How to Winterize a Hose Bibb

Winter is approaching and the temperatures are dropping quickly. When this time of year comes, frozen pipes are a major concern in home safety. Winterizing your hose bibs is one way to prevent pipes that lead from outside and into the home do not freeze, crack, and leave you with a messy water leak come spring.

To properly winterize a hose bibb, you’ll want to:

• Remove the hose itself outside the home

• Next, head in to your basement and find where the pipe that connects to your hose leads. There should be a valve that allows water to run through it— turn it off to cut off that water access.

• Back outside, turn on the faucet and let any remaining water inside the pipe drain out completely.

• Return once more to your basement and find that connecting pipe. There will be a valve that you’ll need to loosen with pliers and release any water on the inside (make sure you have a bucket with you to catch the water that drains!)

• To finish up, return to the outside of your home and turn the faucet all the way off and complete the job with a hose bib cover that can be purchased at your local hardware or home improvement store to seal it off for the cold months to come.