It is that time of the year, winter, when outdoor faucets and pipes burst. Here in Bellingham, WA it is about 27 degrees this Saturday morning. If you live in a cold climate, and you are skimming this King of the House Home Inspection blog post, the most important tip you can take from it is to go outside and remove any hoses that might still be attached to your hose bibbs.
Unless there are extenuating circumstances such as homeowners leaving hoses on the outside faucets during cold weather, the devices are highly resistant to freezing. Frost-free hose bibbs are of special design: When the water is turned-off, the handle (front or the top of the hose bibb) actually turns-off a valve that is deeper inside the assembly (see the arrow in the photo).
If we assume that the faucet is installed properly, slight slope toward the spigot, so excess water is discharged, any water inside pipes remains protected in a crawl space, a basement, etc. No matter what the status of outdoor faucets, removing hoses is a must. But if you do not know if a hose bibb is frost-free, here is a way to check the design -- first remove any hose, then turn-on the water and shut it off again after a few seconds. After turning-off the valve, if significant water flows out the spigot, then it is probably a frost-free hose bibb (video below) with the excess water draining out after you close the valve.
If, on the other hand, the flow stops almost simultaneously with shutting off the water, then the faucet is not frost-free. Also, if there is a vacuum breaker, a round or octagonal button usually at the top of the faucet, then the device is probably modern and of frost-free design. The vacuum breaker guards against backflow/cross connections and gray water entering the potable system.
If you are lacking frost-free faucets at your home, the best stop-gap to prevent freezing is to wrap them with rags or put Styrofoam covers ever them. Such covers can be found at home stores. Long-term, a much better plan is to upgrade old faucets to devices of modern design -- frost-free and with backflow prevention.
Another popular frost-free faucet, with built-in backflow prevention, is the standalone yard hydrant. These devices self-drain underground and that protects against freezing as long as a homeowner remembers to remove the hose in freezing weather.
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