Turning The Outdoor Faucet Back On

3/14/2022 (Permalink)

Avoid water damage while turning your spigot back on this spring.

The spigot is the faucet located on the outside of your house where you connect a garden hose. In winter, you likely turned the water off to prevent freezing and possibly water damage to your home.

 Now, it’s time to open them so you can water your garden and enjoy the warmer weather!

While turning the water back on to your outside hose may sound simple, there are some precautions to consider to make sure you don’t end up with water inside your home.

1. Tighten (close) the wheel/valve on the spigot(s). You may have left them open during the winter, but now is the time to make sure they are closed since you’re turning on the water.
2. Locate your water shutoff valve. It is located inside your house, usually in the basement, crawl space or utility room. The valve will be connected to a pipe that leads to the outside where your spigot is connected to your house. If you have more than one spigot, each one will have its own shutoff valve.
3. Open the valve to allow water to flow to the spigot. If you have loosened the bleeder valves to allow water to drain when you shut the water off, tighten them now to help prevent leaks.
4. Once the water is flowing, make sure there is a fair amount of water coming out, low pressure may mean there is a leak.
5. Go back inside while you let the water run, and check for any leaks.

We’ve had a few calls over the years because a customer was outside washing the car or watering the garden, meanwhile the water was leaking inside creating a big mess. Take the extra step and go back inside because pipes and fixtures that have frozen and thawed may not start to leak until full water pressure is re-applied.

If you happen to have a water leak, no matter or large or small, SERVPRO of St. Charles is ready to help minimize the damage. Give us a call!