How to Install a Frost-Proof Faucet

In this video, This Old House plumbing and heating contractor Richard Trethewey explains how to install a frost-proof faucet.

Steps:

1. Turn off the water and drain the old hose faucet, also called the sillcock.
2. Use emery cloth to clean the copper water pipe leading to the hose faucet.
3. Cut the pipe using a tubing cutter and then remove the old hose faucet.
4. Insert the new frost-proof sillcock into the hole in the wall, and mark its mounting-hole locations.
5. Drill holes on the mark and insert plastic wall anchors.
6. Apply silicone caulk around flange of the frost-proof sillcock.
7. Slide sillcock into hole, press tight to wall and secure with stainless steel screws.
8. Use an adjustable wrench to remove stem unit from sillcock.
9. From inside, solder a length of copper pipe to the end of the sillcock.
10. Use a coupling to solder new pipe to the existing water pipe.
11. Re-install the stem unit into sillcock and tighten with wrench.
12. Turn on water and test your work.

Pro Tip: When caulking the sillcock flange, apply caulk not just for weatherproofing but also to keep heated air inside the building. As Richard Trethewey demonstrated on a This Old House project: “I wanna just caulk behind it to keep the heat inside the building.” This small step helps maintain your home’s energy efficiency while sealing out moisture.

Important: Before soldering, remove the stem assembly from the new frost-proof sillcock by twisting off the retaining nut and sliding out the assembly. This prevents the stem’s rubber seat from melting during soldering. As noted in This Old House Magazine, don’t discard the old faucet just yet — you may be able to reuse part of the supply pipe that’s attached to it to connect the new freezeproof faucet.