Need help with outside spicket repair

[wmblalock]

I have a house that was built in 1986 with copper plumbing. I have 3 water spickets on the outside of the house that need to be replaced / repaired. They are soldered directly onto the copper plumbing behind the wall. I don't want to tear down the siding on the outside of the house or the drywall inside the house to remove and solder on new spicket valves.

I couldn't find new valve stems or proper replacement washers for these exact spickets anywhere. The cap on top of the spicket, where the valve stem comes out is 3/4" with a compression fitting thread pattern, not standard pipe threads.

My idea was to remove the valve stem, cap off the top of the valve where the stem used to come through, and then screw a new ball valve spicket on the old spicket end which would give me a new good valve and eliminate having to tear down siding or drywall all around the house.

My problem is capping off the top of the old spicket where the valve stem used to come though. The fact that the top where the cap screws on is 3/4" COMPRESSION threads and not standard pipe thread really is a pain. At ACE, they have 1/2" and 3/8" compression threaded caps, but not 3/4" and I can't seem to find 3/4" anywhere online either. Any ideas how I can cap off the top of this stupid old valve?? Can someone fine me a place to order a 3/4" compression threaded cap?? Right now, I jammed a rubber stopper in there and screwed the old cap back on and it seems to be fine, but I don't see that as a reliable long term solution. Please help!!

 

[SlowDrip]

Hrm, up here in Canada Lowes carries 3/4" compression caps, not sure about the US stores.

 

[phishfood]

Can you pull the old valve away from the wall at all?

 

[wmblalock]

All I have locally is Home Depot, not Lowes and I could not find a 3/4" compression cap there.
Could you help me find a place online to order them?

I really can't pull the valve away from the wall much at all, maybe 1/16" of an inch. I thought about slipping a blade behind it to cut off the valve, but that wouldn't do me any good. I know, from the first one that I ripped off (and had to cut open the drywall in the garage), that these valves have a female end pertruding from the back of them and a little ways into the wall. So, even if I did cut off the valve flush, there would be some of the female end left stuck on the pipe which wouldn't even allow me to push a Sharkbite PTC fitting onto the end of the pipe.

 

[phishfood]

If your house has framed exterior walls, do not follow this advice.

But if your house has block walls, you very well might be able to unsolder the female part of the hosebib and resolder a male adaptor in it's place. Several wraps of teflon tape, a little pipe dope, and a female threaded hosebib, and you will be in business.

 

[wmblalock]

Unfortunately, yes its wood framed :-(