Preventing your outside tap from freezing in very cold weather

Tis the season for cosy nights in and hot chocolate by the fire, but winter is also known for its plummeting temperatures and freezing cold weather conditions, a fact that can wreak havoc with your home’s plumbing.

Your outdoor tap is particularly vulnerable to the winter weather, with freezing faucets unsuspectingly causing serious damage to your wider plumbing system. A frozen outdoor tap can cause the water in your pipes to turn to ice and burst, leading to property damage and home flooding.

Thankfully, there are a number of steps you can take to prevent your outside tap from freezing in very cold weather.

Disconnect to protect

Acting fast and disconnecting your hose pipe is the easiest way to minimise the risk of freezing and flooding over winter. You can also turn off your faucet valves for the outside tap as the weather turns colder to protect overexposed pipes from the harsher winter weather.

Drain the excess

Another easy way to minimise the risk of freezing and subsequent burst pipes is by draining your faucet. After you’ve removed the hose and shut off the supply, simply open the faucet to let any excess water out and the air in. If water does remain, the presence of air will stop it from expanding and causing damage.

Invest in external lagging

External lagging is a great investment for those looking to prevent their outside tap from freezing during the cooler months. Lagging is fitted around exposed pipes to lower the risk of damage. External lagging is an extremely effective way to prevent burst pipes and flooding. The lagging itself preserves heat to enhance insulation and prevent freezing.

Add an extra layer of protection by using an outdoor cover to house the faucet, and minimise exposure to damaging ice and frost as a result.

Be picky about your faucet

If you’re looking to install an outside tap or upgrade your existing faucet, going frost-free could provide the answer to all your problems, not just this winter but every winter after.

Frost-free faucets are exactly that. This ingeniously simple design uses a built-in heating element to prevent the water in the pipes freezing. Due to these benefits, frost-free taps are more costly than standard outside taps, but they’ve been proven to save plenty of time and money in the long run.

Need help winterproofing your plumbing system or have a plumbing emergency that you need to take care of? Find a local plumber today!