Here's what I have:

Copper pipe in the basement running horizontally and exits the exterior wall only a couple inches above ground. Pipe goes up the brick exterior to a spigot at a more practical height. So: copper pipe and spigot exposed to winter. I must have forgotten to shut the interior valve and it burst one winter.

I now want to fix this, but am wondering if I have a "freeze proof" option. Running one of those long frost-proof spigots is not an option, because of the layout. I don't want the spigot at ground level. Should I just redo the copper pipe?

Thanks.

 

No..... no frost proof option. Like you said..... it would be at the ground level.
Replace the copper or run PVC.

Make sure you have a valve in place that has a drain port on it.
It's very important that entire pipe be empty.

I have the faucet shutoff valve in line and then I have a tee in my outside line with a second valve that I can open to drain the line. I'm not a big fan of those drain type valves. Too many leaks and lost caps.

 

Whatever you use out there will be subject to cracking unless it's drained in the fall. Copper and PVC both are very susceptible to cracking. Steel might fare better, but will still split if frozen.

PEX is the only material that will allow for some expansion, but it'll degrade in the sunlight and the brass/plastic fittings are still liable to crack.

 

When I first moved in here, I had a similar situation in front. There was about ten feet of pipe run along the brick exterior and ending with a brass spigot. But the pipe was some kind of plastic that looked a lot like copper. My neighbor has the same thing and hers has lasted 50+ years. The only part of hers that cracked is the short section of copper running from inside the garage to just outside. It's my understanding that PVC will crack. Would this still be PVC from that long ago? I can post a picture of it.

 

As long as the pipe is drained each fall, any piping method should work. Unfortunately, all pipes can crack when frozen. Though it's often 'luck' and depends on how it freezes, how much air dissolved in the water, how quickly it freezes, etc. It's one of those things that could be fine for a few years, and then one night it goes down to 30 degrees and it cracks.

 

I found out there exists a brass elbow with a drain. So with that on the outside and a ball valve shutoff with drain inside I have the draining covered - neither of which existed before. I'm also going to use the thicker Type L copper pipe.

 

You can put in valves or cobble some crappy pex but the best and most fool proof option is to install a Woodford stye faucet but it will need to be moved up to the top of the joist opening.

With this installed you can forget ever having to drain the pipe since the shut off seal in internal to the house it will never freeze!

Any other option is prone to failure!

Do it right or do it a second time!