Protect your outdoor faucets from freezing

• Posted on December 12, 2016
• by mikew
• in Fix It & Use It
• No Comments.

Last week we had our first night of twenty-degree weather and freezing. Later that morning I had a client email me about the freezing weather and his outdoor water faucets – also known as hose bibbs. I was so appreciative that he checked in with me. His question is one that many share – how do we protect our outdoor faucets from freezing? Here are some tips for protecting hose bibbs over the winter:

First, disconnect hoses and any attachments from outdoor faucets. These add weight to the fixture and store water that can freeze inside the faucet and cause breaks and leaks. This is the single most important thing you can do to winterize your plumbing for winter! A few years ago my neighbor called me to stop the water flooding his garage. His frost-free hose had burst during freezing weather and made a real mess when the pipe thawed. The cause was the attached garden hose.

Second, identify if you have shut off valves inside your home that will close the water supply to these faucets. There are not a lot of houses that do from what I have seen. Some newer homes have a shut off near the main water shut off in the garage. This is the best option for protecting faucets from freezing.

Third, figure out if you have frost-free faucets. This means that the water is shutoff inside the wall of your house to protect it from freezing. How to tell if the faucet is frost-free: Is the faucet handle stem entering the wall perpendicular or is it angled? Angled bibbs are not frost free and will need to be insulated with rags or a winterizing cover.

Finally, if there is exposed piping all this needs to be drained of water and/or properly insulated. It is important to check for this outside the house and inside uninsulated areas like garages as well. The first picture shows exposed pipe extending from the home inside a wood box. Faucets installed in gardens can be improperly insulated as well. The second picture reveals missing insulation on a water line in the garage rafter. We don’t usually have cold enough weather in such duration that freezing pipes are an issue in our region. But it can happen and taking steps to protect them will save you money and frustration when warm weather returns!