A SILLCOCK disaster.

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The things we learn via the internet  


A sillcock (or hose bib)  is an outdoor water faucet that is located and attached to the exterior of a house. 



Sillcocks are nothing more than spigots that you’ll find coming out of your house. They essentially have a spout in which to connect hoses to or just access tap water while outside. Sillcocks can be damaged by frost in the winter, leaving the homeowner with a ruptured pipe.  

So last Friday we turned on the faucet outside and watered the dry flowerbeds...for a long time! Inside the burst sillcock was PUMPING water into the basement!  What a mess!  We turned it off and began to suck-up the water with a shop vac and a carpet shampooer. It worked very well!

Today is Tuesday and I called the insurance and filed a claim! Even with all the fans going 24 hrs , the carpet is still very wet and there is no way it will dry before the dreaded mold appears. 

Filing a claim was a bit more complicated than I anticipated.

1. call a plumber and send them the report stating "the problem" The first plumber I called was scheduling 4.5 weeks out so I called another who are coming next week.

2. call a water restoration company- they must analyze the extent of the damage and make a report.

3. the insurance company decides on the basis of the 2 reports if this is a legitimate claim.

4. we get the go ahead...or not!

I didn't think to take pictures of the mess but will post some later. 


Here's what we should have done last fall!

To prevent pipes from rupturing, close the indoor shutoff valve at the start of the cold weather season, (if you haven’t done so yet and you haven’t experienced a rupture; do so now.)  Disconnect all garden hoses, and open the sillcock to let trapped water drain out.

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