When Should You Shut Off Outdoor Faucets for Winter?

Shut off your outdoor faucets before the first freeze. In the St. Louis area, the first night at 32°F comes around October 31 on average, and it has come as early as late September. So mid to late October is the time. Pull off the hose, shut the inside valve, and open the outside faucet so it can drain.

If you wait too long, the water left in the pipe can freeze, swell and split the pipe. The worst part is that the split is often inside your wall, so you don't see it until spring. If that has already happened, our leak detection and pipe repair service can find the leak and fix it.

At S&S Plumbing Systems in Saint Charles, Jeremy Sullentrup and his team fix pipes across St. Charles County and St. Louis. A frozen outdoor faucet is one of the easiest plumbing problems to stop ahead of time, and one of the hardest to spot later.

When is the first freeze in the St. Louis area?

The first freeze in St. Louis comes around October 31 on average. That is from the National Weather Service St. Louis freeze records, which go back to 1874.

Those numbers are taken at the airport. Homes out in St. Charles County, away from the city's extra heat, can freeze a little sooner. So don't plan on Halloween. Plan on a few weeks before it.

How do you shut off an outdoor faucet for winter?

You shut off an outdoor faucet in 4 short steps. The American Red Cross frozen pipe guide lists the same steps.

1. Take off the hose. Drain it and store it in the garage or shed.
2. Find the inside shutoff valve. It is most often in the basement, on the pipe that runs to the outside wall. Turn it off.
3. Open the outside faucet. Let the water run out. This empties the pipe between the valve and the faucet.
4. Leave the outside faucet open. If a little water is still in there, it has room to grow when it freezes, so the pipe is less likely to break.

Some homes don't have an inside valve for each outdoor faucet. If you can't find one, that is worth a quick call before it gets cold.

Do frost-free outdoor faucets need to be shut off?

A frost-free faucet still needs the hose taken off, even if you skip the inside valve. A frost-free faucet has its real shutoff deep inside the wall, where it's warm. When you turn it off, the water in the long tube drains out the front.

But a hose blocks that drain. Woodford, a faucet maker, explains that a hose left on keeps water trapped in the tube. That water freezes, and the tube can burst inside the wall.

So the rule is the same for every outdoor faucet: no hose on it in winter.

How can you tell if an outdoor faucet pipe froze and split?

You usually find out the first time you use the faucet in spring. The pipe split back in winter, but no water could flow while it was shut off.

Watch for these signs when you turn it on:

• Water drips or sprays inside the basement or wall, near where the pipe goes out.
• A wet spot shows up on the ceiling or drywall below or next to the faucet.
• Very little water comes out of the faucet, even though it is all the way open.
• Your water bill jumps and you can't tell why.

If you see any of these, turn the faucet back off and shut the inside valve. Then call a plumber. A hidden split can soak a wall or finished basement fast. If water is running and you can't stop it, that is an emergency plumbing call.

What else should you do before a hard freeze?

Outdoor faucets are the big one, but the Red Cross also points to a few other spots that freeze:

• Pipes in the garage. Keep the garage door closed when it's cold.
• Pipes on outside walls. Open the sink cabinet doors so warm air can reach them.
• Very cold nights. Let a faucet on an outside wall drip a little cold water.
• Going out of town. Leave the heat on, set no lower than 55°F.
• Sprinkler lines. Drain them the way your installer says to.

FAQ

Is it too late to shut off my outdoor faucet if it already froze once? No. Shut it off and drain it now. Then watch closely the first time you use it in spring, since that is when a split shows up.

Can I just leave the hose on if the faucet is frost-free? No. A hose left on keeps water in the faucet tube, and that water can freeze and burst the tube inside your wall.

Do I need to shut off the inside valve if I have a frost-free faucet? It is not always needed if the hose is off and the faucet was put in right. Shutting the valve too is extra safe and costs you nothing.

When should I turn my outdoor faucet back on? Wait until the hard freezes are done. The same NWS records put the average last freeze in St. Louis around April 5.

Who should I call if water leaks inside when I turn it on? Call a licensed plumber. A split pipe inside the wall needs to be found and fixed before it soaks the drywall or floor.

Need help with a frozen or split pipe?

If you find a leak by an outdoor faucet, or you can't find the inside shutoff valve, call S&S Plumbing Systems at (636) 696-6661. Jeremy and the team can track down the problem and fix it. Learn more about our leak detection and pipe repair work, or request service online.