TURN OFF AND DRAIN YOUR OUTDOOR FAUCETS

TURN OFF AND DRAIN YOUR OUTDOOR FAUCETS

Maintenance Instruction  

One winter, a friend returned from a week of skiing to discover that his basement was badly water damaged. He forgot to turn off the water to an outdoor faucet. The pipe to the faucet froze and split where it poked through the foundation wall. A warm spell melted the ice in the pipe, and the water flowed for several days before he returned home. It was a huge and avoidable mess. WHAT ? Turn off the water to your outdoor faucets. WHEN ? Soon, before we have overnight lows dipping below -3°C (27°F). WHY ? To avoid splitting a pipe or faucet, but more importantly, to avoid the ensuing water damage. HOW ? Locate all your exterior faucets. Don't forget the one in the attached garage if you have one. You will find the pipe that feeds each faucet in the basement. There will be a shutoff valve on this pipe. Close the valve and open the drain cap. Also open the outside faucet to let water drain from the pipe. TIPS If you have a faucet you'd like to use regularly in the winter (for a skating rink for example), then consider a frost-proof faucet. These faucets are very long and have an equally long valve stem. When you turn the handle on the outside of the house, you're actually operating a valve on the inside of the house, so you won't get frozen or burst pipes.   If you don't have frost-proof valves, hang a tag on the indoor shutoff valve. They'll be easier to find every spring and fall.   Don't forget to drain the outdoor hose.

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