Frozen Hose Bibs: Why they happen and what to do next.
Winter is over and you’re ready to roll up your sleeves and bring your home’s landscape back to life! You turn on your outside faucet…and are met with little to no water coming out of the spigot. As you wonder what’s going on you wander back inside your house only to find an unwanted pool of water indoors.
Outdoor faucets (hose bibs) are the most vulnerable fixtures of your home as, being outside, they are susceptible to freezing and most people don’t realize they have frozen until warmer weather returns and they attempt to turn on the water for the first time that year. A frozen hose bib can lead to burst pipes and major water damage in your home.
Common indicators of a frozen hose bib include:
- No water coming from an outside spigot when turned on
- Low or trickling water coming out of an opened outside faucet
- Hearing running water behind walls
- Water suddenly appearing in rooms not connected to kitchens or bathrooms
- Finding pooling water in your crawlspace
In order to be up to code, outside faucets must be frost-proof, designed to push the valve deeper into the home and away from freezing temperatures to protect pipes from freezing and bursting. Sometimes, though, low temperatures are extreme enough to still cause the hose bib to freeze. Frost-proof hose bibs are also designed to release water that has been sitting in the faucet after it is shut off. However, the purpose of this design is defeated when a hose is left attached to the hose bib and the faucet cannot properly drain, leading to a frozen hose bib. While the outdoor faucet may have been frozen for a while, the damage won’t come until the faucet has been turned on and the standard 50 psi of water pressure once again begins to move through the pipes.
If you suspect you have a frozen hose bib, immediately stop the flow of water. Find the shut-off valve and turn it to “off” to prevent more water from coming in. Try to soak up as much of the water from the affected materials as possible to prevent damage and reduce dry times. Then call us. We can help you! We can handle any water damage to your property such as floors, subfloors, or walls.
Give us a call!
Hiring a professional restoration team like Water Extraction Experts can give you peace of mind that your home is in good hands.
We are equipped to guide you through the process of restoring water damaged areas, repairing your home, and getting you back to your life as soon as possible.
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