What does leaving a garden hose on over winter cost?
Updated August 2026
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A hose left screwed on through a hard freeze can cost $1,000–8,000 in water damage, against a fall habit that takes two minutes and costs nothing. The hose traps water in the spigot and the short run of pipe behind it, and when that water freezes it expands and splits the pipe inside the wall. The cruel part is the timing: the crack stays sealed by ice all winter and only reveals itself in spring, when you or the thaw turn the water back on and it pours into the wall cavity or down into the basement. Disconnecting and draining the hose before the first hard freeze prevents the whole thing. A worn spigot that needs replacing is $15–40 in parts or $150–300 installed, still far below the flood.
The escalation ladder
Every row below is the same leak, left a little longer. The top is a cheap warning; the bottom is a claim.
| What happens | Typical bill | How fast |
|---|---|---|
| You unscrew and drain the hose each fall | $0, two minutes | Every fall |
| You add insulated faucet covers as a backup | $2–8 each | Every fall |
| A worn spigot gets swapped for a frost-free one, DIY | $15–40 in parts | One afternoon |
| A plumber installs a frost-free sillcock | $150–300 installed | One visit |
| The trapped water splits the pipe behind the wall | $1,000–3,000 for pipe and drywall repair | Found next thaw |
| The burst floods a finished room before you notice | $3,000–8,000+ in water damage and mold | Hours once it thaws |
Warning signs
The trouble with this one is that the warning and the damage often arrive together in spring. The thing to notice in fall is simple: a hose still attached to the spigot as freezing weather sets in. Come spring, the tells are low or no water from that outdoor faucet, a hiss or drip inside the wall when you open it, water bubbling up in the basement or crawl space, or a damp spot on the wall or ceiling under the spigot. If the outdoor faucet runs fine but water appears somewhere behind it, shut the water off and stop; the pipe has already split and every minute of flow is adding to the bill.
The prevention math
Prevention here is free and takes about two minutes each fall: unscrew every hose, drain it, and store it. For a standard spigot, close the interior shutoff valve on that line and open the outdoor faucet to let the last water drain out; frost-free sillcocks drain on their own only if the hose is off, which is the whole reason a connected hose defeats them. Add $2–8 foam faucet covers as cheap insurance on exposed spigots. A frost-free replacement is $15–40 in parts or $150–300 installed. Set the reminder for before the first hard freeze; the schedule is in how often to winterize outdoor faucets, and the full routine is on the hose bib maintenance checklist.
Every line in that table starts with a skipped 10-minute task. OnOtto keeps the 10-minute version on your calendar so the $2,000 version never happens.
Get the nudge before the billFrequently asked questions
Why does leaving a hose on cause a pipe to burst?
The hose blocks the spigot from draining, so water stays trapped in the faucet body and the pipe just inside the wall. When it freezes it expands with enough force to split copper or crack the valve, and it does this out of sight. Even a frost-free sillcock, which is designed to shut off water back inside the heated wall, cannot drain with a hose attached, so the connected hose is exactly what turns a freeze-proof faucet back into a vulnerable one.
Do frost-free hose bibs still need the hose disconnected?
Yes, absolutely. A frost-free sillcock keeps its shutoff valve deep inside the warm wall and slopes so the outside stem drains after each use, but it can only drain if the outlet is open to air. A hose left attached, especially with a nozzle or a kink holding water, blocks that drain and lets ice form in the stem. So the golden rule holds for every outdoor faucet: hose off before winter. See what a hose bib is for how the frost-free design works.
When should I disconnect my outdoor hoses?
Before the first hard freeze of the season, roughly when overnight lows start dipping toward the low 20s Fahrenheit. In most of the country that is mid to late fall, but it is fine to do it early; there is no downside to an unhooked hose sitting in the garage. Pair it with draining the line and closing any interior shutoff. The winterizing schedule lays out the timing by climate.
How do I tell if my hose bib pipe already burst?
Turn the outdoor faucet on in spring and watch and listen. Weak flow, no flow, or the sound of water running when little comes out of the spout all suggest a split behind it, as does a wet or stained wall, floor, or ceiling near the spigot when the water is on. Shut off the supply and inspect before you keep using it. If it drips even when closed, start with why a hose bib leaks to sort a bad washer from a freeze crack.