PVC as an insert and then filled around that with EP, 400 epoxy, putty and uh and I, put some blue painters tape over the hole and basically used a plastic putty knife to smooth it and get it just a little proud of the brick surface that allow me to do some work as needed.
This has to set up for about an hour and I'll be back all right after doing a little bit of extra work to get the epoxy drilled out.
We have got it installed I have to admit they offer a a better cover.
This is plastic and uh, I'm, not sure if I'll want to get it or not.
But uh, we are in we'll do a hookup and then operational test.
We are installed and uh, that's the silk going out.
And this is a cut off valve I, put on in case, I have any issues, uh, also, uh, this big loop you see is a service loop.
So that if I have to service the valve, because there are some components in the end here, some seals.
So if I ever have to service them, I can take the screws out in the front pull, the silcock out, and this Loop will collapse.
And let me pull it out and service it.
Uh, as might be needed, I would still have to come out and turn the water off and on.
But it still lets me service it as best I can plus if I wanted to I could do it under pressure and just pull it off and plug the plug the end of the pipe, real quick, but uh, that's, it we're going to do a do a service test next.
So we are ready for the operational test.
Uh, this is a quarter.
Turn, I.
Guess and a double o-ring seal, and then your outlet, not really very big, but we'll see what the flow rate is we're going to go unrestricted, hopefully, hopefully it won't get too wet and I would say, that's, uh, pretty good stream foreign.
And there it goes draining out, which is what you want when you go into winter layup.
This is my in-service configuration.
Uh, a nice little commercial, y valve with, uh, quarter, turn balls.
And one part runs the irrigation system there.
And the other runs this water hose.
The irrigation system is left on 24 hours a day and the hose we just turned the ball valve open or closed on demand that way the hose isn't Under Pressure, the whole time.
FAQs
What is the difference between 1 2 and 3 4 spigots? ›
Pipes that are 3/4 inch have greater water pressure than those that are only 1/2 inch wide. So, if you want good water pressure coming out of your garden hose, you should go with a 3/4-inch hose bib.
What is the difference between a hose bibb and a wall hydrant? ›Hose bibbs and sillcocks are installed on the exterior of a building to allow hoses to be connected for landscaping, washdown, and facility-maintenance tasks. Yard hydrants are tapped into buried water supply lines to provide year-round access to water in outdoor areas.
How do you connect a hose to a spigot? ›- Turn off the water to the faucet. Unscrew the aerator from the faucet spout. ...
- Screw on a garden hose adapter and tighten it with the pliers. ...
- Screw on an anti-siphon valve. ...
- Screw the hose onto the anti-siphon valve and tighten the connection by hand.
A spigot and a hose bib technically refer to the same thing. They are mechanisms that control water flow outside your home. But in some cases, people refer to spigots as outdoor valves connected to pipes, while hose bibs as valves attached to small hoses.
Is there a water pressure difference between 1 2 and 3 4? ›Running 3/4" piping from the 1/2" feed will slightly decrease the pressure loss, meaning you'll get more pressure at your fixtures, but the difference will probably be very small. Most of the pressure loss will have already occurred in the 1/2" line before it reaches your house.
What is the difference between 1 2 inch and 3 4 inch hose? ›A 3/4-inch hose can deliver about three times the water of one with a 1/2-inch diameter. Size matters: Large diameter can compensate for variables affecting water pressure -- for example, if the water has to travel uphill.
What type of valve is most commonly used for residential hose Bibbs? ›Anatomy of a Hose Bibb
The most common type of valve used is a compression type, where the handle rotates to screw the stem or spindle into the seat, thus sealing the opening and stopping the water flow (see diagram). These valves are effective, but, like everything else, they degrade over time.
Black plastic poly is one of the most durable, economical, and practi- cal types of pipe to buy for running hydrant line.
What does BIBB mean in plumbing? ›a faucet having a nozzle bent downward; bibcock.
Can you leave hose attached to spigot? ›If you leave a garden hose attached, a small amount of water can stay lodged in the pipe by the spigot and will quickly freeze. This ice can damage your faucet and pipe: so prevent a costly repair by disconnecting that hose today!
What do you call the thing you connect a hose to? ›
A hose coupling is a connector on the end of a hose to connect (or couple) it with another hose or with a tap or a hose appliance, such as an irrigation sprinkler. It is usually made of steel, brass, stainless steel, aluminium or plastic.
What thread connects a garden hose to a faucet? ›For garden hoses, BSPP is an ideal consideration. Garden taps come with a BSP thread of 3/4-inch. In commercial applications, we use a 7/8-inch BSP.
Why do they call it a bib? ›Etymology. The word, reported in English since 1580, probably stems from the verb bibben "to drink" (c. 1380), from the Latin bibere, either because it was worn while drinking or because it "soaked up" spills.
