Best outdoor faucet cover and frost-free sillcock: the maker sheets say a cover only keeps wind off and a frost-free faucet still bursts with a hose on, so unhook the hose first
Woodford 17 and 19 print ASSE 1019 Type C, 125 psi and 4 to 24 in walls; Prier P-164 ships 4 to 24 in. Every sheet says remove the hose or the faucet may burst.
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Short answer
For a plain hose bib that is staying, the pick is the Frost King FC1 foam cover, four to a pack, fitted after the hose is off: Frost King’s page says it guards the faucet against freezing wind and chill and prints no R-value, so it is a wind barrier, not a heater. For a faucet that has already split, the pick is a frost-free sillcock ordered by wall thickness: Woodford’s Model 19 spec sheet lists ASSE 1019 Type C, 125 psi, walls of 4 to 24 inches in 2 inch steps and a resetting pressure relief valve the sheet says keeps the tube from bursting even with a hose left on. The runner-up is the Prier P-164, a quarter-turn hydrant in the same 4 to 24 inch range with the drainage pitch cast into its flange. Skip both halves until every hose is unhooked: Woodford’s Model 17 sheet warns the faucet may freeze and burst with a hose on, cover or no cover.
The picks
A plain hose bib that stays, with the hose already off
Duck Brand Insulated Soft Flexible Faucet Cover, 7.5 x 8.75 in
Duck Brand page: 7.5 in x 8.75 in flexible cover, slides tight around the spout, no adhesive; no R-value, material or temperature limit printed
Every spigot on the house, after the hoses come off
Frost King FC1 foam faucet cover, 4-pack
Frost King page: foam oval cover that fits an outside faucet, guards against freezing wind and chill and keeps outside air from leaking into the home; no R-value or thickness printed
A faucet that gets knocked, kicked or chewed
Frost King FC2 hard plastic faucet cover, single
Frost King's FC1 page offers the hard plastic cover for greater durability against impacts or animal damage; no R-value printed
A 12 in wall and no torch or crimp tool
SharkBite 24636LF 12 in push-to-connect frost-free sillcock
SharkBite sheet (Oct 2017): 1/2 in push-fit x 3/4 in MHT, integrated anti-siphon vacuum breaker, automatic drain, 125 psi and 180 F maximum; the sheet lists certification to ASSE 1019
A 4 in wall and a half-turn handle
Prier P-164D04 quarter-turn anti-siphon hydrant, 4 in, D inlet
Prier P-164 sheet: quarter-turn with compression seal, soft-grip handle, anti-siphon vacuum breaker with backflow check valve, integral cast flange with built-in drainage pitch, D inlet 1/2 in MPT x 1/2 in SWT; no pressure or temperature printed
Anyone who forgets hoses, with a 12 in wall
Woodford 19CP-12 Model 19 wall faucet, 12 in wall, CP inlet
Woodford Form 19.114: ASSE 1019 Type C, 125 psi, 120 F, integral backflow device, patented resetting pressure relief valve the sheet says prevents the tube bursting even with a hose left on; CP inlet 1/2 in male pipe thread x 1/2 in female sweat
If the hoses are still screwed on, stop reading and unhook them: that step is free, every maker sheet below demands it, and only one faucet on this page claims to survive without it.
How was this shortlist built?
Every figure here is a manufacturer-published specification read on 2026-10-09 from the document named beside it. Nothing was installed, frozen or measured by this site, and every listing was confirmed in stock the same day. Sillcocks were compared on wall lengths, inlet codes, the backflow device and any standard printed, the pitch requirement and the pressure and temperature rating; covers on size, material and the maker’s claim.
A certifier and a standard number appear together only where the maker prints both. Moen, Mueller/B&K and Everbilt spec sheets could not be read this session, so they have no row.
A frost-free sillcock is a hose faucet whose valve sits at the inside end of a long tube, in heated space, so the tube drains after shut-off. A faucet cover is an insulated cup over the outside of a faucet; it adds no heat of its own.
A plain hose bib that works, on a house where the hoses come off, gets a cover. A faucet that split last winter, or one so old the Illinois Extension page would swap it, gets a sillcock, and the length-by-wall-thickness table is where that order starts. Why the burst is rarely where the ice is, and why the hose is the whole story, is the frozen pipes guide.
How do the covers compare on paper?
| Cover | Size and form | What the maker page claims | R-value or temperature printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duck Brand flexible cover | 7.5 in x 8.75 in, soft, slides tight around the spout, no adhesive | For use on outdoor faucets | None |
| Frost King FC1 foam | Foam, oval, fits an outside faucet | Guards against freezing wind and chill; keeps outside air from leaking into the home | None |
| Frost King FC2 hard plastic | Hard plastic shell | Offered for greater durability against impacts or animal damage | None |
No cover maker read this session prints an insulation value, a thickness or a lowest temperature. The Illinois Extension page names two actions: remove and drain every hose, and swap a very old spigot for a frost-proof one. A cover is the step after the first and instead of the second.
