# Plumber wants to cut a hole in my drywall to replace an outdoor faucet???



## plummen (Jan 10, 2010)

caliskier said:


> I live in Oklahoma, brick house, with an outdoor faucet that leaks at the spigot. Its one of the freeze resistant type with a 15 inch long rod that goes back into the wall to shut off the water. I tried to replace the washer and it still leaked, then i replaced the rod and handle, now it leaks from both the spigot from a little hole right behind the handle (leaks from the handle I guess you would say). So I call a plumber and tell him what I ave already done and he wants to remove it by cutting a hole in my drywall inside my house. What? Why can't he just unscrew it? I don't want to pay to re-plaster, re-texture, and repaint my drywall. Why would we need to do this, is this for real?
> 
> un screw the old one and put a new one on, right??


Sometimes theyre just screwed in, sometimes theyre soldered on.
Unless you know for sure id rather cut a small hole also rather than risk breaking something inside ceiling.


----------



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

It's also very hard to line the threads back up (if it's threaded) without cross threading way back inside a wall doing it blind.
Could very well snap off the pipe inside the wall if it's something like CPVC.
If it's a shark bite type fitting it's going to just spin.
Instead of repairing the cutout he could cut out to the size needed for an access panel so it would never have to be opened up again in the future.
http://www.homedepot.com/s/access%20panel?NCNI-5

Very often those freeze proof sill coc*s fail because someone left the hose attached and it froze. They only work if there drained of water.


----------



## caliskier (Mar 14, 2009)

ok, i understand the reasoning, thanks for explaining, not thrilled about fixing my wall. I did get a phone call from the guy he will not be able to make it as he is sick and suggested I call another plumber. That's cool... I took the day off to meet with him and do some other things around the house, I can probably do this myself and control the wall damage as i will be fixing that anyway. The house was built in 75, so it is either threaded or soldered in. BTW, two of my faucets have some putty in the brick where it looks like someone cut an oval shaped hole the diameter of a golfball at its shortest diameter right next to the pipe which is odd. As for the inside, an access panel may work, but may look silly there, its in a bedroom and not a closet, also... when I measure it, it appears to be right in the middle of where two walls meet if you know what I am saying. When i measure where it is from the window it looks as if it is in the "T" of the wall that divides this bedroom and a bathroom. That mean I am going to have to dig into the corner? Or I guess if I measure the length of the rod I would not cut into the outside wall but the inside dividing wall, right?


----------



## eandjsdad (Dec 22, 2013)

I've never seen one installed that wasn't soldered onto the pipe.


----------



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Those faucets come in at least three different lengths.
There should be no reason to have to do anything near the inside corner in most cases.
Only way to know what length your going to need is to remove the old one.
If this is a plaster wall I would use my Roto Zip tool with a tile cutting to make a small square hole so I could look inside the wall to see where the pipe was before opening up a big hole.
If you are going to go with an access panel buy it before cutting the hole so you'll know what size to make it.
Whenever possible I add a ball valve so I can shut it off for service and not have to shut the whole house down, and to be able to completely drain the faucet so it can not freeze.


----------



## Alan (Apr 12, 2006)

NORMALLY they have to be installed where an interior wall intersects an exterior wall due to their length. 

Your exterior wall isn't 15" thick is it? :jester:


----------



## plummen (Jan 10, 2010)

Alan said:


> NORMALLY they have to be installed where an interior wall intersects an exterior wall due to their length.
> 
> Your exterior wall isn't 15" thick is it? :jester:


??????
I normally try and install them through the rim joist and land them between the rafters above the level of interior walls.


----------



## Alan (Apr 12, 2006)

plummen said:


> ??????
> I normally try and install them through the rim joist and land them between the rafters above the level of interior walls.


:laughing::laughing: Get your extension ladder out?


----------



## plummen (Jan 10, 2010)

Alan said:


> NORMALLY they have to be installed where an interior wall intersects an exterior wall due to their length.
> 
> Your exterior wall isn't 15" thick is it? :jester:


??????




I normally try and install them through the rim joist and land them between the rafters above the level of interior walls.


----------



## TheEplumber (Jul 20, 2010)

caliskier said:


> un screw the old one and put a new one on, right??


It's never that easy. You've exhausted your options by rebuilding the guts and it still leaks. He needs to go through the wall. This is far from uncommon


----------



## caliskier (Mar 14, 2009)

joecaption said:


> Those faucets come in at least three different lengths.
> There should be no reason to have to do anything near the inside corner in most cases.
> Only way to know what length your going to need is to remove the old one.
> If this is a plaster wall I would use my Roto Zip tool with a tile cutting to make a small square hole so I could look inside the wall to see where the pipe was before opening up a big hole.
> ...


thanks to you and plummen, I think I can handle this myself, going to try to work it tonight, maybe tomorrow along with my other go do's. I have done souldering before so not worried about that. Will buy an access pannel and consider, its behind a bed, but we are going to sell the house this spring.


----------



## plummen (Jan 10, 2010)

Alan said:


> :laughing::laughing: Get your extension ladder out?


I mean floor joists!:laughing:


----------



## eandjsdad (Dec 22, 2013)

I usually use an oscillating multitool for cutting small openings into plaster. It's very controllable, and I can take plaster off the lath for a little peek at what's behind it before I cut through all the way. I also leave about 1 inch of lath around the inside of the plaster hole so I have something to anchor the patch to. The plaster keys get in the way of adding on a plywood backer strip, so gluing the patch onto the existing lath is a good option.


----------



## 123pugsy (Oct 6, 2012)

plummen said:


> I mean floor joists!:laughing:


Don't feel bad. I didn't even get it til you wrote floor joists. Rafter, ladder, now I see it...duh...:huh:


----------



## Alan (Apr 12, 2006)

plummen said:


> I mean floor joists!:laughing:


Can you imagine unwrapping your hose from the hose hanger to wash your car? :laughing:


I figured that's what you meant, but we normally put ours a little higher. Most people around here like them up about 32 -40 "


----------

