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How to Winterize Outdoor Taps
Fifteen minutes on a dry October afternoon can save you a flooded basement in February. Here is how to put outdoor taps to bed for winter.
- Plain steps you can do yourself, safely
- Clear signs for when to stop and call
- Written for Newmarket houses and water
- A plumber on the phone if it goes sideways
What goes wrong in the pipes
An outdoor tap, also called a hose bib or sillcock, passes through the wall of your house. The part outside sees the full Newmarket winter, and so does the length of pipe just inside the rim joist. Water left in that pipe freezes, expands and splits it. The cruel part is timing: the split often stays sealed by ice until the spring thaw, then sprays into a finished ceiling the first time someone turns on the hose.
Have these on hand
- Pipe insulation sleeves
- Frost-free hose bib cover
- Hair dryer (never a torch)
- Thermometer for the coldest room
Hands-on steps
- Disconnect every hose. A connected hose traps water in the tap even if it is frost-free.
- Find the inside shut-off. Most older homes have a small valve on the line feeding each outdoor tap, usually in the basement ceiling near the wall.
- Close it. Turn the handle clockwise until it stops, or set a lever handle across the pipe.
- Open the outdoor tap. Let the water in the line drain out. Leave it open all winter so any remaining water has room to expand.
- Open the bleeder cap. Many interior shut-offs have a small cap on the side. Put a cup under it and unscrew it to let the last water out, then replace it.
- Cover the tap. An insulated foam cover from a hardware store adds protection on exposed walls.
Mistakes that turn a small repair big
- Leaving the hose on a frost-free tap. It defeats the design.
- Closing the inside valve but leaving the outdoor tap shut, which traps water between them.
- Forgetting a second tap at the back or side of the house.
- Draining irrigation lines without blowing them out; underground sprinkler systems need compressed air.
A quick spring reversal
Once overnight frost is behind you, usually in late April, close the outdoor tap, open the inside valve slowly and check the basement ceiling below for drips. Then turn the outdoor tap on fully for a moment. A spray from the wall or a puddle inside tells you the pipe split over winter.
When to put the tools down and call
If the inside shut-off is seized, missing or leaks when closed, a plumber should replace it rather than force it. Call (365) 517-0623. Also call if you find ice or a crack on the tap after a cold night, before the thaw turns a small split into a large leak. Hard-water scale can also stop old valves from sealing properly; see hard water in Newmarket. And if water backs up into a basement sink while you work, kitchen drain cleaning or a camera inspection may be in order.
Asked on site
When should I winterize outdoor taps in Newmarket?
Before the first hard frost, usually by late October. Earlier is fine if the weather turns.
Can a frozen outdoor tap be fixed?
Often the tap and a short length of pipe are replaced, ideally with a frost-free model.