Disconnect the hose outside or your frost-free sillcock can freeze

After a couple weeks with the temperature on the low side of freezing, it’s nice to have a warm day in the weather forecast. If, however, you’ve left a hose attached to your sillcock, the faucet on the outside of your house or business, a warm day could bring an unpleasant surprise.

A portion of the water pipe extending to the faucet is generally to close to the wall to enjoy the full benefits of the heat inside. This means that any water in the pipe can freeze. When water freezes in a pipe, there is a risk it will split the pipe open. You won’t notice when the water is frozen but, on that warm day when things thaw, the water will begin pouring out of the hole in the pipe.

It’s surprising how much water can pour out of a small hole in a pipe. If the leak is far enough inside the wall you may not notice the leak right away. You’ll probably hear water running but won’t track down the culprit until you see water collecting in the basement. The water can also damage the wall and insulation.

Thankfully, new sillcocks, which are called ‘frost-free sillcocks,’ have a rod running back from the outside faucet to a valve so the water is held back from the section closest to the outside wall. This can save homeowners and business owners from worrying about frozen pipes running to outside faucets. But, it’s not a guaranteed solution.

If you leave the hose attached to the faucet outside, water can remain in the section of pipe beyond the sillcock valve. If it freezes the pipe can still burst. In this case, you won’t notice the leak right away on a warm day after a freeze. Instead, you’ll notice the problem the next time you turn the faucet on.

You may notice that you have lower water pressure on the far end of the hose. Or, you may notice water collecting in the basement again.

Whether the leak is from an old-style sillcock or a new frost-free sillcock, the potential damage is significant, particularly if you have a finished basement.

Years ago, before frost-free sillcocks, homeowners would shut the water off to a pipe running to an outside faucet and drain the line. Today, with frost-free sillcocks, that’s not necessary. However, it’s important to remove the hose from the faucet outside so the sillcock can drain.

This message is brought to you by McHenry Water Well & Pump. For more information about McHenry Water Well & Pump, call 815-403-3333 or visit: www.mchenrywellandpump.com.