How to Winterize Outdoor Faucets (Hose Bibs)

The pipe feeding an outdoor faucet (also called a hose bib or sillcock) runs through the exterior wall of your house. If water is left in that pipe over the winter, it can freeze and split the pipe inside the wall or basement ceiling, and you often won't find out until you turn the tap on in spring and water pours into the basement. In most of Ontario, winterize outdoor faucets before the first hard frost, usually between late October and mid-November.

A standard hose bib has its valve right at the outside wall, so it needs a separate shut-off valve inside the house that you close every fall. A frost-free sillcock has a long body that places the valve several inches inside the heated house; it drains itself when you close it, but only if the hose is disconnected and the faucet was installed sloping slightly downward toward the outside. If you are not sure which type you have, look in the basement ceiling directly behind the outdoor tap for a separate shut-off valve on the pipe feeding it.

A bucket, a towel, a flashlight, and pliers or a small wrench for a stiff bleeder cap. An insulated foam faucet cover (CAD $5–$10) adds protection on the outside. No replacement parts are usually needed.

1. Disconnect every garden hose, drain it and store it. A hose left attached traps water in the faucet, even in a frost-free model.
2. Find the indoor shut-off valve for each outdoor faucet, usually in the basement ceiling on the pipe that runs to the exterior wall behind the tap.
3. Close the indoor valve by turning it clockwise until it is snug.
4. Go outside and open the outdoor faucet fully. Water will run for a few seconds and then stop.
5. Back inside, put a bucket under the indoor valve and unscrew the small bleeder cap on the side of the valve, if it has one, to drain the water trapped between the valve and the wall. Screw the cap back on once it stops dripping.
6. Leave the outdoor faucet open for the winter so any remaining water has room to expand.
7. Fit an insulated cover over the outdoor faucet.
8. For a frost-free sillcock with no indoor valve, disconnect the hose, open the faucet to let it drain, close it again and add a cover.

Once overnight frost is over, close the outdoor faucet, close the bleeder cap, and slowly open the indoor valve. Then open the outdoor faucet and have someone watch the basement ceiling and the wall behind the tap for drips. A pipe that split over the winter often only shows up at this point, so check again after the first few uses.

Call a plumber if there is no indoor shut-off valve for a standard hose bib (adding one is usually a quick job), if the indoor valve won't close fully or leaks, or if you find a leak in spring. A plumber can also replace an old hose bib with a frost-free sillcock. Underground lawn irrigation systems need to be blown out with compressed air by an irrigation contractor before freeze-up.