Maine, New Hampshire, & Massachusetts Homeowners Must Winterize This Item

Even though we are only a few days into Fall 2024, the temperatures have already started to change.

After an abnormally warm last week of summer, the temperatures have started to drop.  Before, too long, we'll see the nights drop below freezing.

Are you really ready for these colder temperatures to set in?  Is your house fully prepared for winter?  Furnace serviced?  House banked?  Oil tank filled?  Wood split and stacked?

What about your faucets?  If you have an older home, are you remembering to leave them on a trickle on those super cold nights?  The last thing you want is to have a pipe freeze up and burst.

What about the faucet for your garden hose?

Most of us remember to take the hose off the faucet and store it in the shed or basement, but we need to remember that your garden hose faucet is even more susceptible to freezing and bursting than the inside faucets.  Since a large part of the pipe and faucet are outside, it makes sense that they would be more prone to freezing than the interior ones.

If possible, your best bet is to turn that faucet off at its source.  Most homes have a master valve in the basement.  If you can’t do that, you need to make sure that the outside faucet is left on just a little.  Sure, it will leave an icy spot under the outside faucet, but that is better than dealing with replacing a burst pipe.

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Forbes also suggests that you may want to purchase a winterizing cover for the faucet.

Spending a little bit of time to properly winterize your home is far better than having to deal with the consequences in the spring.