I learned about frozen pipes the expensive way. One March, I turned on the outdoor faucet for the first time since fall, and nothing came out. Then the pipe in the basement wall split, and I spent a weekend with a plumber and a hole in my drywall. The whole thing was preventable, and it came down to one afternoon of work the previous fall.

Water freezes, expands, and bursts pipes. An outdoor faucet that still has water in it is a pipe waiting to break.

Winterize in four steps

1. Shut off the water to the faucet. There is usually a valve inside the house on the line that feeds it. Close it.
2. Open the outdoor faucet to drain the water left in the pipe.
3. Disconnect garden hoses. A hose full of frozen water can freeze back into the faucet and split it.
4. Insulate the faucet. Put on a foam faucet cover, or wrap it with old towels and a plastic bag. Every little bit helps.

If you have a frost-free faucet

Frost-free faucets are longer and slope so water drains out by itself. You still need to disconnect the hose and open the valve to let it drain, but you can usually skip the inside shutoff. Check which kind you have before doing anything.

My mistake

I skipped step one. I thought just disconnecting the hose and covering the faucet would be enough. The shutoff valve inside is the most important step, because that is what stops the pipe behind the wall from freezing. The cover on the outside only protects the faucet itself.

Signs of a problem

If you open the faucet in spring and nothing comes out, or the water comes out slowly, you may have a frozen or split pipe. Do not keep turning the valve. Call a plumber, because the split may be hidden behind the wall.

An hour of fall work saved me a weekend and a drywall patch. I winterize every faucet now, no exceptions.