Hello Ask Me,
I am in the process of replacing a hose bib on the outside of my house. The problem is, it won't unscrew without more force than I dare give it. (I'm trying to turn it counter-clockwise, by the way. Is that correct?) I'm afraid of kinking the copper pipe inside the house and creating a real problem. I can't access the pipe inside the house due to a finished ceiling and ceiling heat. Any suggestions you could give me in this matter would be greatly appreciated.

M. Rose

You're going to have to open a hole in the ceiling, find the mating fitting, and put on a backup wrench - lest you will twist the pipe.

Hmm, why are you having to replace the bib? If it is a leak, some can be repaired. Simply cut off the water supply, disassemble, repair, reassemble, turn on the water and test.

How you replace the hose bib will depend upon how it was installed, by a solder or threaded joint. You must first determine this. I would follow Mowermans advice and try to repair before replacing. Do you need instructions on how to repair a hose bib? Regards, Tom

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Originally Posted by rosemike

Hello Ask Me,
I am in the process of replacing a hose bib on the outside of my house. The problem is, it won't unscrew without more force than I dare give it. (I'm trying to turn it counter-clockwise, by the way. Is that correct?) I'm afraid of kinking the copper pipe inside the house and creating a real problem. I can't access the pipe inside the house due to a finished ceiling and ceiling heat. Any suggestions you could give me in this matter would be greatly appreciated.

M. Rose

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They don't unscrew. They are soldered then attached with screws to the wall. You have to get to the other side. There are hose bibs that are not designed to freeze so you may decide to replace with one of these.

Depending on what's wrong, you can reface the valve seat and possibly replace the stem. Cracks could be a real problem.

Take a look here:

Hose bib