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outdoor faucets

Camellia avatar
Beach Fanatic
474 views
Are we really supposed to turn on outdoor faucets (connected to house) and let them drip all night long? Because I am from Minnesota, where, obviously, it's a lot colder and where no one would dream of doing such a thing, how does it make sense here? Most homes here are insulated. What's the dif?

Replies

7
scooterbug44 avatar
SoWal Expert
#2
Yes, just to keep the water flowing enough to keep the usually uninsulated outdoor shower lines/hose bibbs from freezing.

For indoor faucets (in an insulated and inhabited house where you are also using the water) Mama Scooterbug claims opening the cupboard doors is a much more effective way to keep things from freezing.
Minnie avatar
Beach Fanatic
#3
Water lines to outdoor faucets in areas where cold temps are normal are better isolated and also have cut offs to the line so you can drain it before it gets cold.

Even here in Memphis we have a seperate cut off for our outside lines.

Also you can purchase one of these.



Disconnect your garden hose from the hose faucet. Hoses attached will almost always freeze and ice will back up into the faucet into the house.

Edited

Beach Runner avatar
beats on hood
#4
Minnie, we don't have these gadgets in the ATL and south. Sister's outdoor shower at her main home in Seagrove blew out. I called our rental management company to check on her and our properties. Assuming Big D feels like it, we plan to drive down and check on things.

As a tangent, did you attend any of the Elvis BD celebration events in Memphis? I was too young to be a fan of his, but now that I see the photos, he was absolutely gorgeous. No wonder that women went wild over him!
Lynnie avatar
SoWal Insider
#5
Are the outdoor showers an issue if no water has run through them since Oct.?

I've decided to not do laundry here until we are above freezing because I haven't run a load since well before we froze. No water has been through those pipes. And, I had an old cast iron pipe crack last Jan. - no funn in these older homes!!!
Beauty hunter avatar
Beach Fanatic
#6
I knew I needed to get on sowal last night since I never check the weather status, but this week with the kids getting back in school whipped my butt, so I fell asleep. My pipes are frozen. I was so looking forward to a little relaxation- ice dastard! I'm going to report the ice monster to Geo.
seagrovegirl avatar
Beach Fanatic
#7
I knew I needed to get on sowal last night since I never check the weather status, but this week with the kids getting back in school whipped my butt, so I fell asleep. My pipes are frozen. I was so looking forward to a little relaxation- ice dastard! I'm going to report the ice monster to Geo.

Keep an eye on your frozen pipes. When they start to thaw, the water expands and the pipes will burst.
Minnie avatar
Beach Fanatic
#8
Are the outdoor showers an issue if no water has run through them since Oct.?

I've decided to not do laundry here until we are above freezing because I haven't run a load since well before we froze. No water has been through those pipes. And, I had an old cast iron pipe crack last Jan. - no funn in these older homes!!!

Even if you don't do laundry, the water is still in the pipes unless you turned them off and drained them.

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