To prevent frozen outside faucets, and protect pipes, install hose bib covers on the bibb spigots. Cold and wind cause freezing. The outdoor water faucets installed may freeze and burst the spigot pipes behind the hose bib or bibb. You’ll be lucky if only the faucet bursts outside of your home, and not the pipe inside the wall. Frost-free faucets also use covers.
These outdoor faucets covers are made of foam, plastic or insulated bag centers. They can be reused for years.
To use them:
Disconnect any hoses from the hose bibs. Drain the water from the hoses.
Close all faucets inside the house or crawl space that supplies water only to the outdoor spigots.
Open all the outside hose bibs to drain any residual water.
Put the hose bib cover on the faucet snugly and securely.
Loop the inner drawstring loop onto the spigot.
Cinch the zip lock to hold the cover against the wall securely with no air gaps.
Seal tightly to provide thermal protection.
Winter causes faucets and pipes to crack and leak. Prevent this by simply installing hose bib covers over your exterior water spigots. They will keep the wind from the faucet and hold some heat along the pipe from the heated house. Faucet covers contain some of the warmth that radiates through the interior pipes to the outdoor spigot. Hose bib insulated covers shield the wind, holds some heat, and prevents that heat from escaping outdoors. The faucet then will not freeze, expand and rupture.
Freeze-proof spigots with no standing water in the pipe won’t freeze because there is nothing to freeze. But if or some reason the water pipe an incorrect slope (installation, remodel, movement) the water won’t drain out of the pipe and the water will freeze.
Frost-free faucets should also be covered. They are resistant to freezing, but aren’t totally resistant in very cold weather.
The last step to winterizing outdoor faucets is to protect them with insulation. In most situations, however, the faucet cover will provide enough insulation.