It all waters down to hose or not to hose
Hose bibs and spigots are types of outdoor faucets.
These terms are frequently used interchangeably.
Hose bibs are designed to connect to a garden hose.
Spigots can be adapted to fit a hose, even if they don’t have threading.
Both hose bibs and spigots cost about $100–$4,000.
You notice a leak while watering your garden, and after checking out the outdoor faucet, you’re pretty sure you need a replacement. But when you get to the hardware store, the salesperson asks whether you’d like a spigot or a hose bib, and now you’re unsure what to do. Luckily, learning the slight differences between a hose bib vs. a spigot is easier with this handy guide.
A hose bib and a spigot are terms that are often used interchangeably. Both are outdoor faucets that supply water for outdoor uses, like watering a garden, filling a kiddie pool, hosing off the deck, or washing your car in the driveway. These devices are similar in size, appearance, and use. The biggest difference is that a hose bib is always threaded to connect to a garden hose or a sprinkler system. Spigots may be threaded, but not always.
| Type of Difference | Hose Bib | Spigot |
|---|---|---|
| Appearance | Threaded | Sometimes threaded |
| Use | With garden hose | Varying outdoor uses |
| Maintenance | Can come frost-free | Drained for winter |
| Lifespan | 15 – 25 years | 10 – 20 years |
| Cost | $100 – $4,000 | $100 – $4,000 |
Even if you’re looking closely at a hose bib and a spigot, it can be hard to tell the difference between them based on their appearance. Both of these types of outdoor faucets look similar. They come in similar sizes and materials and are made of similar parts.
The standard size of a hose bib and a spigot is about 1/2 to 3/4 inch. If you need a larger hose or higher water flow, you may find hose bibs or spigots about 1 inch.
Both hose bibs and spigots can have threading, although spigots don’t always have threading for a hose connection. Hose bibs have male threading to attach a garden hose. Spigots without threading may operate more like a faucet, but you can find adapters with threading, so your spigot can still connect to a hose.
The hose bib and the spigot are typically located on an outside wall of the house, usually not far from the ground.
One major difference between a hose bib and a spigot is how you use these faucets. You can use a spigot in various ways, such as filling a bucket for cleaning or connecting to a sprinkler system.
Hose bibs are designed with threading specifically to connect a garden hose. However, that doesn’t mean a spigot can’t have threading, too. But if your garden hose isn’t fitting correctly to your spigot, you may need a quick connector or hose adapter to fit onto the spigot. This will allow you to securely connect a garden hose without leaks.
Maintaining any outdoor hose is important, but there may be slightly different tasks to check off your to-do list, depending on whether you have a hose bib or a spigot.
You should clean the inside parts of the hose bib or spigot, like the aerator, washer, and valves, about once per year. The outside should be cleaned regularly to clear away grass after mowing or mud after a rainstorm.
Before you vow to curl up inside all winter, you must ensure your spigot is appropriately winterized. To do this, you’ll need to drain the spigot fully by opening the shut-off valves to the fixture and leaving it open for a few hours, letting as much water as possible drain out. Then, you can insulate and cover the spigot to minimize the risk of freezing, which can lead to cracked pipes.
You’ll need to go through the same process with a hose bib, but first, you’ll need to drain and disconnect the garden hose if you have one attached. You can store this in the garage or shed until you’re ready to use it again in the spring.
One type of hose bib, a frost-free hose bib, has a longer pipe attachment that keeps the hose bib’s valves inside the house at a warmer temperature, better protecting the hose bib from freezing. You’ll still need to turn off the water to the hose bib and disconnect the garden hose, but you may not need to add the extra insulation and cover. Of course, if you want to minimize the risk of frozen pipes as much as possible, it doesn’t hurt to take a few extra minutes to insulate and cover even a frost-free hose bib.
An average spigot will last about 10 to 20 years, depending on the material and maintenance. A hose bib, especially one that is frost-free, may last even longer, about 15 to 25 years. The best way to get the most out of your outdoor faucet, whether a hose bib or a spigot, is to keep up with maintenance, like cleaning the faucet and replacing worn-out gaskets as needed.
Whether you’re considering the cost of a sprinkler system to help keep up with the best time to water your lawn or just looking to replace an old spigot before it’s time to fill up your kids’ pool for the summer, you can weigh the differences in installing a new outdoor faucet or replacing an existing fixture.
Maybe your existing hose bib or spigot is too low to the ground to access easily, and you want to install a new one in a higher location. Or perhaps you’ve just planted a garden on the eastern side of the house, but the hose on the western side is too far to reach for watering. No matter the reason, installing a new outdoor faucet costs about $100 to $4,000. Because installing new pipes to connect the hose bib or spigot requires expertise to prevent a major leak, be sure to hire a plumber near you for outdoor faucet installation.
Whether you have a hose bib or a spigot, replacing an outdoor faucet costs about $100 to $300. The parts cost about $10 to $60 for a basic hose bib or spigot, about $35 to $200 for a frost-free hose bib, or about $45 to $200 for an anti-siphoning spigot. The anti-siphoning spigot has a valve designed to prevent non-potable water from back-flowing into your home’s drinking water supply in the event of negative pressure in the pipes.
A hose bib is typically located on an exterior wall of the home, about 6 to 18 inches from the ground or on a deck floor. It will have a top handle that you use to turn the water supply on and off. It will also have a male hose thread, or MHT, on the outlet side, where you would connect a hose.
The hose bib, named because it connects to a garden hose, can also go by many other names. Although they are different, the terms hose bib and spigot are often used interchangeably. Hose bibs may also be called outdoor faucets, outdoor taps, lawn hydrants, the hose valve, or the hose attachment.
The difference between a spigot and a faucet is that a spigot is a specific type of outdoor faucet. Spigot refers to an outdoor faucet, while the general term refers to outdoor or indoor faucets, like your kitchen sink or bathroom tub faucet. You may hear both terms used to describe an outdoor faucet.
