Preventing Frozen Pipes: How to Winterize Your Outdoor Hose Faucets

Plumbing

With temperatures already dipping below 50 degrees, there’s no denying that winter is well on its way. Though it may not be freezing quite yet, now is the perfect time to consider the effects of winter weather on your plumbing. Frozen pipes are a much larger problem than many homeowners realize, and preventing them should be a top priority for you as the colder season approaches.

One step you’ll want to take is to winterize your outdoor hose faucets. This process is fairly simple to do, although understanding the “how” can be a little complex. The first step in the process is to find your service valve, which any standard style home should have. But this doesn’t mean yours will… particularly if it wasn’t built by a regular contractor.

So How Do I Find the Service Valve?

There are a number of places that this valve may be located. Be sure to look:

In the crawl space along the pipe leading back from the hose supply pipe.
In the basement along the pipe leading back from the hose supply pipe.
In a kitchen or bathroom cabinet—it’s usually close to the hose valve.
Near the water heater.
Next to your home’s main water shut-off.

Once you’ve found the service valve for your outdoor hose faucets, you’ll want to close it before proceeding. If you need help with this step, our staff is standing by ready to assist!

What Do I Do Next?

After you’ve closed the service valve, you’ll want to remove the hose and open the hose valve, ensuring the faucet served by the service valve you closed is in the “on” position. You’ll want to place a container under the hose valve, and another one under the waste cap. Watch for water to drain, leaving the waste cap loose, the hose valve open, and the hose off of the hose valve.

If water does in fact drain, then you are done as you’ve rid the system of any water that would potentially freeze. If, however, you do not see any water drainage, then freezing might have already occurred. If this is the case, you’ll want to call our professional plumbers right away for service.

For prompt plumbing repairs in Pocatello, ID, contact the team at Advanced Home Services today!

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