Winterizing your Outdoor Faucets
The cold weather is right around the corner and JP Plumbing wants to help you out! There are two types of outdoor hose connections in the Annapolis area that should be winterized for the freezing weather. JP Plumbing would like to share with you the different kinds of outdoor faucets and how to prepare them for the winter weather.
Close handle and open bleed cap
Open the handle to allow air in pipe
The Standard hose bibs found more in older homes in the surrounding areas of Annapolis have two separate valves to look for. The first valve is your outdoor faucet. The second valve is your shut off valve, which you can find in a basement or in a heated area. The first step to winterize this style faucet is to turn off the shut off valve and open up the bleed cap on the side to allow air inside the pipes. The second step is to open the outdoor faucet allowing the pipe to drain out any water left inside the pipes. You have now winterized your outdoor Standard faucet! If these steps are not completed, any water left in the pipes could potentially freeze causing a crack or break at the faucet.
Disconnect Garden Hose in Winter
The second style hose bib that can be found in the Annapolis, Anne Arundel County area is a Frost Proof hose bib. These valves extend into a heated space area and have the luxury of not having to drain the faucet for the cold weather. However, there is only one step that needs to be done for winterizing these faucets. The garden hose needs to be removed from the outdoor faucet during the winter months. When a hose stays connected to it during the winter months the hose can hold water inside the valve leading it to potentially freeze and split the faucet.
Submitted By: Jim Phaneuf