My freeze resistant hose bib is leaking on the outside of the house from the handle. The pipe is threaded in the basement with easy access.

Can I replace the valve inside without having the entire 12 inch pipe replaced?

Hey Oldbridge:

I would start by tightening the bonnet packing nut behind the handle a bit first... see if that stops the leak at the handle... it should. The nut should be similar to #3 in the picture below.

Otherwise, if you can find an exact replacement for your old faucet you may be able to swap out the guts if you want, but probably even easier to simply replace the whole thing if it is only threaded into female pipe connector. You should only need two wrenches or pliers to and some teflon tape (or pipe dope).

Try tightening the packing nut a bit first... see if that helps. Let me know.

MARK