Leaving your outside faucets open during the winter puts your pipes and outdoor spigots at serious risk of freezing and bursting. Ice formation in pipes can cause costly damage to your plumbing and home. To avoid this, it’s essential to shut off the water supply to your outdoor faucets, drain any remaining water, and winterize them properly. These simple precautions can save you from expensive repairs and protect your home from winter weather hazards.
6 Reasons Not to Leave Your Outside Faucets Open During Winter
Here are the most common reasons why you don’t want to leave your faucets open during the winter months.
Pipes Can Still Freeze
Leaving a faucet open during the winter doesn’t guarantee water won’t freeze inside the pipe. Outdoor faucets and the pipes that connect them to your plumbing system are exposed to freezing air, especially in uninsulated areas like exterior walls or basements. When temperatures drop below 32°F (0°C), any residual water inside these pipes can freeze.
- Open faucets can easily freeze during the winter.
- Water will start to freeze inside pipes as soon as the temperatures hit 32°F (0°C).
- Shutting the water supply off is the safest thing to do during the winter.
Always shut off the water supply to outdoor faucets before freezing weather hits. Open the faucet afterward to drain any remaining water, ensuring there’s nothing left to freeze.
Risk of Pipe Bursts
When ice forms inside a pipe, it blocks the flow of water and increases pressure between the ice blockage and the closed water supply valve. This pressure can build until the pipe cracks or bursts.
- Ice blockages increase pressure, causing pipes to burst.
- Burst pipes often go unnoticed until thawing.
- Flooding from burst pipes can damage your home.
Pipe bursts are particularly damaging because they often go unnoticed until the ice melts and water begins gushing from the damaged pipe. This can flood your yard, basement, or foundation, depending on where the pipe is located.
A few minutes spent winterizing your outdoor faucets can save you from a costly disaster later.
Wasted Water
If you leave your faucet open slightly to “prevent freezing,” you might actually create a steady drip or flow of water. While this technique is sometimes used indoors for certain plumbing fixtures, it’s ineffective for outdoor faucets and can waste a significant amount of water.
- Open faucets can create a steady drip, wasting water.
- A dripping faucet can waste hundreds of gallons over winter.
- Drips may cause erosion or hazardous ice near your home.
A dripping faucet can waste hundreds of gallons of water over the course of a cold winter, especially if it’s left running for weeks. Even worse, if the dripping water forms a puddle near your foundation, it can lead to soil erosion or create slippery ice patches that are hazardous.
Outdoor Faucet Damage
Outdoor faucets are designed to withstand normal wear and tear, but they aren’t immune to the effects of freezing temperatures. If water is left inside the faucet, it can freeze, expand, and damage internal components such as washers, seals, or the valve itself.
- Freezing water can damage faucet components like seals and valves.
- Frost-proof faucets can still fail if water isn’t drained.
- Ice in supply lines can cause the same issues as standard faucets.
Even frost-proof faucets, which are designed to resist freezing, can fail if the water supply line hasn’t been properly drained. Ice can form in the pipe behind the frost-proof mechanism, leading to the same problems as a standard faucet.
Basement or Foundation Flooding
A burst pipe caused by a frozen faucet isn’t just an outdoor issue. If the damaged pipe is connected to your home’s plumbing system, water can seep into your basement, crawl space, or foundation when the ice thaws. This kind of flooding can cause extensive damage to your home’s structure.
- Burst pipes can cause water to seep into your basement or foundation.
- Flooding weakens foundations, promotes mold, and ruins belongings.
- Repairs from water damage can cost thousands of dollars.
Water can weaken your foundation, promote mold growth, and ruin stored belongings. Foundation repairs caused by water damage often costs thousands of dollars. In worst-case scenarios, flooding can compromise the structural integrity of your home, leading to much higher repair bills.
Shut off the water supply to your outdoor faucets, drain the lines, and insulate the spigot with a faucet cover.
Pests Are Attracted to Water Sources
During winter, many pests like rodents, insects, and even birds search for water sources to survive. An open faucet can create drips or standing water, providing an easy drink for these creatures. Over time, this can attract pests closer to your home, increasing the risk of infestations.
- Open faucets create water sources that attract pests.
- Rodents and insects may follow water into your home.
- Drying faucets removes a key resource pests rely on.
For example, rats and mice might follow the water trail into your crawl space or basement. Insects such as cockroaches or ants might also take advantage of this water source and look for food nearby. By ensuring your outdoor faucets are completely dry and shut off, you remove one of the key resources pests need to thrive.
It’s Easy to Winterize Your Faucets
Winterizing your outdoor faucets is quick, inexpensive, and easy to do. Follow these steps to ensure your faucets are ready for freezing weather:
- Disconnect Hoses: Remove any garden hoses, splitters, or other attachments from the faucet. Leaving hoses attached traps water in the line and increases the risk of freezing.
- Shut Off the Water Supply: Locate the shut-off valve for your outdoor faucets. This valve is usually inside your home, near the point where the pipe exits the wall. Turn it off completely.
- Drain the Faucet: Open the faucet to let any remaining water flow out. Leave it slightly open so no pressure builds if any water remains in the pipe.
- Use Faucet Covers: Install insulated faucet covers which add an extra layer of protection against freezing temperatures.
These simple steps take just a few minutes and can save you from costly repairs and headaches in the future.
Cover Your Outdoor Faucets During Winter
Leaving outside faucets open in winter might seem harmless, but it can lead to frozen pipes, burst plumbing, wasted water, and costly damage to your home. Fortunately, winterizing outdoor faucets is quick and simple, even without a shutoff valve.
Before freezing weather hits, take the time to disconnect hoses, shut off the water supply, drain the faucet, and install a cover. These small steps can save you money and prevent major headaches down the road.