How do the sillcocks compare on paper?
| Model | Wall lengths offered | Inlet connections | Backflow device and standard printed | Pitch requirement | Rating printed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodford Model 17 | 4 to 24 in, 2 in steps | C, CP, C3, P, PX, PX3, R, W, W3, CM (sweat, thread, crimp PEX, Wirsbo, Rehau, compression) | Integral device to 125 psi backpressure, ASSE 1019 Type C, CSA and cUPC; no add-on vacuum breaker | Must be installed with downward pitch toward nozzle | 125 psi, 120 F |
| Woodford Model 19 | 4 to 24 in, 2 in steps | Same codes as Model 17 | Same integral device, ASSE 1019 Type C; plus a resetting pressure relief valve for a hose left on | Slight downward pitch toward the nozzle; inlet in a heated area; gap sealed; insulation around faucet, wall board and sill plate | 125 psi, 120 F |
| Woodford Model 27 (dealer) | 4 to 24 in, 2 in steps | C, CP, CP3, P, PX, PX3 | Separate Model 50HA, ASSE 1052, IAPMO listed, replace every 3 to 5 years | Drains as the handle is shut, hose on or off, once the handle is turned clockwise until seated | 125 psi, 120 F |
| Prier C-144 | Close-coupled to 24 in, 2 in steps; longer on request | D, T, C, F, G, X, W, FX, FW, Y (sweat, thread, CPVC, push-fit, crimp and Wirsbo PEX, press) | Anti-siphon vacuum breaker and check valve, “per ASSE 1019” | Integral cast flange with built-in drainage pitch | 125 psi, 140 F |
| Prier P-164 | Close-coupled and 4 to 24 in, 2 in steps | Same ten codes as C-144 | Anti-siphon vacuum breaker with backflow check valve; “per ASSE 1019 Code” footnote only | Integral cast flange with built-in drainage pitch | Not printed |
| SharkBite push-to-connect | 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 18 in | 1/2 in push-fit x 3/4 in MHT (PEX, copper, CPVC) | Integrated anti-siphon vacuum breaker, automatic drain; sheet lists certified and listed to ASSE 1019 | Install valve at a 5 degree angle | 125 psi, 180 F, 33 F minimum |
Woodford’s and Prier’s ASSE 1019 sheets both limit the device to 12 hours of continuous water pressure, which rules out a timer on a drip line. SharkBite’s push-fit sheet lists ASSE 1019 as a certification; its brass crimp sheet adds ASME A112.18.1 and CSA B125.1.
Duck Brand flexible faucet cover: buy it or skip it?
Buy it if the bib is a plain one that works, the hose is off, and you want the cheapest wind barrier. Duck Brand’s page lists 7.5 in x 8.75 in, a slide-tight fit around the spout and no adhesive.
The flaw is everything the page leaves out: no material, no R-value and no temperature. It is a sock that keeps the wind off a faucet that has already drained.
Skip it if the faucet is a frost-free sillcock with the hose off: Woodford’s sheet says that faucet will not rupture when the valve is shut and the hose removed.
Frost King FC1 foam and FC2 hard plastic covers: buy them or skip them?
Buy the FC1 four-pack if the house has several bibs. Frost King’s page says the foam oval cover fits an outside faucet, guards it against freezing wind and chill, and keeps outside air from leaking into the home, which is the one claim a cover can honestly make.
Buy the FC2 hard plastic instead where the faucet sits at dog height or beside a path: Frost King names impacts and animal damage as the reason to choose the hard shell.
The flaw is shared: neither cover prints an R-value or a thickness, so neither can be rated against a temperature. Call them a draft stopper, and call a cover over a hose a burst waiting for spring.
Skip both if the pipe feeding the bib runs through an unheated crawl space: the faucet is not the cold spot, the pipe is, and the pipe insulation table or a heat cable is the right purchase.
SharkBite push-to-connect sillcock: buy it or skip it?
Buy the 24636LF if the wall is 12 in and you own neither a torch nor a crimp tool. SharkBite’s October 2017 sheet lists 1/2 in push-fit by 3/4 in MHT in 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15 and 18 in, an integrated anti-siphon vacuum breaker, an automatic drain feature and a maximum of 125 psi and 180 F, with 33 F as the minimum working temperature. A 10 in version is the 24629LF.
