Hose Bib & Outdoor Faucet Repair in Portland — Frost-Free Replacements and Freeze Damage Fixed

When the spigot leaks only with the valve open, the handle's packing is sealing fine when closed but the internal stem or seat washer is worn enough that pressurized water pushes past it the moment you open the valve. It's the most common single-symptom complaint we hear on outdoor faucets, and it's almost always a part swap on a repairable spigot — packing kit, stem assembly, or seat washer depending on the make. We carry kits for the common brands on the truck. If the spigot is old enough that parts are scarce or the body itself is corroded, we'll quote a full frost-free replacement instead and let you decide.

A frost-free hose bib has a long stem that extends well into the heated interior of your house — typically 8 to 14 inches behind the exterior wall. The valve seal sits at the inside end of the stem, not at the outdoor handle. When you close the valve, water in the long stem drains out by gravity through the spigot, leaving an empty pipe that can't freeze and burst. Standard (non-frost-free) hose bibs hold water right at the exterior wall, which freezes solid in a Portland cold snap and splits the body or the line behind it. Frost-free anti-siphon units also include the vacuum breaker required by Oregon code, in one piece.

Often, yes — and we plan the repair to avoid wall cuts whenever the supply behind the spigot is intact. A like-for-like hose bib swap is done from the outside in most cases: the existing spigot threads or sweats off the supply line, the new frost-free unit threads or sweats on, and the trim flange seals against the siding. The exception is when freeze damage has split the supply line behind the wall — at that point we have to expose the burst to repair it. We make the smallest access cut the repair allows and tell you exactly where it'll be before any cutting starts. Drywall patching is a separate trade — referral on request, or you can handle it yourself.

Two things stop almost every freeze-damaged hose bib call we see. First: disconnect every garden hose before the first freeze. Even a frost-free hose bib relies on water draining out of the long stem when the valve closes, and a connected hose blocks that drain. Second: if you still have a non-frost-free spigot (most pre-1990s Portland homes do), swap it for a frost-free anti-siphon unit before next winter. It's a same-day job with no burst pipe and no drywall to repair. Insulating spigot covers help as a secondary measure on a non-frost-free unit, but they don't substitute for either of the above.

We offer same-day appointments Monday–Friday 8am–4pm. Call in the morning and we can usually have a technician there the same day, especially during freeze season when this is one of the most common call-outs we handle. For after-hours situations, we dispatch through our partner network.

No — drywall patching, mudding, sanding, texture, and paint is a different trade with its own skill set. We make access cuts as small and clean as the repair allows. Most homeowners handle the patch themselves or hire a painter to close it out; if you'd rather hand it to a drywall finisher, we're happy to pass along a referral. Either way, we tell you exactly where the openings will be before any cutting starts.