In case you’ve used your garden tap recently and not drained it back down, it is time to prepare for the cold weather and make sure we don’t have any broken pipes over the winter months. The first way to avoid problems is to disconnect your hose or any other devices from all exterior taps. Second, turn off the water supply that services these taps. Most of us have a shutoff near the hot water tank. If you have a frost free tap (has a little cap on the top-see photo) it probably won’t have a shutoff. These taps are engineered not to freeze as long as no hose is connected. Finally, open the outside tap that is shut off from inside to drain the line. Some people then leave their outdoor tap valve open so they would notice if they’d accidentally re-charged the line.
Signed,
A plumber’s wife
Suzanne LaRoy, Vice Chair
