
Do outdoor faucets require frost protection?
Like it or not, fall is here, and with it, a certain number of precautions to think about in preparation for the cold days ahead. Among these precautions is protecting your outdoor faucets.
The pipes and spigots are particularly vulnerable to damage caused by freezing. However, whether because winter comes early or our lives are too hectic, we often forget to check them and winterize them. The consequences? The water contained in the pipes and spigots can freeze and expand, causing them to burst. Now, if there’s one thing we don’t want, it’s repairing a frozen pipe or dealing with a flood in twenty-below-zero temperatures! Especially since anything that’s subjected to this ordeal can quickly end up damaged, as well.
So should you frost-proof your outdoor faucets?
The answer is obvious!
Winterizing your outdoor faucets
While a frost-proof faucet is a very appropriate solution for winter, don’t underestimate the value of the following good practices when it comes to helping you avoid unpleasant surprises.
First of all, purge the lines. The process couldn’t be easier. Start by closing the drain valve if you have one. Next, turn on the outdoor faucet and let all of the water drain out of the pipes. Last, turn it off and leave it off until the weather warms up again. As for the hoses, put them away in a dry place that’s sheltered from the freezing cold.
Certain materials such as glass wool and polyethylene foam can be used as an affordable means of insulating your pipes. However, you’ll need to check them every so often to make sure everything stays in place.
Frost protection: an indispensable precaution for your outdoor faucets
Most recently constructed homes are equipped with frost-proof outdoor faucets. If you don’t have them, they’re well worth the expense!
These faucets have an internal mechanism that automatically purges the line after each use. This helps keep your pipes safe from frost and damage. If you want to, you can even use your frost-proof outdoor faucet during the cold weather at no risk. However, remember that your garden hoses will still need to be disconnected and put away during the cold season.
For optimum performance, a frost-proof faucet should be connected to a pipe that’s buried between 50 and 60 centimeters (19 to 23 inches) under the ground and it should be gently inclined toward the outside to ensure that the automatic purge system works correctly and to prevent rainwater from seeping in.
If you need help or advice to frost-proof your outdoor faucets or winterize your systems, you’ll be happy to know that the team of experts at Plomberie Roger Chayer Inc. is at your service. Whether you need to insulate your indoor or outdoor pipes or you need any other kind of plumbing work done, they’ll meet—if not exceed—your expectations.