Mamba Drainage Services
Hose Bib Installation Vancouver
Garden tap that will not turn on after winter. Or a burst hose bib that flooded behind the wall last February and nobody knew until April.
Frost free hose bibs stop the most common freeze damage we see on Vancouver homes. Woodford 17 and Prier C-244, installed with the drain slope they actually need.
What a hose bib is and why yours cracked
Hose bibs, also called sillcocks, garden taps or yard hydrants, are the exterior valves you screw a garden hose onto. Most pre-2000 Vancouver homes have a standard non frost free bib, which is a brass valve with the seat sitting in the bib body, out in the weather, exposed to freeze damage every winter.
The failure pattern here is boring and predictable. The garden hose stays connected through the fall. The first hard freeze arrives in November. Water trapped in the bib body freezes, the ice expands, the brass cracks. The crack is usually invisible, so nobody knows. Then in April somebody turns the tap on and it sprays inside the wall cavity behind the bib. We see this every spring, and the drywall repair is worse than the plumbing.
A frost free hose bib is the long term fix. The Woodford 17 and the Prier C-244 both use a long stem that moves the actual valve seat 6 to 12 inches inside the heated wall cavity. The water sits in the heated zone rather than in the exposed exterior body, and the unit drains itself every time you shut it off. Nothing is left in the exposed pipe to freeze.
The best window to fit them is fall, before the first freeze. We install any time of year apart from during an active freeze event. Phones are answered 24/7 at (778) 961-0824.
Most houses have more than one. Front yard, back yard, and often a side or garage tap as well. If one bib froze and split, the others sat through the exact same cold snap under the exact same conditions. Doing them together in one visit is faster than three separate call outs, and it means every tap on the property gets the same slope check and the same drain test.
Backflow protection comes with the upgrade. BC plumbing code requires anti siphon protection on hose bibs so that a hose left sitting in a bucket cannot pull contaminated water back into the drinking supply. The Woodford and Prier units have it built into the body. The old standard bibs on most pre-2000 houses do not, which is a second reason to swap them out beyond the freeze risk.
How a frost free bib gets installed properly
What Vancouver customers say
Ryan was great! My landlord called him to fix my blocked kitchen sink. He showed up the same day (on a Sunday) and fixed the problem. He even cleaned the sink and dried up all the water that had leaked before he got there. And he was very careful coming in and out of the house so my cat wouldn’t get out. I’d definitely recommend him.
Ryan is INCREDIBLE. He has been responding to all of us (four houses and families!) affected by a sewage back up. This is all on Boxing Day and beyond, in terrible weather full of ice, cold and rain. He is so knowledgeable, and knew what was needed right away. Just the top of his field I am sure. As well as that, he is incredibly calm, respectful, kind and fair. I am truly amazed by this person's capacity and competence in combination with his noble, calm presence in the face of a real mess. Thank you Ryan, so very much!
I had very positive experience with Mamba Services, Ryan was amazing to work with and took care of my drain issues in no time. He arrived on time, was very professional and efficient in carrying out the work. What impressed me was how honest he was in recommending needed repair. He was very patient in explaining the different options. I will certainly call them for future projects.
Had an excellent experience. Ryan was fantastic, it was an after hours call late in the evening and he showed up exactly in the time frame he gave. Took care of the kitchen sink issue within minutes all systems were running like new. Pricing was extremely reasonable, Ryan was patient and explained everything to me while fixing my problem. I would highly recommend this company for any plumbing work.
Ryan was efficient, experienced, and knowledgeable. He was able to squeeze me into his schedule with short notice and wasted no time with my appointment. He arrived on site inspected the issue, and was quickly at work with resolving the problem. I am very pleased with his service and honesty. He provided recommendations that will help assist me in future occurrences.
Before the first freeze
Get the garden taps sorted before November
A frost free swap in the fall is a planned job. The same bib in April is a wall repair and an insurance claim. Call and we will look at every tap on the property.
Hose bib FAQ, Vancouver
Woodford 17 and Prier C-244 frost free hose bibs. Both carry a 5 year manufacturer warranty and a 25 year plus expected service life. We do not install plastic bodies or off brand units.
That is the spring discovery job and it is common. The tap sprays behind the wall the first time you open it after winter, usually into insulation and drywall that has been dry all season. We shut the water off at the interior valve, open the wall where the damage is, replace the bib with a frost free unit and make the wall good again. The quote comes before the work, and if there is water damage to document for a claim we photograph it while the wall is open.
Yes, any time apart from during an active freeze event, because the supply has to be drained to make the connection. September and October are the best window since you get the protection before you need it. That said, most of our bib work happens in spring after somebody finds a crack, and we do those all the same.
Yes. New bib on a wall that never had one, with the supply line run back to the nearest branch and a frost free unit on the outside. It is a common request during a backyard renovation.
BC plumbing code requires it. Leave a hose connected with the open end sitting in a bucket of something you would not drink, and without backflow protection that water can be pulled into the potable supply. The frost free units we fit have it integrated, so no separate device is needed.
Burst hose bibs are one of the leading causes of winter water damage claims in this climate. A documented frost free upgrade reads as preventive maintenance, and some insurers take it into account. Either way, the claim you never make is the cheapest one.
On a downtown commercial premise or a street facing residential tap, yes. Casual theft off an open bib is real. They go on as an add on per bib.
Yes. Fall winterization covers disconnecting the hoses, draining the bibs, blowing the irrigation lines out with compressed air, insulating the exposed runs and setting the freeze stats. It is standard on the seasonal homes and rental properties we look after. Bigger properties take longer and we quote it on what is actually there.
One year workmanship warranty on our labour, and the manufacturer covers the bib body for 5 years. A properly installed frost free bib should give you 25 years or more before it needs replacing.
24/7 EMERGENCY DISPATCH
Water where it should not be?
Ryan picks up. Live dispatch, and you get a real arrival window on the call.