Winter is right around the corner! So, JP Pototschnik walks you through how to (1) identify what type of hose bib you have and (2) how to drain it so that is doesn’t freeze, crack, leak or worse, cause a flood in your house or basement.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Hey guys, I’m out here with the winter beard and winter jacket, so you know what that means: it’s the annual PSA to turn off your hose bibs and freeze-protect your house. I’ve got two hose bibs with me today—the frost-free variety and the conventional. You might ask yourself, “How can I tell which one is on my house?” They look a little different. A frost-free hose bib typically has the handle in line with the bib, so it sits on the front like this, and it usually has a vacuum breaker on top. If you see those two features, you’ve got a frost-free bib. If your bib looks more like this, it’s the more traditional type, especially on older homes. This is just a standard hose bib, and the way you turn them off is different.
With a frost-free bib, what you really need to do is simply remove your hose. I replace about five of these every spring because people leave their hoses attached. The way this works is that the water stops back here—there’s a gasket and a seat inside the house. When you turn the handle off, it drains the remaining water, and the water supply sits safely inside the warm part of your home. If you leave a hose attached, the water stays trapped in the hose and inside the bib. That water freezes, the pipe splits, and the damage only appears when the valve is open—so sometimes it takes a while to even realize you have a leak. So with frost-free bibs, just remove your hose and turn it off.
If you have a conventional bib, there’s a little more work. First, figure out where the hose bib is located on the outside of your house, then go inside and trace the plumbing line that leads to it. Follow it until you find a shut-off valve. It may be a gate valve or a ball valve like this one. When you find the valve, turn it off. Then go back outside, open the hose bib, let the water drain, and keep it open. Come back inside with a small bucket, open the relief valve near your shut-off, and let the remaining water drain out. Once it’s drained, close the relief, then go back outside and close the hose bib. Now your line is protected for winter because the water has been stopped at the interior valve and won’t reach the exterior faucet.
Even with frost-free bibs, I still recommend turning off the interior shut-off valve because too many times I’ve left my hose attached—I’m guilty myself. There’s a warm day in January, I hook up the hose, forget about it, and then in February it freezes. Alternatively, you can just call us and our handyman service will come out and do it for you. Either way, we just want you all to stay warm and dry this winter.