Hi,
First time writer. I purchased an old home (circa 1890) a few years back, and a hose bib in the basement has recently begun to slowly leak. I've attached a picture here:

[#$%&]

It may be hard to see in the photo, but this bib is upstream of the meter/shutoffs that I have access to. To list the order of things, the water line enters the house, this bib comes next, followed by a shutoff valve, then my meter, and then another shutoff valve, then the rest of the house.

I was originally going to attach a hose shutoff valve onto the end of the faucet. Unfortunately, the threads were slightly bigger than 3/4" hose thread.

Is anyone familiar with this type of bib? Have you ever seen a thread size just slightly larger than 3/4" hose thread?

I'm probably just going to have to call up the city and have them shut off my water at the curb while I replace the bib. I assume that the new bib will need 3/4" pipe thread to attach to my water main line. Does this sound correct to you experts?

Thanks!
Greg

Unless that's a reducing tee, then a 3/4" male boiler drain is what you'll need. It sure looks like it has hose threads on it, maybe if some of the paint and debris was cleaned up a bit the hose would screw on ?

it is either:

a 3/4 x 1/2 x 3/4 tee (run-run-bull)

or

a 1 x 3/4 x 1 tee (run-run-bull)

the 'spigot' is on the (reduced) run

you may have a modern spigot designed for a specialty vacuum breaker

a standard hose will NOT fit on the spigot itself

you 'may' need:

"""What you have there is an Arrowhead sill cock that someone removed the vacuum breaker off of it. You can call around your local plumbing supply houses and tell them you need a arrowhead fine thread to 3/4 hose thread vacuum breaker."""

[www.arrowheadbrass.com]

OR

if it is a packing leak,

close valve tight

remove handle (patience with the screw, may need several apps of liquid wrench and notching with a hacksaw)

remove packing gland (valve will still be closed tight) - repack


HJ: HELLLLLLP

(wait for his response)

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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638



Edited 4 times.

You need a 1/2" male hose faucet. WHat is that brass piece between the wall and the tee? It looks like a valve. I am sure the city will NOT be happy to see you have a hose connection ahead of the meter where you "steal water, without paying for it.

That isn't Arrowhead with a fine thread.

When that hose faucet was made, there were NO "faucets with a fine thread".

DOH

you may NOT have a connection point on the 'street' side of the meter

call the city water dept.

explain that you just realized the improper connection point when it started to leak

ps. I hope you have not been using this connection to supply UNMETERED water.

If you decide to hire a plumber (suggested) replace the hose cock with a PLUG.

DOH

==============================================

"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

Couldn't a plumber freeze it?

yes ...but...

would need to do it outside after digging

? what if it 'bursts' ?

imo: plead Mea Culpa (to the 'not knowing' it was a violation, I just realized when it started leaking)

==============================================

"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

That's along the same lines as," I didn't know the gun was loaded", and we all know how well that works. I think I'd just tell the city the service valve is leaking, and I need to replace some pipes in the house.

but replace with a plug !

==============================================

"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

Why bother. In almost EVERY area it would be an illegal connection, and here it would be a $15,000.00 fine for having it. After all, what would keep him from turning off the meter and connecting a jumper hose from that faucet to one on the house to bypass the meter, or at least restricting the meter so it records SOME water usage but not all of it.

Some day, he is going to get an 'intelligent' meter reader who will realize the faucet is ahead of the meter, and when that happens, they MAY make a WAG about how much water has been used since the service was installed and give him a bill for it.