Do You Need a Plumber to Replace Outdoor Spigots?
Is a plumber your ticket to a new spigot?
Exterior spigots offer a lot of convenience if you frequently use water outside, like watering plants or washing your car. But if the spigot starts dripping despite being turned off or gushes like a geyser every time you turn it on, it won’t be long before your water bill and yard become a deluge. If that happens, do you know if you need a plumber to replace the outdoor spigot?
If you're handy enough to know the layout of your local hardware store, you could probably replace a leaky exterior spigot with no problems. But if replacing a plumbing part makes you nervous or you want to get rid of the old spigot and install a brand new one, it's best to hire a licensed plumber.
Benefits of Hiring a Plumber for Replacing an Outdoor Spigot
A licensed plumber knows how water lines, pipeworks, and other complex plumbing structures work. If you need to install new spigots, pipes, or anything else that involves digging into water lines, it's too complicated to do on your own.
Local plumbers are also familiar with the specific plumbing codes in your area. Plenty of plumbing issues are universal; a leaky faucet will run up your water bill and warp your flooring, whether it's in Oregon or Georgia. But when you hire a local plumbing service, you can be confident that they're familiar with the regulations and plumbing quirks where you live. For instance, if homes date back a century or more where you live and still have many of their original fixtures, a local plumber likely knows how to get your spigot functional with an original replacement part or a close replica.
Replacing a spigot is a fairly easy task, even for inexperienced plumbers. But the process is more complex than just turning a wrench, especially if you want to install an entirely new one or relocate it to a more efficient spot. In these cases, you definitely need to call professionals.
If your faulty spigot proves to be difficult to fix, it could require going into your home's walls or underneath the house to work on the pipes. A plumber who knows their way in and out of pipeworks is better equipped for this than most average DIYers. This is especially true if other parts of your home join the party once the spigot leaks.
Can I DIY Replacing an Outdoor Spigot?
This ultimately depends on how much confidence you have in your handy skills. Parts wear down and break over time, and your leaky spigot may just be fixed with a replacement part. But if it feels like you're being blasted with a fire hose every time you turn it on, you might have bigger problems at hand than a broken part. If a leak somewhere outdoors has sprung, you can quickly be in over your head.
Most outdoor faucets are hose bibs. They are relatively inexpensive, about $10 to $60 apiece. Weather can beat down on your outdoor faucet in addition to normal wear and tear, but a frost-free model with some winter defense can help fight against that for an additional $15 to $40 apiece. But the job doesn't stop at the hose bib alone: You'll need to work with other components, like the pipes that the spigot is connected to. If you don’t install a hose bib correctly, it can redirect that leak inside your home, and you can kiss your favorite carpet and mold-free living space goodbye.
We don’t recommend that any non-plumbers take on this task. You could seriously damage parts of your home if you don’t have some real experience replacing plumbing parts and installing more advanced components. It's very easy to accidentally apply too much pressure to the pipes and turn a small puddle into one of the Great Lakes. You should definitely call a local plumber who knows exactly what to do.
Can I Hire a Handyperson to Replace an Outdoor Spigot?
Jack-of-all-trades handypeople will work wonderfully for some repair jobs. But if you need an outdoor spigot replaced, you absolutely need a licensed plumber.
A handyperson may have a good idea of what parts you’ll need and know their way around pipeworks. However, only a plumber should work the job if it involves creating a water line or cutting into an existing one, and there’s a good chance that it will. If your spigot has the opposite problem and suddenly stops working, it’s likely a clog or hard water build-up, which most general handypeople can easily handle.
Keep in mind that licensed local plumbers have the proper bonding and insurance to handle all types of work related to anything in your plumbing system. A handyperson can help you with lower-stakes jobs, but you need a plumber if it involves extensive work with pipes, moving water, or going underground.
How Do Plumbers Replace Spigots?
If a plumber determines that you don't have any outdoor leaks or leaks that made their way indoors, they can replace your hose bib. They might offer additional weatherproofing, like a frost-free model and other safeguards against extreme weather conditions.
The plumber will brace your piping and apply the right amount of pressure to remove the faucet and replace it with a new one. If need be, they'll also go into the crawlspace or under your house to work on the pipes connected to the spigot.
If an entirely new spigot needs to be installed, as opposed to a part needing to be replaced, the plumber will seek out the water lines you currently have. This usually requires running a new pipe to the new spigot by way of digging a trench from the water line—not exactly your everyday DIY task.
Frequently Asked Questions
The cost to replace an outdoor spigot with the help of a plumber is typically anywhere from $150 to $200 per hour. In areas with a high cost of living, it can be as much as $300 per hour or more. An experienced plumber can replace an outdoor spigot within an hour or less unless additional work is required on the pipes or a leak needs to be addressed.
A spigot and an outdoor faucet are essentially the same thing. Spigot is a catch-all that can describe any type of faucet or tap that controls water flow to an output like a garden hose or sink. There are different types of faucets and valves, with hose bibs being one of the most common in North American home exteriors.
If there's no water coming out of the spigot, or barely any water, you might have a clogged water line. Areas with hard water are prone to this problem because the high mineral content in hard water causes build-up in pipes and water lines. This constricts the water flow and causes water to slowly trickle out, if at all.