Why is it called a spigot? ›This word, spigot, has an interesting etymology. It is derived from an old French word “espigot” which can mean the core of a fruit or a small ear of grain. The development of this small word can be considered somewhat adventurous for those of us concerned with yard hydrants.
What is the most common hose bib size? ›The most common hose bibs are ½ inch or ¾ inch, correlating with the diameter of your home's pipes. A compatible fit is essential to keep the flow rate consistent, so make sure your hose bib matches the diameter of your pipes to maintain good water flow.
Does increasing pipe size increase water pressure? ›Larger pipes increase the water flow through the line, but if the water isn't up to that necessary flow, it won't increase your water pressure. Municipal water systems have impressive pressure, but that doesn't mean a larger line can help. Bigger lines do not always help things get faster o stronger.
Is 90 psi too high for water pressure? ›Normal psi for a home pipe system is between 30 and 80 psi. While you don't want the psi to be too low, it violates code to be above 80. Instead, you should aim for a psi that's between 60 and 70.
Do you lose water pressure with PEX? ›PEX plumbing systems don't allow the water pressure to drop. Have you ever experienced a cold shock in the shower when someone flushes the toilet, or a small trickle of water when you're trying to do the dishes while the washing machine is running?
What size hose is best for water pressure? ›A hose width of five-eighths inch is generally most useful. It's a good combination of water flow and pressure without being too heavy. If hose weight is an issue for you, a half-inch hose may be best. They tend to be lighter weight but because of the smaller diameter they don't carry as much water.
What size hose gives more pressure? ›Does hose diameter affect water pressure? A Larger diameter hose helps maintain the current water pressure as there is less resistance to the natural flow. A smaller diameter restricts the water flow, and in turn reduces the water pressure, but it increases the velocity (speed) the water travels.
Is a standard garden hose 1 2 or 3 4? ›
The diameter of threaded fitting inside a hose is referred to as the thread size. Hose diameters range from 3/8 inch, 1/2 inch and 3/4 inch. The bigger the diameter, the more water is delivered. The most common garden hose thread size is 3/4 inch.
What is the best valve to control water flow? ›Globe valves are considered the industry standard for control valves because they are good at regulating flow, whereas ball valves are better for on/off control without pressure drop.
What are the best valves for main waterline? ›Ball valves may be the most reliable valve and are commonly used for main water shut offs. Similar to gate valves, ball valves should be all the way open to allow the full flow of water or all the way closed to restrict all water from flowing. The valve is controlled by moving it between 0 and 90 degrees.
What is the most common valve for water supply system? ›1. Gate Valve. Gate valve is the most widely used type of valve in plumbing systems. It includes a wedge-shaped metal gate that can be lowered (with the use of a twist-type handle or knob) to stop the flow of water or raised to allow the flow to continue.
What type of pipe is not recommended for water line? ›Avoid using polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC). These pipes contain the highest levels of chemicals of concern and they are typically installed using hazardous solvents.
What is the difference between red and blue yard hydrants? ›Red indicates a water-flow capacity of fewer than 500 gallons per minute (GPM). Orange indicates a water-flow capacity of 500 to 999 GPM. Green indicates a water-flow capacity of 1,000 to 1,499 GPM. Blue indicates a water-flow capacity of 1,500 or greater GPM.
What is the best pipe for high pressure water? ›Copper Pipes
Copper pipes remain popular among plumbers and homeowners alike because they are corrosion-resistant and best suited to protect the quality of the water. Copper pipes are able to handle high water pressure and are tolerant of both hot and cold water temperatures.
A hose bib is a water faucet that sits on your home's siding. The valve that allows water to flow through the faucet—and the entire faucet itself—all reside on the exterior of the house. A sillcock is an outdoor faucet as well.
What is a Silcock? ›A sillcock is a fancy name for a male-threaded outdoor faucet. An unthreaded faucet that isn't able to attach to anything, like a garden hose, is just a plain or simple faucet. So, the key differences between a sillcock and any other type of faucet are these: It is located outside (usually on a wall)
What are the faucets on the outside of a house called? ›A spigot is a faucet, a device to turn water on and off. If you leave a spigot open, the water will keep flowing. In the U.S., most of us call an indoor valve (in the kitchen or bathroom) a faucet, and the outdoor one a spigot.
Can a garden hose be under constant pressure? ›
Your garden hose is not able to be installed under constant pressure. To relieve the constant pressure, we recommend placing your timer (if you are using one) on the spigot, before the garden hose.
What happens if you don't cover water spigot? ›Outdoor faucets are not insulated, which allows cold air to seep into the walls of your home. Leaving your outdoor faucets exposed can result in water freezing in the pipes within your exterior walls.
