The spring season is the perfect time to take advantage of the warmer temperatures and finish up tasks outside such as cleaning your car, washing it, or putting in a new garden. One of the most common ways to ruin your springtime vibes is to find out that your faucet outside is running dry.

If you didn't winterize your hose bibb, the water inside might have frozen over time and could damage your plumbing in the interior, create an enormous mess, and can become expensive if not dealt with immediately.

With us, this is the time of the year when a lot of our customers contact us to repair the frozen bibb of their hose. Here's the information you should be aware of.

The signs of a frozen hose in the bibb

You might not be aware that the hose bibb of your hose has frozen during the winter months until you start the faucet your first time in spring. At that moment, you might notice a lower pressure in the water or hear running water inside your home from the opposite part of the bibb. This is a sign that the water has frozen, expanding, bursting, and puncturing the pipe.

What is the reason hose bibbs freeze?

If water is left in the hose bibbs and inside pipes during the winter months, it could be exposed to freezing temperatures and even freeze (even if your home is well-insulated). Older hose bibbs for hoses are particularly vulnerable because they are narrow and let water be able to sit up the faucet.

Modern outdoor faucets, commonly known as frost-proof bibbs, have a better chance of protecting your plumbing as the shut-off valve is located deeper into the house to keep it from freezing temperatures. If you didn't leave the hose on the frost-proof bibb, water within the hose might be frozen and back up to the faucet.

What you can do

The first step is to inspect the hose bibb, the interior pipe, as well as the supply valve before turning the outside faucet the initial time. If you notice any water spots on the walls or on the floor or you notice that the pipe is damaged or broken, ensure that the supply valve is off.

If you're not skilled in the plumbing, replacing a hose bib that's broken is best left to an authorized plumber. It is essential to place and install a hose bib with frost protection in a way that water is pitched toward the wall's exterior, in addition to other things. If you install it incorrectly, the hose bib could be left exactly where you were last spring. The level of difficulty depends on the condition of the hose bibb, whether it is visible in your basement or concealed behind a wall.