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DIY guideOutdoor faucet

Reopen the outdoor taps and check them for freeze damage

Once nights stay above freezing, turn the outdoor taps back on slowly and look inside the wall for any leak a freeze left behind.

  • 10 to 20 min
  • 7 steps
  • Every step animated
Reopen the outdoor taps and check them for freeze damage: the animation’s first picture

7 steps

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  1. Turn the taps back on once nights stay above freezing.

  2. Take off the foam cover and turn the outdoor tap closed.

  3. Inside, screw the little drain cap back onto the tap's valve, if it has one.

  4. Turn the valve inside counterclockwise, a little at a time, until it's fully open.

  5. Open the tap outside with a hose on it. The water should come out strong and steady.

  6. While it runs, look and listen inside where the pipe goes through the wall, and at the ceiling and the wall near it. A drip or a spray means a split pipe.

  7. Close the valve inside right away, mop up, and ask Handyman for a plumber.

What you need

  • A flashlight
  • A garden hose
  • A towel

Call a pro if

  • Water drips or sprays inside the wall when the tap runs
  • The tap won't shut off, or drips from its handle
  • The valve inside won't open or close

Handyman says: Leak inside? I'll find you a plumber.

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