What we book out here

  • New outdoor showers, hot and cold or cold only
  • Repairs to valves, heads and supply lines that froze or corroded
  • Hose bibb replacement, including frost free models
  • Anti siphon and backflow devices where they are required
  • Drainage for a shower pad that holds water
  • Shutoffs so an outdoor line can be isolated in winter
  • Winterizing before a freeze, and opening back up in spring

Why outdoor fixtures fail first

Salt air pits chrome and attacks the cheap brass in low cost fixtures. Sun hardens the plastic parts. Sand works into the valve stem. Then a couple of cold nights in January freeze the water sitting in the pipe, and the split shows up in April when somebody turns it on.

A frost free hose bibb moves the shutoff point back inside the heated wall, so the water that can freeze is behind you rather than in the spigot. It only works if the hose is disconnected, because a hose left on holds water against the valve seat.

An outdoor tap dripping water
A bibb that drips inside the wall shows up as a stain in a closet.

Before the first cold snap

Freezes are short here and they still burst pipe. A short list covers most of it:

  • Disconnect every hose and drain it
  • Close the indoor shutoff for outdoor lines, then open the outside valve to drain
  • Insulate exposed pipe under a raised house
  • Shut down and drain the outdoor shower supply
  • Know where the main shutoff is, and make sure it turns

For a property you do not live in, book this as a visit rather than hoping a neighbor gets to it.

Common questions

Can you add hot water to an existing outdoor shower?

Often yes, if a hot line can reach the wall without a long run. The plumber looks at the route, the valve and the drainage and prices it.

Does an outdoor shower need a drain?

It needs somewhere for the water to go that does not undermine the house or pool against it. Local rules cover where that water can discharge, and the plumber works to those.

My hose bibb drips even when it is closed. Is it the washer?

That is the common cause on a standard bibb. On a frost free model the seat is a long way inside the wall, so the repair is different. Either way it is a short visit.

Do I need a backflow preventer?

Hose connections and irrigation are the usual places one is required. The plumber knows what applies to your setup and fits what is needed.