How to Install Raised Outdoor Faucets

A raised faucet is great for outdoor gardening.

Raised faucets on the outside of the home give you easy access to a water supply for gardening and yard irrigation. Installing an outdoor faucet does not need a professional plumber as long as there is a water line already running to the outside of the home. Call a professional if this line needs to be installed; in many areas, this is a legal requirement. Installing a frost-proof raised faucet prevents damage to the pipe during the winter months.

Things You'll Need

• Screwdriver
• Wrenches (2)
• Female adapter
• Coupling
• Pipe cutter
• Propane torch
• Solder

Instructions

1. Turn off the water supply to the outside faucet by twisting the control valve to the "Off" position.

2. Remove the screws from the existing faucet if there is one. Turn the head of the faucet with a wrench to remove it.

3. Hold the end of the pipe that leads to the old faucet with a wrench from the interior of the home. Turn the pipe with a second wrench to remove it from the connection.

4. Pull on the end of the faucet from outside to remove the entire sillcock.

5. Thread a 1/2-inch female adapter onto the end of the new faucet's sillcock. Insert the new faucet through the hole in the wall.

6. Measure the gap between the adapter and the water supply pipe. Add 1/2-inch to the measured length and cut a piece of pipe to this length.

7. Place a 1/2-inch coupling over the end of the water pipe. Insert the cut piece of pipe into the coupling.

8. Light a propane torch and heat the coupling. Touch the end of a piece of soldering wire to the top of the joint where the coupling and the short piece of pipe meet. Hold the solder there until it melts around the joint. Do this for all the joints.

9. Tighten down the anchor screws on the faucet head at the outside of the home. Turn on the water supply and test the unit.

References

• This Old House: How to Install a Freeze Proof Faucet
• The Family Handyman: How to Install a Frost-Proof Outdoor Faucet