If you’ve lived in Maryland for longer than a year, you’ve experience all 12 of our seasons. Well, we’ve made it through “False Fall,” and “Second Summer”—we are officially in “Actual Fall,” which means Winter is right around the corner.
With the first frost rapidly approaching, it may be time to wrap up the hose and put it away until spring returns—or as us Marylander’s call it, “The Pollening.”
Whether you have dealt with frozen or burst pipes in the past, or not, you may already know how important it is to turn off your water supply to the outside hoses. Below are some tips to ensure you winterize those pipes correctly, because failing to properly drain and shut off your outdoor hose bibbs can lead to problems. When water remains in the supply line, it could freeze, expand, and split your pipes, causing water damage to the inside of your home. Winterizing your outdoor faucets will prevent you from having to deal with the frustrations and damage resulting from frozen or burst pipes.
5 STEPS TO PREPARE YOUR HOSE BIBBS FOR WINTER
Nothing we are about to tell you is terribly difficult. Here are some tips on draining your hose bibbs for winter and ensuring the integrity of your outdoor plumbing:
1) Locate your shut-off valve. The shut-off valve for your hose bibb will be inside your home—depending on the layout of the home, it may be in the basement, crawl space, or utility room. In my home, the font hose shut-off is in the basement near the front exterior wall, but the rear hose shut-off is on the main floor, under the kitchen sink—so the placements are not always simple to locate.
2) Shut off the indoor valve(s). As mentioned above, if there are more than one hose bibbs, each will have its own shut-off valve to close. Make sure you notate each exterior bibb, and verify no water is flowing to them after you have shut-off the valves.
3) Detach your hoses. You’ll have to detach the hoses from the spigots, and make sure to drain them before storing. If water freezes in the hose line, it can expand and crack/tear your hose making it unusable in the spring.
4) Store your hoses indoors. By storing your hoses in garages or basements they will be protect from damage caused by freezing temperatures. This will extend their life and save you the hassle of having to replace them in the spring.
5) Leave faucets open for the winter. Turn any outdoor faucets to the “on” position, and leave them open for the winter. This will allow any water that is in the pipes to have an exit should it freeze, rather than expand within the pipes.
Congrats! Now that you have performed all of these steps, you can rest assured that your hose bibbs will be in good shape come spring! Winterizing your hose bibbs and preventing frozen or busted pipes is a simple task that you will need to do every year—be sure to set a reminder for this time each year to winterize your pipes!
