You probably don’t give much thought to a frozen outdoor faucet this time of year. It can happen overnight, result in rupture pipes, and leave you waking up to a flooded house.
Do you know what to do if your outside water spigot is frozen?
Based on our 85 combined years of experience restoring flooded homes in the Chicago area, we put together this guide.
Let’s get started.
How to Thaw a Frozen Outdoor Faucet: 4 Simple Steps
A frozen outside water spigot can cause serious water damage inside your home. When a faucet freezes, it creates tremendous pressure that can damage spigot components and rupture pipes.
Pipes behind the outdoor spigot are part of the network that supplies the rest of the house. That connection can lead to burst frozen pipes inside walls and flooding throughout the basement and in your home.
Fortunately, you can rescue an outdoor faucet from a winter or spring freeze with these four simple steps.
1. Open the Faucet
Open the faucet handle all the way. This unseats the interior stem washer from the valve seal so that water can begin to flow once you’ve thawed the frozen spigot.
2. Wrap With Rags
Wrap old rags or towels around the handle, spindle and supply pipe. Try to make the wrap as snug as possible, but leave room around the faucet opening so that thawed water can flow freely.
3. Soak With Hot Water
Carefully pour hot water over the wrapped spigot. Slowly saturate the material, stop, and check for trickles from the faucet. It may take several tries before the spigot begins to thaw.
4. Confirm Water Flow
Once you have a steady stream of water, let it flow for several minutes. Turn the faucet off briefly, and then turn it on again. Water moving through the spigot should thaw any frozen sections of pipe behind the faucet.
You can also fix a frozen outdoor faucet by thawing it with a hair dryer or wrapping it with heat tape. Both methods require an electrical plug-in, so be careful. If you can’t use either device without multiple extension cords, take the safer route by using hot water and towels.
Don’t ever try to thaw a frozen outdoor spigot with a blow torch or any type of open flame. You can damage your home’s exterior, cause serious personal injury or even start a house fire.
How to Prevent a Frozen Outdoor Faucet
During our cold Chicago winters, we all take precautions to keep pipes from freezing in our homes and businesses. During the spring, our best late-freeze prevention strategies start with the weather forecast.
When the meteorologist predicts a temperature plunge, keep your outdoor faucets safe with these simple tips.
- Disconnect and drain hoses, and move them to inside storage.
- Close shut-off valves for outdoor faucets, and then drain each one.
- Wrap spigots with insulating tubing, or protect them with waterproof faucet covers.
Have Water Damage Due to a Leaking Outdoor Faucet in Chicago, IL or Suburbs? We Can Help
If a winter or spring freeze catches you off guard, you can rely on ServiceMaster Restoration by Zaba.
We take care of burst pipes in Chicago homes and businesses year-round with professional flood and water damage restoration services, which means we tackle leaking outdoor faucets and the damage they cause.
Just give us a call for 24/7 water damage help: 773-647-1985
