A faucet for outdoor use is a valve regulating water flow through the pipe. It is generally located outdoors, near the edges of a building or on a property.
In colder environments, they prevent the pipes from freezing. Turn your faucet on and allow the water to flow until the temperature is above freezing.
In winter, taking essential precautions to shield the outdoor tap from frost is vital. It includes removing water hoses to drain and turning off valves on outside faucets. Winterizing your faucets will help you save expensive repairs caused by cracks or burst pipes due to frigid temperatures. It also helps to prevent outdoor faucets from breaking and freezing in winter.
What Are the Consequences of Not Winterizing Your Outdoor Faucet?
The most common result of not winterizing the exterior faucets is the line could get frozen and explode. It could cause significant damage to your home.
Suppose you have a tap connected to your house’s primary water source. A damaged pipe could let water out and flood your garden or basement in such situations; a frozen pipe may cause service disruption and cause massive repairs.
Another possible reason not to winterize the exterior faucet can be it could become stuck in an open position. It is a massive waste of amounts of water. It can cause water to flow across your pipes continuously. It could also cause dangerous icicle accumulation around your home or vicinity.
With this in mind, ensuring our outdoor faucets get protected from freezing temperatures is vital by following simple rules to ensure that your taps are not in all seasons.
Best Ways to Winterize Outdoor Faucets
Outdoor faucet winterization starts with a proper shut-off and drainage of all water hoses connected to faucets. Here’s the best way to winterize your faucets:
Turn Off the Water to Your Outdoor Faucet
The best way to prepare the winter-ready outdoor taps is to shut off the water flow to the faucet. For this, begin by finding the valve responsible for controlling water flow to the faucet. The valve will usually get located near your home’s foundation and where the water line connects to your home. After you’ve closed off water to the area, turn on the faucet outside to flush out any remaining moisture within the tube.
Insulating Outside Faucets
Next, you must insulate your outdoor faucet. It can get done by wrapping the outside of the faucet with an insulating material, such as an insulation pipe cover made of foam. The addition of a faucet cover for outdoor use to the faucet will aid in preventing pipes from freezing and causing expensive repairs.
It is also possible to use a hose bib cover to provide additional protection against freezing temperatures. The hose bib cover is made to be used over outdoor faucets and offers extra insulation.
Remove and Store Hoses
In the winter months, disconnect the water hoses from the faucets in your outdoors. It can keep freezing temperatures from causing damage to the pipes or fittings on your hose.
To disconnect the water hose from the outdoor tap, start by shutting off your primary water supply. After that, disconnect the hose and the faucet. Then, open the faucet outside to drain any remaining moisture.
Also, put an end cap made of rubber on your hose fitting and keep it out of freezing temperature. It is vital to ensure that all hoses are dry before storage to avoid any remaining water that can freeze and harm your hose and the fittings.
By following these easy steps, you can prepare your faucet for winter and save yourself the expense of repairs because of freezing temperatures.
Top Tips to Safeguard Outdoor Faucets from Freezing
Here are some more suggestions to protect the faucets in your outdoor area from freezing:
Insulate Pipes – The exposed water pipes lead to the faucet outside with insulation materials like paper, foam pipe insulation, or rags to maintain an elevated temperature within the area surrounding the faucet.
Install a Tape of Heat – A heating cable is an electric device wrapped around pipes to maintain the temperature higher and protect it from freezing.
Let the Water Drip – If the temperature gets expected to fall below zero, let a little portion of the water slowly drip from the faucet. You can then shut off the water source if temperatures rise. It will help prevent the pipes from freezing and overflowing due to pressure build-up.
Install a Frost-Free Faucet – Frost-free faucets get made to prevent water from freezing within the pipes by draining them as temperatures drop.
Close Outdoor Faucet Valves – To stop water from getting into the lines in cold weather, shut off all outside spigot valves and then cover the external spigot cover.
Check That the Landscaping Is Sloped Away from the Water Source – Making appropriate slopes around the area will keep water from accumulating or freezing.
Install a Weatherproof – A winter-proof pipe cover on the faucet could help keep the cold wind out of the pipes and help protect the lines from frost.
Important Takeaway – Easy steps for winterizing your faucets include closing off the water by insulating the faucet and then storing and disconnecting the hoses. Each step is vital to protect your faucet outside from cold temperatures and to prevent harm.
If you’re looking for more assistance, The professionals from Ottawa Plumbing Service can assist you with your outdoor faucet and plumbing requirements. Our decades of experience and extensive industry expertise make us the ideal team to help you winterize your outdoor faucet and keep them functioning all year. Contact us at (613) 317-1682 or mail at info@ottawaplumbingservice.com.
