Water Spigot Tips for your Wichita Home

7/26/2021 (Permalink)

The portion of the pipe that will freeze and bust open is the portion that is not visible from the outside of your home.

If you own a home, it is more than likely that you have at least one outdoor faucet. With outdoor faucets, it’s important to remember to remove your garden hoses at the end of the season, close the inside shut-off valve(s) and drain the faucet fixture before it freezes. Spigots are installed at an angle so that the water drains out after your shut it off. If the spigot was installed incorrectly then you might end up having a big problem on your hands when winter rolls around.

Water expands when it freezes, in fact ice takes up nearly 10% more space than the same amount of liquid water does. In the case of a water pipe, the pipe is already full when water is in a liquid state, so there is no room for expansion if the temperature drops low enough for the water to freeze. Once the water in the pipe freezes the ice must go somewhere and when it does it causes the pipe to burst, usually without your knowledge. The pipe portion of the water spigot is located within the siding and the walls of your home and when the pipe bursts it is not visible from the outside. So, the next time you turn your water spigot on the water pressure might be a little lower and you think nothing of it, when in reality water is pouring from the burst in the pipe and going into your home.

An outdoor water faucet is particularly vulnerable to the cold, so it is extremely important to prep your water faucets for the winter. The heat from your home that is transmitted through the pipes most likely will not be enough to protect your outdoor faucet. Here are some tips to help prevent a watery disaster from striking in the middle of winter.

• Close the shut-off valve for the faucet.

From the inside of your home or building, close the shut-off valve that controls the flow of water to the outdoor faucet(s).

• Disconnect your hoses.

Leaving a frozen, water-filled hose attached to the outdoor faucet is asking for trouble! Disconnect your garden hoses, drain them and hang them up for the winter.

• Drain the faucet.

Open the faucet and let any residual water drain out of the pipe. Draining the outside faucet is critical, because standing water between the inside shut-off valve and the outdoor faucet can freeze and break both the fixture and shut-off valve.

If you are experiencing water damage yourself give us a call at 316-684-6700