With the coming of spring, it will soon be time for car washing and lawn watering. This is a good time to check your outside hose bibs (spigots) for leaking. A leaky hose bib is not only an annoyance, it can waste quite a bit of water. It may leak from the handle when the water is turned on, or the faucet may not shut off completely and leak constantly regardless of how tight you shut it down.
If you’ve shut off supply to prevent winter freezing, you’ll need to return the supply by opening the water shutoff valve(s) inside your basement, crawl space or utility room. There will be one for each outside faucet. Before opening this valve, make sure you have closed the outside spigots which you should have left open when you drained them last winter.
If your lines have bleeder valves that you loosened to allow the line to drain, don’t forget to tighten them to prevent leaks.
Turn on the spigots, and make sure they work properly before connecting the garden hose. Low pressure may be a sign of blockage in the line or worse, a leak that may be causing water to run into your walls. If pressure is low, shut off the supply line and call your Stan Perkoski’s professional.
Whether it’s low pressure or a leak, give us a call. Spring is a good time to replace older hose bibs with today’s freeze-resistant models. These will save you the hassle of having to drain the lines next winter.
