Maine & Massachusetts Homeowners Must Winterize This Item

So far, despite the warnings of many meteorologists about how awful this winter was going to be, it has been really mild.  Sure, we have had a few days that were on the cold side, but just as many days that were spring-like.  That being said, we aren’t technically in winter, yet.

Yes, even though the last few months have been really mild, there is no doubt that we’ll be dealing with freezing temperatures and snow within the next few weeks.

Is your house full prepared for winter?  Furnace serviced?  House banked?  Oil tank filled?  Wood split and stacked?

What about your faucets?  If you have an older home, are you remembering to leave them on a trickle on those super cold nights?  The last thing you want is to have a pipe freeze-up and burst.

What about the faucet for your garden hose?

Most of us remember to take the hose off the faucet and store it in the shed or basement, but we need to remember that your garden hose faucet is even susceptible to freezing and bursting than the inside faucets.  Since a large part of the pipe and faucet are outside, it makes sense that they would be more prone to freezing than the interior ones.

If possible, your best bet is to turn that faucet off at its source.  Most homes have a master valve in the basement.  If you can’t do that, you need to make sure that the outside faucet is left on just a little.  Sure, it will leave an icy spot under the outside faucet, but that is better than dealing with replacing a burst pipe.

Forbes also suggests that you may want to purchase a winterizing cover for the faucet.

Spending a little bit of time to properly winterize your home is far better than having to deal with the consequences in the spring.