When you think about Wisconsin, you think about many things: dairy farms, our sports teams, the Great Lakes, and cold, cold winters. Before the mercury starts its annual drop into those low readings, you should have all your winterizing work done to protect your home and property from freeze damage.
Of course, this process includes getting vehicles ready, gathering supplies like sidewalk salt, and making plans for your pets. Still, the most important thing to do for your home is making sure that you have appropriately winterized all your outdoor plumbing. Let’s look through the steps in that process.
Close the Valve
The first and most straightforward way to prepare outdoor faucets for winter is to shut off the valve that supplies them. In northern climates, many homes are built with a simple valve inside the house that turns off the water to that spigot. All you have to do is turn that valve off, then go outside and open the spigot to allow it to drain. Of course, this is not an option if your home is not built with a cutoff valve for those outdoor spigots.
Disconnect Hoses
Frostproof hydrants and wall-mounted spigots today are designed to drain themselves up their supply lines to a point where they shouldn’t freeze. You may have noticed a stream of water that comes out of a wall spigot for a moment after it’s completely off. That’s because the valve is designed to stop the water flow well inside the house and then allow any water past that point to drain out. Vertical fixtures do the same thing, draining downward below the freeze line.
However, that process only works if the end of the spigot is free. Leaving a garden hose hooked up will trap water inside the spigot. When the weather gets cold enough, that water will freeze and expand, bursting the valve or line and causing a leak. When we get a call about a fixture that somehow froze despite being “freeze-proof,” this is usually why. If you allow water to be trapped inside the spigot, it will freeze regardless of its type.
While dealing with your garden hose, prepare it for winter as well. Stretch it out and allow it to drain completely, then store it somewhere warm if possible. You might also want to lubricate its fittings to prevent rust in the upcoming winter and summer.
It’s also worth noting that not just hoses can freeze your outdoor plumbing fixtures. Any type of nozzle, valve, splitter, or other connection that allows water to stay inside the faucet will cause it to rupture during cold weather. Remove everything from the spigot during the weatherproofing process.
Winterize the Old-Style Fixtures
Of course, plenty of the old-fashioned spigots and hydrants are still out there that are subject to freezing, even if you disconnect the hose. Those units have a shorter connection between the handle and the point where the water is stopped, which means the water is closer to the outside elements. These require special attention to avoid freezing.
Winterizing these models means covering them with an insulating device. These are available at home improvement stores. You simply disconnect the hose, slip the cover over the faucet, and tighten a plastic zip tie or other fastener to hold it in place. The device will ensure that the cold air outside is kept away from the warm air from the water line, keeping the valve thawed.
There are two good options you should discuss with our plumbing experts if you’re in this situation. First, ask about simply replacing the outdated model with a frostproof design. That is the simplest and most effective route. The other option is to see if a valve can be installed inside the house to shut off the spigot at a point well inside the home. This might be necessary if your spigot is hard to reach. If you choose this option, you’ll need to open the spigot to let it drain from the new valve to the outside.
Winterize Fixtures With Insulation
To prepare your outdoor faucets for winter, it’s a good idea to use special covers like foam faucet covers or insulated spigot socks. These are simple to put on and help keep your faucets safe from freezing weather. For extra protection, consider wrapping the pipes that lead to the faucet with pipe insulation sleeves. This will help prevent any damage from the cold!
Check for Leaks Now!
Most of our tips here are about preventing leaks, but it is also important to deal with existing leaks. The most common problem is a spigot that won’t quite turn off all the way. Dripping faucets can cause a big issue during extreme cold. The most obvious reason is that they prevent your faucet from ever fully draining out, which means that a prolonged cold spell could easily allow enough ice to form inside the spigot that it finally swells and bursts.
The other problem with a leaky faucet is your safety. A slow drip on an outdoor faucet will eventually create a dangerous patch of ice that can cause a fall, so take some time to make sure everything is nice and dry. Unlike faucets inside the house, which drip in a warm environment, outdoor faucets should not be allowed to trickle to prevent freezing.
What Not to Do
If you think your plumbing fixture is about to freeze, you might panic and do something reckless. Plenty of homeowners have set their houses on fire with well-meaning attempts to thaw pipes. Some of these fires are caused by products marketed specifically for that purpose, which were used according to the instructions.
Electric heat tape is a bad idea. These devices wrap around pipes and plug into the wall, creating heat that can help keep the pipe warm enough to prevent freezing. It sounds good in theory, but keeping them away from combustible materials isn’t easy. Aging heat tape can also develop frayed wires that short out and cause fires. Just don’t use these.
Other fires have resulted from homeowners using jet heaters, blowtorches, space heaters, and all kinds of other improvised devices to thaw their fixtures. None of these strategies is safe! It is much easier just to prevent the pipes from freezing in the first place.
Let Us Get You Ready!
A lot of the advice we’ve given here calls for expert help. Our team wants to prepare your home for winter so that you can bundle up inside and let Old Man Winter do his worst. We can upgrade your spigots, add necessary valves, and even repair if you aren’t ready for the first cold snap. Our experienced plumbers also offer water heater service and repair, bathroom remodels, and every other kind of residential plumbing, including emergency plumbing, work you may need.
We are conveniently located in Madison, Wausau, and Caledonia, so a qualified plumber is always nearby. Contact Southport Home Services today, and we will send one of our plumbers to you.
