Recently a customer called to report that the water pressure to his hose was very weak when he turned on the hose bib installed on his new addition. The first thing I asked him was if he had left his water hose connected to the faucet over the winter. He said that he had and I told him I suspected that had caused water to remain in the pipe and when that water froze and expanded over the winter it caused the pipe to rupture. I told him I would go by with the plumber to take a look. Sure enough when we got there the water line had split and water was pouring out of the pipe under his house causing low pressure at the hose.
This diagram demonstrates how it is supposed to work. If a homeowner leaves a hose or timer attached to the hose bib over the winter it prevents the water from draining out of the pipe and when that water freezes it causes the pipe to split. Since the outside faucet is normally not used over the winter it isn’t until Spring when the bib is turned on that there will likely be a leak under the house. Fortunately this homeowner recognized an issue immediately before any damage was done. If the leak is not detected, the amount of water pouring out under the house, can cause moisture problems and high water bills.
Tips To Remember:
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- Make it a habit to remove any hose, timer or attachment in the Fall
- Always install a frost proof hose bib
- Remember if you forgot to remove the hose that in Spring you need to check for leaks
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Image via InterNACHI
