This spring, you might find yourself turning on your outside faucets or sprinklers to find little to no water coming out of the spigot – only to find a jet of water punching through your drywall inside. Often, a frozen outside faucet may go unnoticed if the outside spigot isn’t turned on. That is, until you go out to water your lawn when the temperatures pick back up in March. Now you have 50 psi of city (or well) water pressure hydrating your home.
Causes Of Freezing Spigots
If a hose line was not properly drained for the winter, there will still be residual water that can easily freeze within the stem of the faucet itself.
A frost-proof (or freeze proof) faucet was not installed correctly or is angled in such a way that water is sitting at the back of the stem all winter.
Exposure to extreme temperature changes. The weather is fickle, and pipes that are underground might get a burst of warmth on an abnormally sunny early spring day, and then go back to freezing temperatures the next. This can cause undue stress on the pipes leading to cracks
How To Fix Frozen Lines
A lot of people will not notice that their lines have frozen until that first time the faucet is used for the spring. Once the water is turned on, there is an active flow going past that burst section of line and water will flow through the path of least resistance. So, if you find yourself springing a Springtime spout from a sprung spigot, our advice is to:
Turn off the source of water, shut off valves should be easy to find and well marked.
Try to soak up as much water as possible from the affected materials to prevent damage and reduce dry times.
Give us a call at 516-333-5333!
The pros at Total Restoration can mitigate any water issues you may have and restore your home to its former glory. Not to mention that we will work with your insurance provider so you don’t have to!