The flaw is the missing safeguard: the sheet lists ASSE 1019 and a 5 degree installation angle, but prints no relief valve or word about a hose left on, so unhook it.
Skip it if the wall is not close to 12 in: the sheet lists 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15 and 18 in only.
Prier P-164 quarter-turn hydrant: buy it or skip it?
Buy the P-164D04 if the wall is 4 in, the supply is 1/2 in copper or threaded, and you want a handle that opens in a quarter turn. Prier’s P-164 sheet lists a compression seal, a soft-grip handle, close-coupled and 4 to 24 in insertion from stock, the same ten inlet codes as the C-144, and an integral cast flange with built-in drainage pitch, so the slope is in the casting.
The flaw is what the sheet does not print: no pressure rating, no temperature rating and no ASSE type letter, only the footnote that an ASSE 1019 device must not stay on more than 12 continuous hours. The C-144 sheet prints 125 psi and 140 F; those figures are not transferred here.
Skip it if the wall is anything but 4 in: the D04 is one size, and the wall thickness page explains why the old faucet’s length is the wrong number to copy.
Woodford Model 19: buy it or skip it?
Buy the 19CP-12 if someone in the house forgets hoses and the wall is 12 in. Woodford’s Form 19.114 lists ASSE 1019 Type C, 125 psi, 120 F, an integral backflow device protecting to 125 psi of backpressure, and a patented resetting pressure relief valve that the sheet says prevents the faucet tube from bursting in freezing conditions even if a hose is unintentionally left on.
The flaw is the install list, the longest on the page: inlet in a heated area, the gap between house and faucet sealed against air leaks, a slight downward pitch toward the nozzle, and insulation around the faucet, the wall board and the sill plate. The sheet also says the faucet is not intended for continuous use.
Skip it if the wall is 4 in and the hose always comes off: the Woodford 17P-4-MH prints the same ASSE 1019 Type C listing and the same 125 psi integral backflow device, and its sheet says it will not rupture when the valve is shut off and the hose removed.
Measure the wall before you order either
Do not order a sillcock from the length of the old one. Woodford and Prier both sell by the buried dimension, 4 to 24 inches in 2 inch steps, and the Model 19 sheet requires the inlet in a heated area, so the tape runs from the outside face of the siding to where the supply lands inside. If that pipe runs through a crawl space that goes below freezing, size a cable with the heat cable calculator first; a well house with the same problem has its own winter freeze checklist.
What goes wrong?
The hose stays on. Woodford’s Model 17 sheet: hose must be removed in freezing weather or the faucet may freeze and burst. The split is in the tube behind the valve, so it shows only when the water is turned on in spring.
The faucet is too short. A sillcock whose valve sits in the wall cavity instead of heated space is a plain bib with a longer handle. Order by measured wall thickness.
The pitch runs the wrong way. Woodford’s Model 17 warning requires a downward pitch toward the nozzle; Prier casts it into the flange. A tube that slopes inward holds water and freezes.
The cover goes on over a hose. No cover page read claims to warm anything; it keeps the wind off a faucet that has already drained.
A drip timer stays on. Woodford’s and Prier’s ASSE 1019 sheets limit continuous pressure on the device to 12 hours.
Frequently asked questions
Do outdoor faucet covers actually work?
They do what the maker claims and no more. Frost King's FC1 page says the foam cover guards the faucet against freezing wind and chill and keeps outside air from leaking into the home; neither Frost King nor Duck Brand prints an R-value or a lowest temperature. A cover holds heat the wall already gives off, makes none, and cannot help water trapped behind a hose.
Can a frost-free sillcock still freeze and burst?
Yes, with a hose on. Woodford's Model 17 sheet warns the faucet must be installed with downward pitch toward the nozzle and the hose must be removed in freezing weather or the faucet may freeze and burst, and it will not rupture when the valve is shut and the hose removed. Only the Model 19 sheet claims a relief valve for a hose left on.
What length frost-free sillcock do I need?
The wall thickness, measured from the outside face of the siding to where the supply connects inside the heated space. Woodford's Model 17 and 19 sheets list 4 to 24 inches in 2 inch steps and define overall length as wall thickness plus the inlet fitting; Prier's P-164 sheet lists close-coupled and 4 to 24 inches of insertion. Order by the tape, not by the old faucet.
Do I need a separate vacuum breaker on an anti-siphon sillcock?
Not on the models that print an integral one. Woodford's Model 17 and 19 sheets state an integral backflow device protecting to 125 psi of backpressure, listed ASSE 1019 Type C, so no add-on vacuum breaker is needed. Prier's P-164 page lists an anti-siphon vacuum breaker with a backflow check valve. Both makers add that an ASSE 1019 device must not sit under pressure more than 12 continuous hours.
