How to Winterize Your Outdoor Spigot and Prevent a Frozen Pipe Predicament

Locate the water shut-off valve for the sprinkler system. It may be outside near the water meter or well, hidden inside a faux rock on your property, or inside the sprinkler valve box. If it’s inside, it’s probably located near the water heater in a basement or utility closet. To shut it off, turn the water shut-off valve a quarter-turn, or 90 degrees until it is perpendicular to the water pipe.

Next, remove any garden hoses or other accessories, like hose extenders or stands that help work with an outdoor faucet that’s too low. Make sure to drain out any extra water from hoses, then stow these items safely away in a shed or garage for the winter.

With the water shut off, turn on the outdoor faucet. Any water that is left in the pipes will pour out. You may want to place a bucket beneath the faucet, especially if you have grass or plants nearby that you don’t want to accidentally overwater. Let the faucet drain for about three hours before you move on to the next step; this is essential, as you want to be sure all the water drains from the pipe so it cannot freeze. 

If you have a freeze-proof outdoor faucet, you won’t need to wait for it to drain. Instead, move on to the next step.

If you have a lawn sprinkler system, you’ll need to either learn how to blow out a sprinkler system or hire a local sprinkler blowout company to perform this task for you. It’s best to leave this to the pros, because not only will you need to spend money to rent or buy an air compressor, but making a mistake could damage your entire sprinkler system or even lead to injury.

To blow out the sprinklers, you will need to set up smaller zones and work on blowing out one sprinkler head in a zone at a time using an air compressor. It’s important to get an air compressor that is compatible with your sprinkler system based on the pressure, measured in pounds per square inch (PSI). 

Air compressors with a 40 to 80 PSI work best for blowing out sprinklers, but make sure to check your sprinkler system to determine what you need. If you use an air compressor with a PSI that’s too high, you could damage your water pipes, so proceed with caution.

Blowing out the sprinklers will take about two hours.

Now that the faucets and sprinklers are drained of any excess water, you can inspect the outdoor spigots, sprinkler heads, and other parts of the sprinkler system for any damage. If you notice corrosion, cracks, or other damage, hire a sprinkler repair pro to fix these issues before you finish winterizing your outdoor spigots.

You’ll want to use an insulative cover designed specifically for outdoor spigots as the final step in winterizing your outdoor faucets. You may be tempted to grab an old towel or hoodie to wrap around the spigots, but these porous materials will absorb any rain, sleet, or snow, making it more likely for the faucet to freeze. Instead, head to a local home improvement store or shop online for a foam block or flexible nylon insulation cover, which should cost about $5 to $10 each. Outdoor faucet covers work by keeping wet weather away from the spigot and adding a light layer of insulation as a barrier against extra chilly temperatures.

If you bought a foam block cover, it has a rubber loop and an opening that will fit right over the faucet. Pull the rubber loop over the faucet and around the back of the faucet where it meets the wall. Push the foam cover over the faucet until it reaches the wall. Pull the rubber string sticking out of the front of the faucet cover until it is tight against the wall of the house.

A flexible nylon cover will open to fit over the faucet. Then, you simply pull the drawstring tight until the cover is closed securely over the faucet.