Frozen Pipes . . . Did You Winterize Your Hose Bibs?

12/14/2023 (Permalink)

This commercial facility had their cast iron pipe burst due to a recent deep freeze. SERVPRO of Dale City/Lake was there to help!

With the chilly weather in the Woodbridge, Virginia area, it is very important to be sure you have winterized your outdoor hose bibs.  If you do not winterize your hose bibs, your pipes may freeze and burst causing a water damage in your home.

How do I keep my outdoor hose bib from freezing?  You can easily prevent your hose bib from freezing by taking these simple steps before temperatures drop to the teens:

1. Turn off the shut-off valve.
2. Disconnect the hose from the bib.
3. Drain the hose bib.
4. Drain the shut-off valve.
5. Leave the hose bib valve open for the winter.

Install Faucet Covers for insulation.                     

You may remember the deep freeze in Woodbrige, Dale City, Quantico, Lorton and Dumfries, Virginia this time last year during Christmas week.  SERVPRO of Dale City/Lake Ridge was very busy with frozen pipe water damage losses and we just wanted to be sure to post this in hopes of being proactive to help educate our community on frozen pipes.

Also, it is very important to run your heat in the winter time.  Even if you are a snow bird and head to Florida in the winter.  Your heat needs to be left on to ensure the pipes do not freeze.  Do you know if your pipes freeze and the heat is not on, it will not be a covered loss.  Insurance companies request a picture of the thermostat on all frozen pipe jobs to ensure the heat is on when the pipes froze to determine coverage or not. 

Please keep your heat on even if you turn it down, it needs to be on whether you are home or not home to ensure you have insurance coverage should your pipes freeze! 

SERVPRO of Dale City is always here to help!

703-583-8484