Steps
- Disconnect and drain garden hoses.
- Close the inside shut-off valve for each outdoor tap if it has one.
- Then open the hose bib outside and let the pipe drain dry.
- Leave it open over winter if the inside valve is closed.
Frost-free bibs
Frost-free hose bibs do not need an inside valve, but the hose must be disconnected.
Irrigation systems
Lawn sprinkler systems should be blown out with compressed air by a qualified person before freezing weather.
In spring
Shut the outside faucet, reopen its indoor valve and watch for drips inside the wall when you first run the hose.
Hidden leaks from last winter
If an outdoor tap froze and split last winter, the leak may only show up when you first use the hose in spring. Water then runs inside the wall instead of out of the spout. The first time you use each outside tap in April, check the basement wall behind it for dampness. Catching it early saves a ceiling and a carpet.
Rather hand it over? Our plumbers handle bathroom plumbing and gas line installation along with everything else on our residential plumbing list.