Winterize Outdoor Faucets in Hamden Before the First Frost

Why Older Hamden Houses Get Caught

Plenty of older homes in Spring Glen, Whitneyville and Hamden Plains still have the original style of hose faucet, where water sits right up to the handle on the outside wall. When that water freezes it can split the pipe inside the rim joist or basement ceiling, and nobody notices until April. The first time the hose goes on in spring, water runs down the inside of the foundation wall.

Five Things to Do This Week

• Pull every hose. Disconnect, drain and coil them in the garage or basement. A hose left attached traps water in the faucet, even a frost-free one.
• Close the inside shutoff. Most outdoor faucets have a small valve on the pipe in the basement or crawlspace, right behind the wall where the faucet comes through. Turn it clockwise until it stops.
• Open the outdoor faucet and let it drain. Leave it open all winter so any water left in the line has room to expand.
• Open the little drain cap on the inside valve. Many shutoffs have a small brass cap on the side. Put a bucket under it, loosen it, and let the last bit of water out, then snug it back down.
• Cover the faucet. A foam faucet cover from the hardware store adds cheap insurance for faucets on the north side of the house.

Signs You Need a Plumber

• The inside shutoff won't close or drips at the stem. An old gate valve that won't seal leaves the faucet full of water all winter.
• There's no inside shutoff at all. A plumber can add one so the line can be drained every fall.
• Water shows up inside when the faucet runs. A wet basement wall or ceiling under the faucet means the pipe already split, often from a past winter.
• You have an irrigation system. Blowing out the lines takes a compressor and the right pressure, and the backflow preventer outside needs to be drained. Have a pro handle both.
• The faucet drips with the handle shut. A worn washer or cracked stem only gets worse once the line freezes, so get it fixed while the weather is mild.

If a hose faucet is leaking or you can't find the shutoff, call us or use the form on this page and we'll get a licensed plumber out to you in Hamden or North Haven. For a split pipe that's already spraying, see our burst pipe repair page, and for irrigation backflow devices, our backflow testing page. Getting ready for the deep cold after this? Our frozen pipes guide covers the pipes inside the house.

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