Which is cheaper, a cover or a new sillcock?
A cover is a few dollars and a sillcock is a plumbing job, but the question is wrong. The University of Illinois Extension page says to remove and drain every hose, which costs nothing, and to swap a very old spigot for a frost-proof one to reduce the risk of a rupture. The cover is for a plain bib that stays; the sillcock is for one that split.
Fact sheet and how to cite this page
- Answer
- For a hose bib that stays, the Frost King FC1 foam cover goes on after the hose is off; Frost King prints no R-value, so it is a wind barrier. For a faucet that split, the Woodford Model 19 sheet prints ASSE 1019 Type C, 125 psi, 4 to 24 inch walls and a resetting pressure relief valve for a hose left on. Prier’s P-164 is the quarter-turn runner-up in the same range.
- Comparison basis
- Woodford Model 17, 19 and 27 spec sheets (Forms 17.114, 19.114 and 27), Prier C-144-Y and P-164-O spec sheets and the Prier P-164 product page, the SharkBite push-to-connect sillcock sheet of October 2017 and its brass crimp sillcock data sheet, the Frost King FC1 and Duck Brand faucet cover product pages and the University of Illinois Extension winterizing page, compared on wall lengths, inlet codes, backflow device and standard printed, pitch requirement, pressure and temperature rating, and what each maker says about a hose left on.
- Assumptions
- The supply pipe behind the faucet can be reached from inside, so a replacement sillcock can be ordered by measured wall thickness; a faucet that can only be measured from outside is not ready to order
- A cover is fitted to a faucet that has already drained, with the hose removed; no maker page read prints an R-value or a lowest temperature for any cover
- ASSE 1019 is attributed only to Woodford 17 and 19 and Prier C-144, which print it; the Prier P-164 sheet prints only a ‘per ASSE 1019 Code’ footnote and the SharkBite push-fit sheet lists ASSE 1019 in its certifications
- Method
- OwnerSpec compared manufacturer-published specifications read on 2026-10-09 and confirmed each listing in stock the same day; it installed nothing, froze nothing and measured no wall, and reports only the figures the cited document states.
- Primary source
- Woodford Manufacturing, Freezeless Anti-Siphon Wall Faucet Model 19 spec sheet, Form No. 19.114, Rev. 10/23 (PDF) (manufacturer or vendor document)
- Facts verified
- Last updated
- Canonical URL
- https://ownerspec.com/plumbing/reviews/best-outdoor-faucet-cover-and-frost-free-sillcock/
- Cite as
- OwnerSpec, "Best outdoor faucet cover and frost-free sillcock: the maker sheets say a cover only keeps wind off and a frost-free faucet still bursts with a hose on, so unhook the hose first", https://ownerspec.com/plumbing/reviews/best-outdoor-faucet-cover-and-frost-free-sillcock/, facts verified 9 October 2026.
Every figure above also appears, with its source, in the article. All sources ยท How OwnerSpec verifies numbers
Sources
- Woodford Manufacturing, Freezeless Anti-Siphon Wall Faucet Model 19 spec sheet, Form No. 19.114, Rev. 10/23 (PDF) (manufacturer or vendor document)
- Woodford Manufacturing, Freezeless Anti-Siphon Wall Faucet Model 17 spec sheet, Form No. 17.114, Rev. 04/21 (PDF) (manufacturer or vendor document)
- Woodford Manufacturing, Backflow Protected Automatic Draining Freezeless Wall Faucet Model 27 spec sheet (PDF) (manufacturer or vendor document)
- Prier Products, C-144/244 Series Freezeless Wall Hydrant spec sheet, form C-144-Y (PDF) (manufacturer or vendor document)
- Prier Products, P-164/264 Series Quarter-Turn Freezeless Wall Hydrant spec sheet, form P-164-O (PDF) (manufacturer or vendor document)
- Prier Products, P-164 Quarter-Turn Wall Hydrant product page (manufacturer or vendor document)
- SharkBite, Frost Free Silcocks sales and specifications sheet, October 2017 (PDF) (retailer listing or retailer-hosted document)
- SharkBite, Brass Crimp Frost-Free Sillcock data sheet SBPCPFFS0421 (PDF) (manufacturer or vendor document)
- Frost King, Foam Faucet Cover FC1 product page (manufacturer or vendor document)
- Duck Brand, Flexible Outdoor Faucet Cover product page (manufacturer or vendor document)
- University of Illinois Extension, How to winterize outdoor plumbing: irrigation, hoses, spigots (university or extension service)