- How to visually determine if an exterior water spigot is frost-proof?
- what is your process for checking exterior outlets for GFI if there is no reset button on the outlet and there are no GFCI protected over-currents/breakers in the panel. What is your process to be efficient?
- How to visually determine if decking wood is pressure treated or not?
- Take a drive to Home Depot and take a sight-seeing tour of current products.
- Insert my 3-light tester to determine if ‘Open Ground’. If so, I’m done. If not, leave tester installed, trip the GFCI in the bathroom and check the exterior for power.
- Lick it!
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It does not matter. Frost proof is not freeze proof as there are no hose bibbs made to be freeze proof. Freeze protection comes in how they are installed.
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I always perform the exterior first upon arriving unless something prohibits it. For a new home or unoccupied existing home as I make my pass I test every outlet. At the last outlet I attempt to trip it with the tester. If it trips a quick pass around is typically done to test the other outlets to make sure they tripped. If they are not tripped again I try tripping the outlet(s) with the tester. Exterior outlets are left tripped until all other others on the interior are tested to ensure they are not tied to a branch circuit they are not suppose to be tied to. If interior outlets are found tripped (GFCI required or not) they are left tripped until near the end when I do attempt to determine if a GFCI controlling device is attached to both them and exterior outlets or at such time as I may take a break or need to revisit the exterior for some reason.
On an occupied home NO exterior outlets are tripped and only tested until I can tell there are no additional refrigerators, freezers, or other important items possibly plugged into the branch circuit I expect the exterior outlets to be on (typically the garage branch circuit) and I can access the GFCI controlling devices that may service that branch circuit. After this was done at whatever point in the inspection the exterior outlets are again visited for a test. This is done this way for obvious reasons that I do not want to exercise my E&O insurance and it is not worth rushing the inspection just to save a little time or effort.
- You don’t as various pressure treated chemicals are not colored and decks are typically stained or painted anyhow masking any pressure treated chemicals that are colored or cause coloration of the wood.
Jeffrey inadvertently left off secondary answers to 1 and 2.
- Lick It
- Lick it
- Lick it
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Chat GTP response. I would take Jeffrey’s advice and head over to the box store and take a look. I am in a warm climate so I do not see these.
Yes, you can visually distinguish a frost-proof sill cock from a standard one by examining several key features:
1. Length of the Stem
- Frost-Proof Sill Cock: The handle is connected to a long stem, which extends into the wall to position the valve mechanism inside the heated interior space. The visible portion is longer than a standard sill cock.
- Normal Sill Cock: The valve mechanism is located near the spout, so the visible portion is shorter.
2. Handle Placement
- Frost-Proof Sill Cock: The handle is typically mounted on an elongated section of the faucet body.
- Normal Sill Cock: The handle is closer to the wall and directly adjacent to the spout.
3. Body Design
- Frost-Proof Sill Cock: May have a slightly larger diameter near the base where it connects to the wall, to accommodate insulation or a frost-proof mechanism.
- Normal Sill Cock: The body is compact with no additional sections for frost protection.
4. Drain Hole
- Frost-Proof Sill Cock: Often includes a small drain hole near the spout to allow residual water to drain when the faucet is shut off.
- Normal Sill Cock: Typically lacks this feature.
5. Labeling or Markings
- Frost-Proof Sill Cock: Some models are explicitly labeled as “frost-proof” or “anti-freeze” on the body or stem.
- Normal Sill Cock: Does not have such labeling.
By inspecting these features, you can often identify whether a sill cock is frost-proof or standard without disassembling it.
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Just press the button outside, if something trips it’s good. Not all exterior GFCI outlets are fed from a bathroom. Around here it’s usually always the garage GFCI.
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Until you end up spending 30+ minutes trying to find (if at all) the GFCI that’s protecting it.
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Yep! Tripped a GFCI receptacle in an upstairs bathroom that wouldn’t reset. 30+ minutes or longer until I found that it was tied into a downstairs bathroom receptacle that also tripped when I tested the one upstairs. They can be a puzzle at times to say the least.
It’s a tricky situation, because the other method that involves tripping all of the actual GFCI’s and then back tracking to test those that should be piggy-back protected can take longer than 30 minutes, and much more energy.
I handle it on a case-by-case basis. If the property is unoccupied, I’m much more likely to attempt a remote trip with the tester, knowing I will probably easily locate the master control. If the property is occupied, I’m less likely to try that.
I have a great new invention for a smart entrepreneur. A tester that can tell you if the receptacle is GFCI protected, without actually tripping it.
That’s how my house is set up… Sort of. The patio receptacle is tied to one of the GFCIs in the garage, the front porch however is tied to one in the laundry room under a sink.
In my experience very few. Actually with modern standards that would be wrong, bathroom GFCI"s shouldn’t be sharing with any other rooms or areas of the home, at least for the last 30 or more years.
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John,
For #3. Sometimes you’ll see a stamp, tag, or sicker, often on the ends. Also, you will get a feel overtime of the different wood types is used for decks. Of course, if the deck wood material is stained or painted, it can be more difficult.
In the south region where I’m located, rarely do we find wood decks that do not have PT material. Sometimes we find cedar or cypress. Every blue moon we will find some DYI type project that thought it would be a good idea to use non-treated lumber and often it is in poor condition.
NACHI has some information here
Lumber Grade Stamps - InterNACHI®
Or more information here
Understanding grade stamps on lumber | Treated Wood
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Remember…
GFCI’s began with Exterior protection in 1971.
Next came Bathrooms in 1975.
So… guess what happened? Sparky’s continued with the Exterior protection as the primary, then tapped the Bathrooms into the Exterior circuit… NOT the other way around!!
Until 1978… when Garages came into play and everything changed… thanks to the AHJ’s!!
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Yeah, that’s a bunch of crapola!!
Musta been added by a Floridian or Californian!!
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Actually there are freeze proof bibs. I got one because my wife cannot remember to detach the water hose. But they are not visually different enough to be readily identifiable.
As mentioned above, redundant GFCIs can be annoying.
Can you provide the manufacturer name and model number? That would be interesting to read about it.
Here is a common “Freeze Proof” hose bibb manufactured by Woodford. They advertise this as a “Freezeless” or “Freeze proof” hose bibb.
https://www.woodfordmfg.com/woodford/Wall_Faucet_Pages/Model-17.html
Note the installation requirements. I have never found one that is freeze proof unless installed this way. Maybe the one you have is a new thing I have never seen.
I got it at Home Depot five or so years ago after replacing two freeze broken faucets over the years. It was $10 more than regular freeze “resistant” faucets. My wife continues to leave the hose attached (one week ago), and so far, so good. I never told her that this one will not break even full of water to try to encourage her to disconnect the hose when done, but to no avail.
She may have difficulty ‘unscrewing’ the hose from the bibb. Many get that way over time… rough threads, especially if never lubricated!
Have you tried the ‘Quick Disconnect’ products? She may like that option.
Could be the best $10 ever spent!
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