Fixture installation in Eagleville

A standard spigot has a valve at the outside end, and if there is water in the pipe when it freezes, the pipe can split inside the wall. A frost-free spigot puts the valve deep inside the warm side of the wall. If you have lost a hose bib to a freeze, replacing it with a frost-free one is a small job that can prevent a big leak.

Barns, shops and detached garages usually get a utility sink, a hose bib and occasionally a half bath. These are cheap jobs if the water and drain are close, and larger ones if they are not. A utility sink in a heated shop is a different thing from one in an unheated barn, and the latter needs freeze protection.

We begin by shutting off water to the fixture and checking that the shutoff holds. Then the old fixture comes out, and we look at what was behind it: the condition of the supply stubs, the drain, the wall or floor. If anything needs attention, we tell you before we install, not after.

The new fixture goes in level and tight. We use new supply lines, check each connection, and run the water for a good while with a dry paper towel under every joint. A drip that does not show in the first minute will show in ten. When it is dry, we clean up, and we leave you with any parts or paperwork the fixture came with.

Houses out here sometimes have unusual fixtures: a deep farm sink, a utility sink in a mudroom, an outdoor sink for cleaning up after chores. Those are fine. They are just heavier, and they need good support and a drain that fits. If you have one in mind, send us a picture.