Pre-Winter Hose Bib Winterization

Purpose

Define the fall protocol for winterizing residential exterior hose bibs (outdoor faucets) in regions with hard freezes. A bursting frozen hose bib + supply line is a hidden flood - water runs into the wall cavity while the customer's away for the holidays. A 15-minute service per visit prevents the wall-and-floor repair claim.

Scope

Applies to:

• Residential exterior hose bibs (standard + frost-free)
• Outdoor kitchen / patio supply lines
• Irrigation system winterization (covered separately; cross-referenced here)

Excludes commercial irrigation winterization (separate SOP) and pool plumbing (see Pool Closing SOP).

Responsibilities

• Dispatcher schedules between mid-October + first frost in the local region
• Lead technician runs the protocol on every accessible exterior bib
• Customer is shown the interior shutoff valve location

Procedure

1. Customer briefing. "I'll turn off the interior shutoff valves to your outdoor faucets + drain them. About 15 minutes for a standard residential property."
2. Locate the interior shutoff valves for each hose bib. Usually in the basement, crawlspace, or utility room directly behind the exterior wall the bib penetrates. Some homes have a single combined valve; others have one per bib.
3. Identify the type of bib:

• Standard hose bib (the valve is at the bib body, water sits in the supply line all winter - requires winterization)
• Frost-free hose bib (the valve is 6 - 12" back inside the wall, the bib body drains by gravity - only needs disconnection of any attached hose)

1. For standard bibs:

• Close the interior shutoff valve
• Open the exterior bib fully - let it drip / drain water out
• Leave the exterior bib OPEN for the winter (allows any thaw water to drain rather than build pressure)

1. For frost-free bibs:

• DISCONNECT any garden hose. A hose with water + attached to a frost-free bib prevents the bib from draining + creates the freeze-burst the bib was designed to prevent.
• Close exterior bib.
• No interior valve action needed (the bib's design handles freeze prevention).

1. Inspect for prior leak signs. Stains on the wall, mineral residue at the bib base. Flag for spring repair quote.
2. Verify the customer knows the interior valve location. "If you ever need water back on for emergency use this winter, this is the valve."
3. Apply a small reminder sticker at each interior valve location with the date + your name. Spring open-up service is much easier when you know where you turned things off.

Acceptance Criteria

• Every exterior bib accounted for + winterized appropriately
• Interior shutoff valves closed (standard bibs)
• All hoses disconnected from frost-free bibs
• Customer is shown valve locations
• Field report documents each bib + treatment

References

• IAPMO Uniform Plumbing Code (regional adoption varies)
• Manuall internal: Pool Closing Service