How do I winterize a hose spigot in Arizona?

Arizona is not one climate. In the high country, such as Flagstaff, winters bring freezing temperatures, and every outdoor faucet needs attention each fall. The Valley is milder, but Phoenix Water Services still puts hose bib steps on its household plumbing tips and notes that extreme temperatures in both summer and, occasionally, winter put a toll on exposed plumbing.

Our page on whether pipes can freeze in Phoenix explains the cold threshold that matters and which Valley pipes are most exposed. The short version: outdoor faucets, especially on north-facing walls, are the first to go, so they are the right thing to protect when a cold front is forecast.

If you live in the Valley, you do not need a full fall routine every year. Keep the steps below in mind, and do them when a freeze warning is issued, and no later than the day before a forecast night near 20 degrees.

Phoenix Water Services gives this sequence for hose bibs. Each step is followed by what it does.

1. 1Remove, drain and store the hoses. Phoenix lists this first. The University of Illinois Extension explains why: if a hose stays on the spigot, water can remain in the line, and as ice forms it can move back into the spigot and perhaps into the house.
2. 2Close any inside valve that supplies the outdoor hose bib. Not every house has one. If yours does, close it before you open the outside faucet.
3. 3Open the outside hose bib and let the water drain. This empties the short run of pipe between the inside valve and the faucet.
4. 4Leave the outside faucet open. Phoenix says to keep it open so any remaining water in the pipe can expand without breaking the pipe. Ice needs somewhere to go.
5. 5Close the garage door if water supply lines run through the garage, as Phoenix advises for its cold-weather tips.

One cheap upgrade helps. Illinois Extension notes that installing water shutoffs with bleeder valves on individual spigots can give peace of mind: you close the shutoff, then open the bleeder valve to empty the line.

### What about the hose itself?

You do not have to carry every hose indoors. OSU Extension says hoses can be stored outside as long as you drain all the water out, and describes an easy way: run the hose over a tall spot so gravity pulls the water out. It adds that temperature swings age the hose material faster, and that a hose left out will not last more than a few seasons even when it is fully drained.

A frost-free (also called frost-proof) faucet is built to keep the shutoff valve inside the warm part of the wall, and to drain the barrel when it is closed. That is a real improvement over a standard faucet, but it still needs the hose off. A valve manufacturer's guide says a hose left attached is the most common cause of failure, because water cannot drain out of the barrel and it freezes and bursts anyway.

The Illinois Extension adds a second caution: frost-proof does not mean freeze-proof. Whether one freezes depends on how cold it gets and how well insulated the home is, including the wall cavities where the spigot's supply is installed. Our page on how a frost-free hose faucet works shows the design and why a level or upward-sloped install defeats it.

Phoenix Water Services has advice for a frozen faucet or pipe. Use it in this order:

• If nothing comes out when you turn on a faucet, leave the faucet on and call a plumber.
• Try a hair dryer on a frozen faucet, but only if there is no standing water in the area.
• Thaw a pipe slowly. Heat water on the stove, soak towels in it, and wrap the towels around the cold section of pipe. Start close to the faucet with the faucet turned on, so melting ice can drip out.
• If you cannot find the frozen spot, call a plumber.
• If a pipe breaks, turn off the water at the main shutoff valve, call a plumber, and keep the faucets open until repairs are done.

Note the main shutoff advice. Phoenix says for most houses the shutoff is at the front of the home, near a hose bib, and to avoid shutting water off at the meter because it takes a special tool and you may be responsible for meter damage.

A split can hide until spring. A crack from a freeze can go unnoticed until you turn the faucet on with a hose attached and water escapes inside the wall. If a faucet drips or leaks only when the hose is on, read why your outdoor faucet may be leaking, which covers the frost-split stem.

### Three examples of how the steps play out

These are made-up examples to show the reasoning, not real jobs.

A Phoenix house, mild winter, hose left on. Nothing happens most years. A cold snap comes, the hose is still attached to a north-wall faucet, and the spigot cracks unseen. The leak appears in spring when the hose is used. Ten seconds to unscrew the hose would have avoided it.

A Flagstaff cabin, closed for the winter. The owner closes the inside valve, opens the outside faucet, and drains the hose. The faucet stays open all winter. It comes through without damage.

A newer frost-free faucet, hose left on. The homeowner assumes frost-free means nothing more to do. The hose holds water in the barrel, the barrel freezes, and the split shows up later as a leak inside the wall. The faucet type did not fail. The hose defeated it.

### Before the first cold night: a five-minute walk-around

A short check saves a repair later. Walk the outside of the house once in the fall and note every hose bib. Start with the ones on north-facing walls, which get the least winter sun. Confirm each has no hose, splitter, timer or nozzle attached. If a faucet is a standard type, decide whether it is worth adding an inside shutoff or upgrading it to a frost-free model. Check that you know where the main shutoff is, as Phoenix advises, so a burst is a two-minute problem and not a flood. Do the same for any hose bib in the back yard, the side yard and near the pool equipment, because those are the ones people forget.

If you own a rental or a vacation home, write the steps on a card by the door. The house that sits empty during a cold snap is the one where nobody notices a split until the bill arrives.

Call one when a faucet will not shut off, when water shows up inside the wall or ceiling near an outdoor faucet, or when the faucet leaks only when in use. HQ Plumbing offers free estimates, upfront pricing and 24/7 service, and can add an inside shutoff or replace an old faucet with a frost-free one.

Irrigation lines need the same treatment; see how to winterize a sprinkler system in Arizona.