You have two or more sillcocks on your house even if you don’t know the name “sillcock.”
They are the outside faucets where you connect garden hoses, and they often leak. If a sillcock leaks when the water is on, you are in luck, as the fix is relatively easy. This leak is caused by a loose packing nut. To tighten it, remove the handle by removing the screw. It is usually a Phillips head screw. Behind the handle you will see the packing nut which is usually white plastic. To tighten it use a ¾ inch open end wrench or an adjustable wrench. My sillcock in the garage has leaked almost every year and just snugging up the packing nut has always cured the leak until this year. The o-ring behind the packing nut is finally worn out. There is a repair kit available at Menards made by Prier Products. The part number is 630-7755. There are installation instructions on the package and a video on youtube.com/prierproducts.
There are two types of packing nut components. One type is right-handed thread and the other is left-handed thread. Parts for both types are included in the kit. Mine is left-handed but my neighbor’s is right-handed.
If the sillcock drips when it is turned off, you have a more complicated problem. The fix is internal and will require that the water main is turned off so you can disassemble the sillcock. Most of the houses in Sun City do not have a ball valve on the water line to the sillcock so you must turn off the water to the house.
When you turn the knob on the sillcock to turn off the water, you are actually closing a valve twelve inches inside the house. It is designed this way so that in the winter the water is in the warm zone and not exposed to the cold outside air where it might freeze. The sillcocks on most Sun City houses have a 12-inch extension. There are kits containing the replacement parts to fix a leaky sillcock available at hardware stores and home centers.
To install the replacement parts, turn off the main water shut off to the house. Remove the handle to the sillcock. Under the handle you will see a white plastic packing nut. With a ¾ inch open end wrench remove the packing nut. Sticking out of the sillcock where you removed the packing nut you will see a square ¼ inch copper piece where the handle attaches. Using a ¼ inch wrench unscrew this piece by turning it counter-clockwise. Pull this piece out and you will have a 16” long copper rod. All of your replacement parts consisting of rubber washers and o-rings will be installed on this rod. Follow the instructions that come with the replacement parts kit.
Reverse the disassembly steps to reassemble your sillcock. You should now have a leak-free sillcock.
