How to Prevent a Hose Bib From Freezing

The hose bib is the faucet located on the outside of your house which is where the hose is fitted. When the weather is very cold the water can freeze inside the tap and pipes which will cause damage to the pipes and could cause them to burst.

You probably won't need to use the hose during the winter season anyway, and so you can do several things to prevent the hose bib from freezing.

Step 1 - Finding the Cut Off Valve

The first step will be to find the cut off valve in your home. Somewhere there should be another valve inside your house which will cut off the water supply to your house. Spend time looking for this as it might be quite difficult to find. Simply follow the pipes from the tap outside so that you can find the valve.

Step 2 - Turning Off the Valve

Now you need to turn the cut off valve off to prevent the water from going outside. Make sure that it's tightened and completely shut off otherwise water will still enter the external hose bib.

Step 3 - Remove the Hose

Next you should remove the hose from the spigot and make sure that it is empty of water. This can be time consuming but can be accomplished by tipping the water out of small sections of the pipe at a time. Chase the water along until you get it all out of the pipe. Then you should store the hose either inside your house or in a garden shed.

Step 4 - Draining the Hose Bib

Although you have shut off the valve inside your house there will be some water already in the pipes. It's important to get rid of all of this water so that there is no chance of it freezing and causing any damage. To do this start by turning the tap on and letting the water run out. This should come out fairly easily and you can just let it drip down the drain.

Once you have done this you should go back inside and take a look at the shut off valve again. Most have bleeding valves which can be used to remove even more of the water. Remove the small bleeding cap and place a small bowl under it. This will ensure that any water will come out.

Step 5 - Finishing Touches

When stopping your hose bib from freezing you should leave your tap open and also put the bung back in the bleeding valve. This will ensure that if for some reason any water does enter the faucet that it will run out rather than freezing.

These few simple steps will make it pretty easy to stop your hose bib from freezing and look after it. As long as you spend time caring for it properly you should be able to prevent the need for repair work when summer comes around again. The only thing you will need to do when you want to use the hose in the summer is to switch on the shut off valve and then let the water run through.