No Frozen Pipe Bibs Here–What to do to prevent a disaster!

It’s time, temperatures are dropping fast!

When temperatures begin to drop and plants go dormant for winter, it’s time to put away the garden hoses away until spring. Winterizing your exterior hose bibs—the outdoor faucets on your house—and properly storing your garden hoses is super simple and will keep everything working properly when they’re used again. Just follow these easy steps for each exterior hose bib:

1. Locate the hose bib’s shutoff valve inside your home, most likely in your basement, crawl space, or utility room. The valve should be somewhere close to where the hose bib is located on the outside of the house.
2. Turn off the indoor valve to stop the water flow to the exterior hose bib. Make sure to tightly turn the valve to the “off” position so that no water is able to make its way into the pipe.
3. Detach the hose from the outdoor spigot and drain the hose to remove any residual water. Undo any kinks and then tip the hose from one end to the other, allowing gravity to do the work of removing the water. Coil the hose and store in a warm location, such as a basement or heated garage, to protect it from freezing temperatures during the winter.
4. Turn the outdoor spigot to the “on” position to allow water remaining in the pipes to completely drain and prevent freezing.
5. Return to the indoor shutoff valve and remove the bleeder cap, usually below the valve, to drain remaining water out of the pipe from this end. Hold a bowl under the bleeder to catch the water and then replace the cap.
6. Keep the hose bib turned to the open position throughout the winter so there’s no chance of water getting trapped inside and to allow fluctuating pressure to be released.
7. Insulate all outdoor hose bibs.

Be sure to prep your exterior hose bibs early in the fall, so you’re not surprised by a sudden drop in temperature and caught off-guard with frozen pipes. Preventative maintenance around your house is time very well spent in the long run!

If you do end up with water damage, give us a call. We can help you! It’s important to act quickly. Mold can develop in areas not treated rapidly.

Water Extraction Experts specialize in water damage restoration, sewage cleanup, mold removal, fire & smoke damage restoration, flood damage cleanup.  We have 3 locations to serve you.

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