Easy Steps for Winterizing Your Exterior Faucets

The temperatures are finally starting to drop as winter fastly approaches. Not only are these cold temperatures sometimes unbearable, but they can do serious damage to your home’s plumbing. Before winter is in full effect, it’s best for everyone to winterize their exterior faucets.

Step 1: Disconnect Accessories First things first, all hoses, splitters, and any connectors should be removed from the exterior faucets. Even if they’re freeze-proof, accessory pieces can trap water inside of the faucet. Any water that freezes within the faucet can cause cracks and damage inside of the piping.

Step 2: Inspection Check each outdoor faucet for leaks, cracks, and any other damage. Any leaking water can freeze up and cause further damage to your pipes. Leaks aren’t always noticeable so it’s important to check each one carefully. Fixing a leak before winter can save you hundreds, if not thousands, later on when the pipe bursts.

Step 3: Remove Water Many faucets will need to be drained of water once they are turned off for the winter. For hose bibs that aren’t freeze proof, you’ll have to shut off the water line and drain it fully. However, for those that are, you won’t have to drain the water since the water will be far enough away from the spigot.

Step 4: Insulate The last line of defense when protecting exterior faucets is to place hose bib covers on each fixture. Opt for the covers that are made with thick foam as they are excellent insulators. Since not all faucets can be drained, consider adding additional insulation within the bib cover. This will decrease the chances of any water within the faucet from freezing.

It is common knowledge that plumbing should be insulated in the winter, but all too often people will forget about winterizing their exterior faucets. When your faucets and plumbing need repair before winter, contact Lancaster Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical. To learn more, or to schedule an appointment, give us a call at (717) 207-8198.