If you live in an area with freezing winters and the hose bib pipe will enter a heated space, buy a long-stem, frost-free hose bib, which shuts the water off inside rather than outside. If you live in a warm climate, simply connect the pipe to a standard hose bib. If the hose bib will attach to a sprinkler system, install a hose bib with an antisiphon device, which prevents water from backing up into the house and possibly contaminating your household water. For frost-free hose bib installation, plan for all the pieces you need to install a hose bib. In this case, a short nipple connects the hose bib to the shutoff valve. The valve connects to the supply line with a sweated copper adapter. Tips for Galvanized Pipe Connections To break into a galvanized pipe, cut the supply pipe with a hacksaw or reciprocating saw equipped with a metal-cutting blade and remove pipe back to the nearest joint (diagram above, right). Add sections of threaded pipe to reach the location of the hose bib. Install a union and tee fitting and add a nipple and elbow to reach the level of the hose bib. (Build in a slight incline away from the hose bib.) Drill a locator hole and bore a 1-1/8-inch hole. Add nipples and a union to reach a coupler attached to the hose bib. If the supply line does not already have a stop valve nearby, add one between the union and the coupling.
