Even though this recent cold snap is almost behind us if you were lucky enough to not have your hose bib burst or freeze– You shouldn’t take any more chances in case we get another weather event and should wind up the garden hose and store it away until spring. If you’ve ever experienced a burst pipe, then you know how dire it is to turn off your outdoor water supply lines correctly. If you don’t adhere to the correct procedure in turning off your outdoor hose bibbs, water in the supply line can freeze, expand, and split your pipes. Winterizing your outdoor faucets before it’s too late can help prevent you from having to deal with the frustrations and damage resulting from frozen or burst pipes.
Pipes located outdoors can be subject to freezing once outdoor temperatures fall below 32 degrees. They usually don’t freeze until it drops lower, but it never hurts to be safe. A frozen pipe can lead to a burst pipe, and a burst pipe means costly repairs and potential structural damage. Prevention is the key to avoiding burst pipes during the winter. Hose bibs, or faucets, are an outdoor plumbing fixture found on most houses. Winterizing your home’s hose bibs is an annual maintenance task that should be completed before the freezing temperatures roll in.
Such easy steps can help save you a nightmare of problems once temperatures drop. Here are a few simple steps that outline how to protect hose bibbs for winter and help ensure the integrity of your outdoor plumbing:
1) Detach your hoses. Next, you’ll need to detach your hoses from your spigots, making sure to drain them before putting them into storage.
2) Store your hoses indoors. Keeping your hoses in heated garages or basements will protect them from damage caused by freezing temperatures outside and ensure they remain in good condition.
3) Install Outdoor Faucet Covers: The last step to winterizing outdoor faucets is to protect them with insulation. An easy way to do this is to install an outdoor faucet cover on each outdoor fixture, including frost-free spigots. Faucet covers are either square or dome-shaped shells that fit right over outdoor faucets, or they are flexible bags made of thick fabric stuffed with insulation. In really bad freezes, you can also put a washcloth inside of the cover to help protect it more.
Once you’ve completed these simple steps, you should have the best chance that your hose bibbs will be in good shape come spring! Winterizing your hose bibbs can help save you the hassle and expense of dealing with frozen pipes or busted pipes. Once you learn to winterize your outdoor spigots, it will become second nature to complete this task each year!
For added assurance, you can invest in frost-proof hose bibbs for your home. Frost-free hose bibbs are built to better protect your water pipe and hose bib from freezing weather, however this is not 100% protected, you still need to use covers. If you want less worry about cracking hose bibs or freezing damage during the winter months, installing frost-proof hose bibs will help!
If you need help winterizing your home’s plumbing or you’d like to learn more about frost-proof hose bibb installation, give Auger Pros Plumbing a call today at 214-206-6580! We’re standing by.