Hello all,
Wow, what a great site.

I made the mistake of not removing my hose from my exterior freeze resistant bib and I think it has broken to to freeze. I discovered, on this site, that the break must be between the on/off handle and the connection on the other side of the pipe that I assume goes into the copper... I think this is right because when the valve is OFF, no water leaks in the house as when it does when it is ON.

Question, can I replace the vlave without removing the interior of the sheet rock, or removing the siding to access the pipe?

I hope so... Please advise. Thanks

DMIII

Sorry but I don't think so. The body of the valve is what has burst. The entire valve must be replaced and that usually envolves unsoldering the old from the piping and soldering in a new one. This is usually done from the inside. Repairing the drywall is not a big deal, matching the paint to minimize the distraction of the repair is the problem. Probably time to paint anyway.

hkstroud is dead on... note here that you can also install an access panel (sold at home supply stores) and barely effect the overall look of the room. Home depot sells a great access panel that is a simple spring loaded access panel... various sizes and look great when job is finished. Just a thought!! Good luck.

OH!! And next year... disconnect that hose ;)

Question, can I replace the vlave without removing the interior of the sheet rock, or removing the siding to access the pipe?

A lot of this depends on how the bibb was originally installed; If it was soldered in, as the two previous posters suggested, then opening up the wall is your only real option.

However, if it was installed by a conscientious, forward thinking Plumber, then it might be threaded into a well supported 'drop-eared' fitting inside the wall, in which case you could simply unscrew the bibb and then install a new one of the same length.

It's a toss-up -- If I'd installed it, it would be removable, if someone else installed it, it just might be soldered in.

Personally, I'd take Massplumbers advice and do a bit of exploratory surgery that is easily concealed by a 8"x8" plastic access panel.