How to Winterize Outdoor Faucets and Prevent Frozen Pipes in Newark, DE

To winterize outdoor faucets in Newark, DE, disconnect every garden hose, close the interior shut-off valve that feeds each outdoor spigot, open the spigot to drain the pipe, and leave it open a crack until spring. That usually takes a few minutes per faucet and prevents a common cause of split pipes behind a wall.

Do it before the first hard freeze. If a line has already frozen or split, shut off the water at the main and call for a licensed plumber right away, day or night.

Why a hose left on the spigot splits the pipe

Water expands when it turns to ice. A hose left attached traps water in the spigot and in the short run of pipe behind it, so the ice has nowhere to go. The pressure usually splits the copper or plastic pipe inside the wall, not the spigot you can see.

You often will not know until spring. The faucet looks fine in January, then the first time you open it a spray or a steady drip shows up inside the basement ceiling or the wall behind it.

A frost-free sillcock is built differently. Its valve seat sits well inside the heated part of the house, so the exposed barrel can drain. It still fails if a hose holds water in the barrel or if the faucet is not tilted slightly downward to drain.

The fall shut-down, step by step

1. Unhook every hose and splitterCoil them and store them indoors. Remove any timer, hose-end sprayer or attached vacuum breaker you can unscrew.
2. Find the interior shut-offLook in the basement, crawl space or utility room on the wall behind each outdoor faucet. Not every house has one, and some are hidden above a ceiling.
3. Close that valveA quarter-turn ball valve is closed when the handle sits across the pipe. An older gate valve turns clockwise until it stops.
4. Open the outdoor spigotLet it run until the flow stops, then leave it open. The pipe empties from the outside end, and any trapped water has room to expand.
5. Open the small bleeder cap on the shut-off if there is oneCatch the few spoonfuls of water in a bowl, then leave the cap off or loose.
6. Check for drips in a weekA shut-off that keeps leaking water into the line is worn and should be replaced before January.

If you cannot find an interior shut-off, a licensed plumber can add one. That is a small plumbing installation job, and it is worth doing once rather than hoping every fall.

Other lines that freeze first

Outdoor spigots get the attention, but the pipes that burst are often somewhere else. Think about every run of water pipe that sits against an outside wall or in an unheated space.

• Pipes along the weather-facing wall of an unheated garage
• Supply lines in a crawl space or behind a drafty rim joist
• A laundry room or bathroom over an open porch
• Sprinkler lines and the backflow assembly that serves them
• Sink supply lines in a cabinet on an exterior wall

Seal air gaps at the rim joist with caulk or foam, and add pipe insulation sleeves where a pipe runs through cold space. On the coldest nights, open the cabinet doors under a kitchen or bathroom sink on an outside wall so house air reaches the pipes. Letting a faucet drip slightly on a very cold night keeps water moving, which helps.

What the weather in Newark, DE actually means for your pipes

Pipes in the part of the house that holds heat survive most winters. The trouble comes on a stretch of nights in the low 20s with wind, which is when an uninsulated garage wall or a drafty rim joist turns a normal winter into a split pipe.

If a pipe freezes anyway

A frozen pipe is a warning that a split may follow. Treat it as urgent before you see any water.

1. Shut off the water at the mainDo it before you thaw anything, in case the pipe is already cracked.
2. Open the faucet nearest the frozen pipeThis lets water escape as the ice melts.
3. Warm the pipe gentlyUse a hair dryer, a heating pad or warm towels. Never use a torch or open flame.
4. Watch for leaks as it thawsA split often shows only once the ice melts and pressure returns.
5. Call a plumber if water appears or nothing flowsA licensed plumber can thaw the line, find the split and repair it. For a pipe that has burst, see our page on burst pipe repair.

If you cannot find where the water went, a hidden leak in a wall or ceiling needs a different approach, such as the pressure and moisture checks described under leak detection.

Street side or house side

If your water comes from the City of Newark, Newark Code Section 30-47 puts a frozen service line from the main to the curb box on the City. From the curb box onward, through your yard and into the house, the freeze is the owner's problem.

That split tells you who to call first. A buried line that splits between the curb and the foundation is a job for water service line repair. If the interior main will not turn, a City crew can close the curb valve once you schedule the repair.

Replacing a spigot: what the rules say

A homeowner may swap plumbing in their own home, except gas piping, but Delaware expects a permit application first. The state plumbing regulation, 16 Delaware Administrative Code 4455, also says a new backflow assembly tied to the water supply needs a permit.

Newark lets some fixtures be replaced in kind when no pipes or valves move. Whether a hose spigot counts is not spelled out, so check first. A parcel number that begins with 18 means Newark Code Enforcement is your office, and any other number means New Castle County Land Use.

The City's cross connection program lists hose bibb vacuum breakers as approved devices for hose connections. Ask about one at replacement, because it keeps hose water from flowing back into the house supply.

Frost-free spigot or standard faucet?

A frost-free unit suits a faucet that has frozen before. It does not replace taking the hose off.

When to call before spring

Call if you see a stain on a basement ceiling under an outdoor faucet, if the stem drips with the faucet closed, or if pressure at the spigot is weak. Those point to a cracked pipe or a worn valve.

The same fall routine applies in nearby towns, whether you live in Glasgow or Bear. If you rent, tell the landlord in writing when you spot a stain, since a slow split gets worse each week.

Winterizing and frozen pipe questions