How often should you winterize outdoor faucets?
Updated July 2026
Winterize every outdoor faucet once a year, each fall, before the first hard freeze arrives. The core steps are simple: disconnect every hose, shut the interior valve that feeds the bib if you have one, and drain the spigot. The trap that catches people is the frost-free sillcock, which still bursts if a hose is left attached, because the trapped water freezes back inside the wall. A split supply pipe can flood a room for $500 to 4,000 when it thaws.
What changes the interval
| Your situation | Interval | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Standard hose bib | Every fall | Shut the interior stop valve and drain the spigot |
| Frost-free sillcock | Every fall | Still bursts if a hose is left on to trap water inside |
| Hose left connected into winter | Fix today | Trapped water freezes into the wall and splits the pipe |
| No interior shutoff for the bib | Add a foam cover | A $5–15 insulated cover buys margin in a mild climate |
| Irrigation or a long buried line | Blow it out | Standing water cracks valves and buried fittings |
The cost of skipping it
What skipping it costs: a burst outdoor supply line rarely leaks outside; it splits inside the wall where the pipe froze, so the flooding lands in a finished room or basement on the first warm day. Damage typically runs $500 to 4,000 once you factor drywall, insulation, and flooring, and worse if it runs unnoticed while you are away. The prevention is free: disconnect the hose. A frost-free cover is $5 to 15, and see the full cost of leaving a hose on.
How to do it (15 minutes · DIY, no tools)
- Disconnect and drain every garden hose, then coil and store them so they do not crack in the cold.
- If an interior shutoff valve feeds the outdoor bib, close it (often on the inside of the rim joist or basement wall).
- Open the outdoor faucet fully and let it drain; on a valve with a small bleeder cap, open that to empty the trapped section.
- Leave the outdoor faucet in the open position through winter so any water left has room to expand.
- Slip an insulated foam faucet cover over each bib as a cheap second line of defense.
- For irrigation systems, shut the supply and blow the lines out with compressed air or have a pro do it.
Knowing the interval is the easy half. OnOtto reminds you at the right interval, and it won't let you snooze it into next year. Tasks persist until they're done, and completing outdoor faucet winterizing schedules the next one automatically.
Put this on autopilot, free for 30 daysFrequently asked questions
Do I need to winterize a frost-free faucet?
Yes. Frost-free sillcocks shut the water off deep inside the heated wall, so the exposed section drains on its own, but only if nothing traps water in it. Leave a hose attached and the water cannot drain back, so it freezes right at the valve seat inside the wall and splits the pipe. The one non-negotiable step for a frost-free bib is disconnecting the hose every fall; skip it and the frost-free feature does nothing for you.
At what temperature do outdoor pipes freeze and burst?
Water starts freezing at 32°F, but pipes usually need a sustained hard freeze, generally around 20°F or below for several hours, before the ice expands enough to split the metal or plastic. Wind and an exposed, uninsulated run drop the threshold. That is why the rule is to winterize before the first hard freeze, not the first frost: you want the hose off and the bib drained before that first serious cold snap, not scrambling during it.
When can I turn my outdoor faucets back on in spring?
Reconnect once the overnight lows are reliably above freezing for your area, typically after the last hard frost date. Reopen the interior shutoff slowly and walk the line: check the bib and the pipe inside the wall for drips, because a crack from winter often only reveals itself when pressure returns. If water sprays or the flow is weak, shut it off and inspect before it floods. Remove the foam covers once freezing nights are done.