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The pipe that feeds an outdoor faucet runs through the wall from the warm side of the house to the cold side. When the faucet freezes, the ice pushes back along that pipe and splits it, usually inside the wall where nobody sees it until spring, when the first use of the hose sends water into the basement. Preventing this is one of the easiest jobs in home ownership.
Ordinary faucets
Most older houses have a plain faucet with a valve inside the house, on the pipe leading to it. Do this before the first hard frost, which in Rockland County usually means the second half of October:
- Disconnect the hose. A hose left attached holds water in the faucet and is the most common cause of a burst. Drain the hose and store it.
- Close the inside valve. Follow the pipe back from the faucet through the wall and find the valve, usually within a few feet. Close it.
- Open the outside faucet and leave it open. The water between the valve and the faucet drains out, and anything left has room to expand.
- If the inside valve has a small cap or screw on its side, that is a drain port. Hold a cup under it and open it to let out the last of the water, then close it.
If there is no inside valve, the pipe is at risk every winter. A plumber can add one in an hour, or replace the faucet with the frost-free kind described below.
Frost-free faucets
A frost-free faucet has a long body that reaches through the wall, with the actual valve at the inside end, in the warm part of the house. When you close it, the water in the outer part drains out by itself. They still need one thing: the hose must come off. With a hose attached, the water cannot drain, and the faucet will freeze and split like any other.
The tell-tale of a split frost-free faucet is water spraying inside the wall the first time it is turned on in spring. If that happens, close the inside valve or the main, and call a plumber.
Insulated covers
A foam faucet cover adds a margin of safety on any faucet, and is worth fitting after the steps above. It is not a substitute for draining a faucet that has an inside valve.
Lawn sprinkler systems
An irrigation system has pipes just below the surface, and they must be emptied before the ground freezes.
- The blow-out method uses an air compressor to push the water out of each zone. It is the standard method here, and most people have their irrigation contractor do it each fall, as the pressure has to be right to avoid damaging the heads.
- Drain valves on some systems let the water out by gravity, but they rarely empty every low spot.
- Whichever method, shut off the water to the system at the inside valve first, and insulate the backflow preventer, the assembly of brass valves usually near the house, or remove it and store it indoors.
Other outdoor plumbing
- Drain and store garden hoses, sprayers and the hose reel.
- Empty and turn over outdoor water features, and drain their pumps.
- Turn off and drain outdoor showers and the water line to a pool house.
- Cover or remove window air conditioners, which are a source of draft to any pipe near them.
In spring
Close the outside faucet, open the inside valve slowly, and watch and listen inside the wall for a minute before you connect a hose. Do the same for the sprinkler system, opening the water slowly to avoid a surge that can crack fittings.
When to call a plumber
- The faucet has no inside valve
- Water inside the wall in spring
- A frost-free faucet that drips from the handle or the spout after it is closed
- A backflow preventer that leaks or has cracked over winter
Find a licensed plumber near your town.