While it may appear that the different versions of freezeless hose-end wall faucets on the market are similar, an engineering analysis reveals that there are significant differences in the sanitary protection, product reliability, and ease of repair that they provide. The following information is designed to help the buyer be an informed consumer of freezeless wall faucets.

Freeze Protection

The standard hose-end wall faucet requires the homeowner to remove the hose, or other attachments, before temperatures fall to freezing levels. Otherwise, the water cannot drain from the faucet which can freeze and burst the faucet pipe. This is usually not detected until the spring when the homeowner turns on the faucet and gets very little or no flow. To his dismay, he later finds flooding in the basement, due to the damaged faucet. Typically, the homeowner believes that the hose was removed and does not accept responsibility for the pipe rupture. This situation can harm the reputation of the plumber and building contractor, even though it was not their responsibility.

Some freezeless faucets eliminate the chance of bursting, even if the hose has not been removed. One type of freezeless faucet drains every time, even with an attached hose. Another freezeless faucet has a built in pressure relief valve. This valve relieves the pressure that is created when water in the tube begins to freeze, protecting the tube from bursting. A retrofit kit, using this technology, is available to upgrade and protect a faucet that has already been installed.

Backsiphonage and Backflow Protection

Everyone has likely heard of add-on vacuum breakers and may have even heard the term "backflow preventer" as possibly being equivalent. Actually, vacuum breakers are called this because they are primarily intended to protect from contaminated water getting siphoned back into the house. As far as backflow protection, vacuum breakers only prevent backpressure up to 4.33psi. The other down side to vacuum breakers is that they will fail and if they fail the homeowner has no way to "field-test." (ASSE 1011 and 1019).

Another option for protection is the double check backflow preventer. These devices are designed to prevent backpressure up to 125 psi, in addition to offering backsiphonage protection. The big improvement is the ability to field-test following a simple test procedure that does not require special tools, and can be preformed by the homeowner. (ASSE 1052 and 1053)

Wire Draw

Another problem that can occur is known as wire draw. This results in a deep groove on the valve seat which is caused by fast moving water passing around the seat. The end result is in premature leaking which can occur in less than a few months. The repair of this problem usually requires the full removal of the faucet. Wire draw has been prevented and addressed in some faucets by using alternative materials, such as stainless steel.

Quarter Turn Freezeless Faucets

The Model 65 is an automatic draining, freezeless wall hydrant with anti-siphon vacuum breaker designed to blend in with modern architecture for installation on restaurants, schools, office buildings, churches, apartments, motels, stores, shopping centers and industrial buildings. Photo courtesy of Woodford Mfg. Co.

There has been a renewed push to market the quarter turn valve on wall faucets. This type of device has been used for gate valves with great success because of its quick on-off feature. However, in hose-end faucet applications, periodic cases of water hammer and the inability to easily modulate flow (downsides to the on/off feature) have limited the market acceptance of quarter turn valves in freezeless faucets.

The exterior of houses takes on many forms such as plastic, metal, wood and composite. Because of these different materials, the angle of the siding varies. In order for wall faucets to adequately drain, they must be installed with a downward slope. As a solution, some faucets have a fixed flange that contains a shim while other products contain an adjustable flange that is built into the faucet.

Summary

Over the years, new materials and design technology have been integrated into quality freezeless hose-end faucets in ways that are not easily detected. In many faucets, these technologies have been applied in ways that result in years of problem-free service. So, before proceeding down the path of believing that all freezeless hose-end faucets are the same, ask questions on behalf of the ultimate user - the homeowner.