How to Check Your Outdoor Faucet for Leaks, Breaks, or Potential Repairs
With summer just around the corner, your outdoor faucets (also known as hose bibs) will soon be the main source of water for sprinklers, inflatable pools, developing the garden of your dreams, and many fun activities! So, don’t let potential damage from the winter months spoil your good times.
If you take a couple of minutes now to check your hose bibs for leaks or breaks you can avoid a family of sad (or mad!) faces staring back at you, ready for their party. While you may have already used your hose bib a few times, that does not mean it is working properly or water isn’t already causing unseen damage to your home.
During the winter, pipes can break because of internal pressure. This can happen without your knowledge. Jump forward to spring, you turn on your hose and proceed to spread water throughout your home, unaware water has leaked creating water damage. If water damage is left undetected it creates mold.
So, before you start your fun-soaked summer, follow this guide.
1. Grab your garden hose and hook it up. Turn on the water.
2. Check to see if water is coming out from the wall (behind the spicket) from the exterior and interior side. If it is, then there is an issue in the line.
3. Turn off the water and drain all the water from the line.
4. Go inside your home to inspect your isolation valve. Some homes have isolation valves specifically for hose bibs and some do not, in which case you will check your main water valve. When looking at the valve take a close look for leaks around the area and how well the valve opens/closes. Keep the valve in the closed position.
5. Go back to your hose bib and attempt to spray water. With the valve closed, there should be no water coming from the line, otherwise, you have a failure.
If you don’t have time to inspect or are you already having issues with your system? Give us a call and our team of local experts will be happy to assist!