Winterizing your outdoor faucets

In New York State (and the rest of the northern U.S.) we deal with very low winter temperatures, which can freeze water-filled pipes. Your outdoor faucets are a common place for water to freeze in your home's pipework.

As yard work slows toward mid to late autumn, it's a great time to winterize your outdoor faucets. Winterizing is easy! Simply find the faucet shutoffs in your basement and turn them completely off (to the right). Then turn on the faucets outside to fully open and let them drain. This drainage prevents any water that may have been left in the pipe from freezing and potentially causing a great deal of flood damage to your basement.