While Portland’s winters are fairly mild, frozen pipes can still happen. It only takes one unexpected cold snap to cause burst pipes and a major plumbing disaster.
Fortunately, there’s a simple solution to this problem. By learning how to winterize outdoor faucets, you can prevent thousands of dollars in water damage from happening.
Uncertain about how to prepare your plumbing system for winter? Give Central Air Heating, Cooling & Plumbing a call at 971-435-7303 for professional help.
Why a Small Freeze Can Cause a Big Problem
Even though you can’t see it, there’s still water left inside of pipes, faucets, and spigots when you aren’t using them. During freezing nights and cold snaps, the water temperature can rapidly fall.
When water freezes, the molecules form a rigid, open hexagonal crystalline structure. This structure takes up more space, which is why water expands when it freezes.
Unfortunately, the added expansion can cause cracks inside your pipes and faucets. Because these pipes may be located inside the walls of your home, you might not notice them until you turn the water back on in the spring. Ultimately, this results in a hidden flood and significant water damage.
Your Simple 4-Step Guide to Winterizing Faucets
For the best burst pipe prevention in Portland, it’s essential to winterize outdoor faucets before cold weather arrives. By using the following winter plumbing checklist, you can make sure your Pacific Northwest home is ready for winter.
Step 1: Disconnect All Garden Hoses
This is the most critical step in the entire process of hose bib winterization. The leading cause of burst faucets is water trapped in hoses. By disconnecting your garden hose, you can completely prevent this issue.
Step 2: Locate and Turn Off the Interior Shut-Off Valve
To keep water from flowing through your pipes and leading to burst pipes, you need to find your interior shut-off valves and switch them off. Interior shut-off valves are often located in basements, crawlspaces, and in mechanical rooms. These valves turn off the water supply to specific pipes, such as outdoor spigots.
Depending on the valve type, you may see a ball valve or a gate valve. Ball valves are off when the handle is perpendicular to the pipe. With gate valves, you have to turn the handle clockwise until the water is shut off.
Step 3: Drain the Faucet
Once you’ve turned off the inside valve, you should go outside and open the spigot. This allows all of the trapped water to drain out of the pipe. To be sure the pipe is completely empty, leave the spigot open until water stops flowing.
Step 4: Insulate with an Outdoor Faucet Cover
Finally, you should use an outdoor spigot cover to stop the spigot from freezing. These covers are incredibly inexpensive. Once the cover is placed over the spigot, it provides an added layer of protection from cold winds and helps to prevent frozen pipes.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
If you are unsure about how to protect your plumbing system, reach out to a plumber near you. An experienced plumber can troubleshoot common issues and answer your most pressing questions.
To help with your fall maintenance preparations, we’ve compiled some of the most common winterization issues in the Willamette Valley.
“I Can’t Find My Shut-Off Valve.”
Unfortunately, some older homes are not designed with shut-off valves. This is a major problem if a disaster happens because shut-off valves allow you to stop the flow of water so that you can remedy the underlying issue. In this instance, you should schedule an appointment with our experienced plumbing team and get a shut-off valve installed.
“What is a Frost-Proof Faucet?”
A frost-proof faucet is also known as a frost-proof sillcock. This faucet is specially designed with a long stem, so the shut-off valve is deep inside the heated walls of your home. Because of this, water can easily drain out of the faucet when you shut it off, so there’s nothing left to freeze.
Frost-proof faucets are a great prevention measure. However, water can still remain in hoses and cause issues. Because of this, we highly recommend disconnecting hoses as a part of your winterization measures.
The Biggest Mistake Portland Homeowners Make
When it comes to winterization, one of the biggest mistakes we see is installing a faucet cover without disconnecting the hose or draining the line. While the addition of an insulation cover might make you feel better, it won’t protect against the pipe bursting. The best way to avoid burst pipes is by draining any water inside them that could potentially freeze.
Protect Your Home From Unpredictable Portland Winters
While the Pacific Northwest is known for having relatively mild winters, temperatures can still dip below freezing. Snow flurries and cold snaps can happen at any time. To prevent burst pipes and thousands of dollars in water damage, it is essential to winterize outdoor faucets before the weather turns cold.
At Central Air Heating, Cooling & Plumbing, we have years of experience helping local families with emergency plumbing problems. Whether you want to upgrade to frost-proof faucets or need a shut-off valve installed, our experienced plumbers are here to help.
Are you struggling to prepare your home for winter? Contact Central Air Heating, Cooling & Plumbing today to learn more about our winterization services.