Do you have to drain outside water spigots? ›Here's one crucial item that should always be on your pre-winter to-do list: Draining your outdoor faucets and hoses. During the colder months, leftover water can freeze and expand, which can lead to burst pipes or valves—or, in other words, an extensive repair.
Is garden hose thread the same as NPT? ›Garden Hose Thread (GHT) comes male (MGHT) and female (FGHT). It's important to note that GHT is different from NPT. Garden hose connections are not compatible with NPT even though both are threaded. Where a water hose fitting is required, this would be the connection to look for.
Where should hose bibs be placed in a house? ›(a) Two exterior hose bibs or sill cocks shall be installed on each residence one on front wall, one on rear wall, each provided with accessible stop cock or valve.
What connects a hose to a hydrant? ›This fire hydrant adapter allows the connection of a hose to a different size, or thread, to the most common fire hydrant thread. It has a cast brass pin lug design for a quick disconnect.
What is the difference between NPT and FIP? ›MIP (male iron pipe) and FIP (female iron pipe) are both pipe fittings with NPT threads. MIP refers to fittings with male threads, and FIP refers to fittings with female threads.
What is a faucet with threads called? ›If your faucet has threads on the outside, then it is “male”, and you should use a “female” aerator. If your faucet has threads on the inside, it is “female”, and you should use a “male” aerator.
What does FHT mean in plumbing? ›A: FHT means Female Hose Thread. That is the normal garden hose fitting that attaches to your outside faucet.
What are standard spigot sizes? ›The size of outdoor spigots themselves will either come in the 1/2 inch size or the 3/4 inch size based on the size of the house-side connection that is supplying the water to the spigot.
What is the most common hose spigot size? ›
The most common sizes are usually either ½ inch or ¾ inch. All that this size refers to is the diameter of the pipe. When deciding on the size of hose bib that's right for you, it all comes down to how much pressure you need coming out of the faucet. The smaller the pipe, the stronger the pressure will be.
How many fixtures can a 1 2 inch water line supply? ›For our example, our 1-inch pipe can have up to 30 fixture units, our 3/4-inch can have up to 14, and our 1/2-inch can have up to 4.
What size of supply line is typically run to a residential home? ›In most cases, the main pipeline from the street to your home is either 3/4 or 1 inch in diameter, supply branches use 3/4-inch-diameter pipe, and pipes for individual components are 1/2 inch. Remember that water pressure decreases by a half-pound per square inch for every foot pipes extend above your water supply.
What is the best pipe for an outdoor faucet? ›Ideally, copper pipe is used for exposed plumbing and outdoor faucet pipes. But PEX tube is the best choice for underground plumbing. In addition to its impressive durability, PEX is also less expensive than its counterparts.
How do I know what size spigot I have? ›To find out the correct size of spigot ring you must measure the centre bore hole from the back of the wheel. For tapered centre bores, you have to measure the actual hole and not the diagonal taper, while for stepped wheels you must measure the diameter from the widest point.
How many GPM is an average outdoor spigot? ›The average flow rate for faucets is between 1.0 gpm and 2.2 gpm.
How many GPM is a house hose spigot? ›A typical garden hose flow rate is usually between 9 and 17 gallons per minute. The average garden hose GPM would be around 12 to 13, but this can vary depending on the type of hose.
Is PEX A or B better? ›Bottom line, PEX A is more resistant to burst pressure than PEX B. PEX A's expansive material can handle up to 500 PSI, which makes it reliable in extremely cold temperatures. Since PEX B is a more rigid material, it will not hold up as well in similar situations.
Should I use 1 2 or 3 4 PEX for my house? ›In general, the greater the distance from the manifold to the fixture, the wider the PEX tubing should be. A 3/8-inch line is sufficient for lengths up to 250 feet; 1/2-inch line will deliver adequate water pressure up to 350 feet; and 3/4-inch tubing is necessary to run a 500-foot line.
What size should water line coming into house be? ›Generally speaking, the main pipeline from the street to your home is either ¾ or 1 inch in diameter. Supply pipes are ¾ inch in diameter and individual components are ½ inch in diameter.
Does a bigger hose increase water pressure? ›
Does hose diameter affect water pressure? A Larger diameter hose helps maintain the current water pressure as there is less resistance to the natural flow. A smaller diameter restricts the water flow, and in turn reduces the water pressure, but it increases the velocity (speed) the water travels.
Does a longer hose reduce water pressure? ›Assuming a best-case scenario – working on flat ground and normal operating conditions – you typically won't lose much pressure as you increase the length of hose that you use. For instance, on a 3/8-inch hose with a 3 gallon/minute flow, the loss of pressure per 100 feet is about 50 PSI.