Indiana has already experienced the first snowfall of the season, which means it is prime time to complete the remainder of our outdoor home improvement and maintenance tasks for the winter. One of the most vulnerable plumbing components found outside are your faucets, as they are highly susceptible to freezing since they host water. Fortunately, there are three incredibly effective and proven strategies that will prevent your outdoor spigots from freezing up in cold climates.
Continue reading to learn all three, as well as, what you can do if your outdoor faucets ever do freeze over this winter.
Winter Outdoor Faucet Protection
The top three ways to protect your outdoor faucets from freezing over in winter weather are to cover them up, turn off the water that runs directly to the spigot, and install freeze-resistant hose bib spigots. You can choose the use one of these methods, or a combination of them, to find the best winter plumbing maintenance solution for your property.
❶ Main Water Shut Off
Your first option for preventing outdoor frozen faucets in winter is to simply cut off the water supply line that runs to the particular faucet, however, this is not always possible unless the property has multiple main water shut offs. In most homes, there is only one main water shut off for all water lines, so in most cases, you cannot choose this option if there are occupants within the home. For some buildings, such as apartment buildings, there might be multiple main water shut offs, in which case, it could be possible to pick and choose which faucets to turn off.
❷ Spigot Covers
Spigot covers are one of the most common and widely used methods of protecting outdoor plumbing and faucets from freezing temperatures in the winter. Stay away from outdated and ineffective methods your Granddad might encourage, such as using newspaper, old towels, and garbage bags. Instead, shop around for some foam-insulated nylon hose bib covers at your local home improvement or garden store. We recommend the Duck Brand spigot covers.
❸ Frost-Proof Spigots
If you really want a long-term, “set it and forget it” type of approach, you might consider installing brand new, frost-proof, freeze-resistant hose bib spigots. These can be found at your local home improvement store, and range in price from $9 to $35, depending on the brand. We recommend ZORO SELECT® Anti-Siphon, Frost Proof Sillcock, available at Home Depot.
Outdoor Plumbing Service in Indianapolis
Call Weilhammer Plumbing Co. Inc. at 317-784-1870 when you need a licensed outdoor plumbing services in Indianapolis at an affordable price. We offer a wide range of standard and master plumber services for both residential and commercial properties. We also offer free estimates, free plumbing advice, and even free haul-away for old plumbing appliances like water heaters, water softeners, sump pumps, and more. Request a free estimate, today.
