Winterizing for the cold snap
 

Do you guys turn off the external pipes for the winter and for this cold snap.

Do you juts wrap the faucet?

Have you had any issues if you have never winterized in the past Vancouver winters.

I just use a faucet cover. I have these.

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/f...w.ds#store=604

Don't get the shitty styrofoam only kind. Get the ones with the hard plastic cover. They last for years, as opposed to one, maybe two years.


Probably all sold out at most places by now. A few years back the hard plastic ones were not available up here. I purchased like half a dozen of the nice plastic ones in Bellingham Lowes, I believe. I used to have those styrofoam ones and they crumbled after a season.

Try Lowes, Rona, or Home Hardware. Maybe even Home Depot. Canadian Tire in Abbotsford shows over 180 in stock.

I bought the styrofoam ones from lowes last week. Kinda doubted they worked at all but they are actually fairly well reviewed, $7 each or so

Didn't even know those faucet covers existed. They seem much better than wrapping it in a bunch of towels and then taping a plastic bag.. gets mega annoying removing/reinstalling if I need to use the faucet outside for whatever reason.

Now do I want to drive to Abbotsford? :okay:

No, I'm sure other places have some. Just do a search.

When you install them, make sure you tighten the things, so the insulating foam is nice and snug.



EDIT: you might have to.......... none anywhere. Only in Abbotsford and on the Island. Over 250 in Victoria Canadian Tire, Like WTF? It doesn't get cold on the Island?

Winterwhatsing? Huh? :badpokerface:

I installed a shutoff, inside the house.

lol never knew these existed either. This topic just came up at our complex today and in previous years we just advise to unhook all the hoses from the bibs and that's it.

I've never in my life heard of anyone doing anything to the outside taps in the winter aside from disconnecting and draining the hose. What is wrapping stuff around the tap supposed to do? Have you got different outdoor taps than places that normally see freezing temps?

I use it to keep cold out and warmth in the house. Just extra insulation. Just like the electrical outlet covers and insulation. The faucet covers don't work in sub zero temperatures, but every bit helps. Our climate is, so far, mild compared to places in the prairies and back east. Like mentioned before removing them is a snap whenever water is needed. Pretty sure most older houses have shut off valves inside. My parents' Vancouver special had them. Shut off inside and leave outside valve open.

I believe that the code used to require shut off valves inside the house for hose bibs.

Nowadays, you can get away with frost-free hose bibs.

For me, my concern is the portion between the shut off and the hose bib, it’s only about a 18” run between them but given how poor my insulation is etc. I don’t really trust that portion from freezing and bursting, or become weaker through freeze and thaw cycles. Probably unfounded but I only have 1 hose bib so not a big deal

There's water in the tap right up to the shut off and it sits there idle. If exposed, the water in that section of pipe from the shut off to wall of the house can freeze and if water freezes it'll expand which can burst the pipe. It's maybe a 2" section of exposed pipe but that's all it takes to sometimes burst.
Fliptuner installed a shut off in his house which is the best way to go. shut it off there and drain the remaining water and now you've a completely empty pipe.

There was a watermain break this morning on Canada Way in Burnaby around 3am. Ground froze and the water in the ground expanded and the watermain couldn't handle the pressure. Pop. That was on a 10" cast iron watermain with a fairly thick wall to it (google cast iron watermain and you'll see what I'm talking about), think how easy it is for a piece of copper pipe sticking out of your house.

In theory if you have a frost free hose bib, you shouldn't have to worry. You can tell if it's frost free if it has a circular disc thing on top of the hose bib that doesn't look like it does anything.

Otherwise, the best thing is to shut the valve off from the inside, and then open the outside tap to drain the water.

From what I've been reading, it's best to do that now in anticipation of a lot of burst pipes by mid next week.

How does the faucet cover stay attached? The picture doesn't show the underside. And does anyone know where the shut off should be? The hose faucet is just on the side of the house.

It’s actually a great little gadget I was like this is junk but it works great lol

It has a little ring you put around the spout then there’s a sinch cord on the outside that allows you to tighten it against the wall

Make that 2 broken water mains today.

I assume by shutoff you mean the tap on the side of the house? Mine are mounted right on the side of the house (no exposed pipe) and I don't have any shutoffs inside, so if that's how yours are too I'm struggling to see why you guys need covers when my house hasn't for 34 years. Also shouldn't those water mains be below the frost line? Either way if they're getting crushed from the outside that's not what's going to happen to a pipe in a house, that would freeze and burst from the inside. Don't forget copper and water are both excellent conductors so they should be transferring heat from the house.

Yes, the hose tap on the side of the house. Many older houses had them sloppily installed to where its got a back plate with about an inch of copper sticking out before the actual hose bib.
https://47wwkw3ajg0ly1x0a2h8q10p-wpe...ater-leaks.jpg
My parents have an old house which looks like this one but they've had shut off valve put inside the house years ago.
Watermains are usually installed now at 3ft-5ft deep which is below the frost line, but the ones that break are the ones that are 50+ years old. The road is maybe 6" thick and underneath it freezes which gives two results - either the road cracks or the pressure is forced outwards, in this case it can only go down cracking a pipe. Winter season is the watermain breaking season.

My house is from the mid 50s. No shutout valve that I can find for the two faucets outside.

Went out today to double check the one in my backyard and it extends so far out that I don't think even those faucet covers would work. Good thing I didn't bother driving out to Abbotsford, lol.

Just wrapped it as usual with some clothes and a plastic bag on the outside. Guess I'll pray it works since it hasn't gotten down to the negative double digits as far as I can remember.

Ahh yeah so it's very different. I was thinking if you guys had the same setup as me either I've been getting very lucky all these years or you guys have been getting sold snake oil :lol

I tired to look for the CT faucet cover, but they were all sold out by 5 PM. So I just wrapped the faucet. However on the neck of the faucet there's this huge metal plate behind it close to the wall of the house, the size of a CD case. Is that the anti freeze thing?

https://www.wheresjunior.com/wp-cont...ose-bib-sm.jpg

Does your hose bib have the circle that's labelled anti siphon valve?

https://i.imgur.com/wzUglr4.jpg

Took a look at the faucet in the front yard today.

:suspicious:

Guess we'll see what happens in a week, lol.

That's not all I thought was :suspicious:

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