Hose Bib vs. Spigot – What’s the Difference?
You may have heard the faucet outside your home called various names: Hose bib, hose bibb, spigot, outdoor faucet.
Are they all the same thing? For the most part, yes. However, there are some differences, particularly when you start talking about traditional versus frost-free outdoor faucets.
Whether you’re trying to figure out what to call your outdoor tap or when it’s safe to start using it again after winter, here’s what you should know about hose bibs and spigots.
What Is a Hose Bib?
A hose bib is an outdoor water faucet designed with a threaded outlet that allows you to connect a garden hose.
You’ll typically find one or more on the exterior of a home. Hose bibs provide convenient access to water for everything from watering plants and washing cars to filling a kiddie pool or spraying down the patio.
You may also see the term spelled hose bibb. Both spellings are used to refer to the same type of outdoor faucet.
What Is a Spigot?
Spigot is a broader term for a faucet that controls the flow of water. When homeowners talk about the “spigot” outside their house, they’re usually referring to their hose bib.
If you connect your garden hose to it, you can generally call it a hose bib, hose bibb, spigot or outdoor faucet and people will know what you mean.
What Is a Sillcock?
Sillcock is another term you might find when researching outdoor faucets.
A sillcock is an outdoor faucet installed through an exterior wall. The term is particularly common when discussing frost-free sillcocks or frost-free hose bibs, which are designed to provide additional protection from freezing.
What’s Different About a Frost-Free Hose Bib?
With a traditional hose bib, the valve that stops the water is located relatively close to the exterior of the home.
A frost-free hose bib has a longer stem. When you turn the faucet off, the actual shutoff occurs farther inside the house, where temperatures are less likely to fall below freezing.
The remaining water can then drain out of the exterior portion of the fixture.
That’s particularly useful in climates that experience freezing winter temperatures.
But there is one thing we want to point out – frost-free doesn’t mean freeze-proof.
A frost-free hose bib still needs to be able to drain properly.
Why You Should Disconnect Your Garden Hose Before a Freeze
Leaving a garden hose attached to a frost-free hose bib is one of the easiest ways to lessen the protection the fixture is designed to provide.
The attached hose can prevent water from draining completely. If water remains trapped inside the fixture when temperatures drop below freezing, it can freeze and expand.
That can potentially crack or damage the hose bib.
For homeowners in areas with cold winters, disconnecting garden hoses before freezing weather arrives is an important part of preparing your plumbing for winter.
When Should You Turn Your Hose Bib Back On in the Spring?
A few warm afternoons don’t necessarily mean freezing weather is finished for the year.
That’s particularly important in places like Cincinnati, where spring temperatures can fluctuate considerably. You can have a beautiful, warm afternoon followed by temperatures near or below freezing overnight.
If you’ve shut off and winterized your outdoor water, pay attention to nighttime temperatures before putting your hose bib back into regular use.
If freezing weather is still possible, leaving your outdoor plumbing winterized a little longer can help protect it.
And if you do need to use your hose during an early warm spell, disconnect the hose when you’re finished.
Common Outdoor Faucet Problems
Hose bibs are relatively simple plumbing fixtures, but they’re also exposed to the elements year after year. Eventually, you may run into one of these common outdoor faucet problems.
1. Hose Bib Drips When It’s Turned Off
A faucet that continues dripping after you’ve closed it may have a worn washer, seal or other internal component.
2. Water Leaks Around the Handle
If water appears around the handle only while the faucet is running, the problem may be related to packing or another component inside the fixture. Depending on the condition and age of the hose bib, it may be possible to repair it rather than replace the entire faucet.
3. Water Leaks Where the Garden Hose Connects
This isn’t always a plumbing problem. If water sprays from the connection between the hose and hose bib, check the washer inside the end of your garden hose first. A missing or deteriorated washer can cause a surprising amount of water to leak from the connection.
If the hose is in good condition, damaged threads on the outdoor faucet may be responsible.
4. Low Water Pressure
Poor water pressure from your outdoor faucet can be caused by several things, including debris, mineral buildup, a partially closed valve or a problem with the hose bib itself. If water pressure is low throughout the house rather than at one outdoor faucet, the problem may be elsewhere in the plumbing system.
5. The Handle Is Difficult to Turn
Corrosion and aging components can make an outdoor faucet increasingly difficult to operate. Continuing to try to turn it with extra force can damage the handle or fixture and potentially make the problem worse.
6. The Entire Hose Bib Is Loose
The faucet itself shouldn’t move significantly when you attach a garden hose or turn the handle. A loose fixture can put unnecessary stress on the plumbing connection behind the exterior wall and should be inspected.
How Can You Tell if a Hose Bib Froze?
Freeze damage can be tricky because the damage isn’t necessarily visible from outside.
A crack may develop along the portion of the fixture that extends through the wall. Everything can look completely normal until you turn on the faucet.
Then water can begin leaking inside the wall, basement or crawlspace.
When using your outdoor faucet for the first time after winter, pay attention to how it operates. Even if it froze, it will likely look the same on the outside. Check inside on the opposite side of the wall while the faucet is running to see if there is water there.
If you see water where it shouldn’t be, shut the faucet off.
Can a Leaking Hose Bib Be Repaired?
A leaking hose bib doesn’t automatically require replacement. Replacement may be the better option if the fixture is severely corroded, damaged, cracked from freezing or simply old enough that repairing it no longer makes sense.
Replacing an older fixture can also provide an opportunity to install a frost-free hose bib, which is always what Quality Comfort recommends.
Do You Need a Plumber to Replace a Hose Bib?
Replacing a hose bib is a little more difficult than it may seem. It involves more than simply unscrewing the fixture from the outside of the house.
The faucet connects to your home’s water supply, and the exact installation varies depending on the home’s plumbing and type of outdoor faucet.
Problems can also occur inside the wall where they’re harder to see.
If your outdoor faucet is leaking, damaged or suspected of having frozen, having a plumber inspect it can help determine whether you’re dealing with a simple repair or a problem that requires replacement.
Having Trouble With Your Outdoor Faucet?
If you’re in the Cincinnati area and your hose bib is dripping, leaking, damaged or no longer working properly, Quality Comfort Home Services can help!
Our plumbers provide hose bib repair and replacement in Cincinnati and surrounding communities, including repairs for traditional and frost-free outdoor faucets. Give us a call at 513-620-4822 or book online 24/7.
