OT: Don't let your pipes freeze!
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Anonymous
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I have a main water shut off, but didn't see anything just for the two outside faucets!
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Anonymous
Mine doesn't have them either. In fact, one of them can only be turned off from the street, the main house shutoff doesn't affect it. Whoever plumbed our house was lacking some basic skills. |
Anonymous
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Capital Weather Gang just did a post about this:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2014/01/05/with-deep-freeze-coming-now-is-the-time-to-protect-against-frozen-pipes/ |
Anonymous
| Thanks, 17:31. Was just about to post that. That should cover it at a basic level. |
Anonymous
| We don't have separate shutoff valves for the outside faucets, just the main valve for the whole house. Can we leave the outside faucets dripping a bit to prevent freezing or is that a bad idea? |
Anonymous
Did you look in your basement where the wall meets the foundation? You should have a shut off valve there where the pipe leads outside. |
Anonymous
The only shutoff valve on our lower level (walkout, not full basement) is the main. The outside hose bibs are at the front and back of the garage and there are no shutoffs there. Should we leave them dripping or try to get some covers? |
Anonymous
| We just had our outside and inside lines split this summer--house is 70 years old. I don't think it's uncommon to have just one line for the whole house down here. |
Anonymous
| Next time you buy a house, make sure to ask the inspector where the shut-off valves for the outside water are. Our front one is way back in the cabinet under the kitchen sink; our back one is high up on the ceiling in the furnace room. We always turn off the outside water in November, thanks to tips from my relative, the plumber. |
Anonymous
| We didn't have shutoffs to our outside faucets, either, when we bought. It's not unheard of. We were able to have a plumber install one for one spigot, but the other couldn't be done without tearing out a lot. We've covered it with a thinsulate protector and are probably going to wrap it again tomorrow night. The suggestion to leave doors open is good. Thanks! |
Anonymous
| Thanks for the reminder. Just shut off both outside faucets and drained them. |
Anonymous
I don't know whether dripping or covers would be better. Obviously you can't do both. I guess I'd look for covers, and ask the guys at the hardware store what they think. But if you don't find covers or don't get around to it, letting them drip is better than nothing. |
Anonymous
| If you have exposed pipes, insulate them with the foam long tubes or get pipe wrap. We have an unfinished basement and even though it is heated, it helped keep the pipes warmer to carry the hot water. |
Anonymous
| We don't have a separate shut off. I just wrapped both spigots with big fleece blankets and secured with tape. Basement is warm so if the pipes indoors are ok. Hope it works |
Anonymous
| Is it enough to just leave a faucet on with a slow drip? |