How to close / protect outside spigot for winter?
In the summer we had a faucet installed in the back yard, running from the basement. The plumber put two shutoff faucets on the line – one in the basement and one outside where the hose attaches. At the time, he told me to make sure to turn off the faucet in the basement when…
In the summer we had a faucet installed in the back yard, running from the basement. The plumber put two shutoff faucets on the line – one in the basement and one outside where the hose attaches. At the time, he told me to make sure to turn off the faucet in the basement when the weather got cold, so that the pipes wouldn’t freeze and burst.
I did that today, and am just wondering whether I should leave the outdoor faucet closed or open?
(I opened it after doing the basement shutoff, so as to allow the water left in the pipe to run out.)
Thanks!
Unless you are 100% positive that any water has drained out of the pipes, close the shut off valve but leave the exterior faucet open. That way ice, if it forms, has a place to go and won’t burst the pipe.
She said “fartan.”
Definitely leave the outside faucet open/inside faucet closed.
It probably doesn’t matter if you’ve shut off the inside pipe and fully drained the outside segment, but I would recommend shutting off the outside spigot. That way, you don’t have remember to turn it off before you turn on the inside faucet/valve next spring, preventing water spurting forth unnecessarily.
– Mrs. Fartan
always a good idea to leave the outdoor faucet open – at least a bit – as a relief in case there’s any water left in the pipe that might tend to expand if it freezes…I’ve always done that for the past 20 years