Water Damage Restoration in Powder Springs, GA

For many homeowners, the first garden hose of spring is also the first sign that water damage restoration is needed. Frost-free faucets, also called sillcocks, place the actual valve several inches inside the house, at the end of a long tube that passes through the wall. If a hose is left attached on a freezing night, water trapped in that tube can freeze and split it. Nothing happens until the first time the faucet is opened, when part of the water heads into the wall instead of out the spout. Alpha Plumbing and Sewer replaces the faucet and then dries the wall, the floor and anything below it in Powder Springs homes.

A leak that runs only while the hose is on

This failure fools people because the faucet seems to work. Water still comes out of the spout, often at a lower flow, while some of it sprays from the split inside. Once the faucet is closed, the leak stops. So the damage builds in short bursts, a little with each watering or car wash, until a stain or soft spot appears. Common signs include:

• Weak flow from an outdoor faucet that used to run strong.
• A damp patch on the basement ceiling, the crawlspace floor or an interior wall near the faucet.
• Water dripping from the bottom of the siding or the foundation below the faucet while it runs.
• Stained drywall or a lifting baseboard on the inside of that exterior wall.

Where the water goes

It depends on the house. With a basement, the faucet usually passes through the band of framing that sits on top of the foundation, and water soaks that wood, the insulation stuffed around it and the basement ceiling or wall below. Over a crawlspace, water drops onto the framing, the vapor barrier and the soil. In a slab home, the faucet often goes through a framed exterior wall, so the water runs down inside the wall cavity to the bottom plate and the floor covering beside it.

Replacing the faucet

A split frost-free faucet is replaced rather than repaired, usually with a new one of the correct length so the valve sits inside the heated space. Many also include a built-in backflow preventer. If the supply pipe feeding the faucet was damaged too, that section is replaced. The work falls under faucet and valve repair, and if the leak trail is unclear, leak detection confirms the source.

Drying an exterior wall from the inside

Exterior walls are packed with insulation, and fiberglass batts that soaked up water sag and hold it against the sheathing. Drying is done from the inside: the baseboard comes off, the lower part of the drywall is opened where readings show water, and wet insulation is pulled so air can reach the framing and the back of the sheathing. The siding is rarely touched. Basement ceilings and crawlspace framing near the faucet get their own readings and airflow, and the whole setup is checked until each material matches a dry reference. More on the overall process is in Alpha's Georgia water restoration overview.

Keeping it from splitting again

• Disconnect hoses, splitters and timers before the first freezing night.
• If the faucet has an interior shutoff, close it and open the outdoor faucet to drain the line.
• In early spring, open each outdoor faucet briefly with the hose off and check the flow; if the flow is weak or you notice dampness inside near it, close it and call.

Reading a faucet-leak estimate

Look for the failed faucet and any pipe replaced, the wall, ceiling or crawlspace areas that tested wet, insulation and drywall being removed, the drying equipment and the monitoring plan, with replacement of insulation and drywall listed separately from the drying.

Outdoor faucet leak questions in Powder Springs

How can I tell if my outdoor faucet is leaking inside the wall?

Look for the clues first: weak flow at the spout, a damp patch on the basement ceiling or an interior wall near the faucet, a stain or lifting baseboard on the inside of that wall, or water at the bottom of the siding during normal hose use. If those are present, the tube inside the wall has likely split. Do not run the faucet just to confirm it, and keep clear of wet outlets in that wall.

Does the siding have to come off to dry the wall?

Usually not. Drying is done from the inside by opening the lower drywall, pulling wet insulation and directing air into the cavity. Siding and sheathing are only opened if readings show the outer layers are not drying or there is damage that cannot be reached from inside, which is uncommon with a faucet leak.

Can I keep using the outdoor faucet until it is replaced?

It is better not to. Every time the faucet runs, part of the water goes into the wall instead of out the spout, so each use adds to the damage. If the faucet has an interior shutoff, close it. If not, leave the outdoor handle closed and do not hook up a hose until the faucet has been replaced and the wall has been checked.

Call about a leaking outdoor faucet

If water shows up inside your Powder Springs home whenever the garden hose runs, stop using that faucet and call Alpha Plumbing and Sewer at (404) 409-4448. Tell us which wall it is on and what sits below it, and we can plan the replacement and the drying together.