Homeowner Forum / Repair / February 2004

Hey Guys,
I'm trying to turn the water ON to my front hose bib, and am fighting a
losing battle.

Our house has two hose bib petcocks, one for the front and one for the
rear of the house.  I've had no problems turning the water on to the
rear bib.  The rear petcock is on the 2nd floor and runs downward to the
bib itself.

The front bib is in the basement, and runs upward to the bib.

Here is my procedure:

1.  Open outside hose bib all the way
2.  Make sure petcock is tight
3.  Open inside valve gate

Every time, I get a steady stream of water shooting out of the petcock.
It never stops.  I've tried tightening it, and my most recent attempt
was using teflon tape on the threads.  The threads look clean too, no
nicks or burrs.   Water comes out of the outside spigot too, but every
time I have to immediately shut off the inside valve because of all the
water streaming out of the petcock.

Is this a pressure problem?  I had no problems with the rear bib.  It is
50 degrees here in VA so I doubt I have any frozen water in the lines.

I'm going to have to call a plumber soon, this thing is killing me...

Thanks,
Drew