How To Check Your Hose Bib for Leaks

It is no secret that the weather has been a little gloomy lately!  If you’re like us, we’re excited to get outdoors and hopefully enjoy some sunshine and get some spring cleaning done. If your plans this weekend include using your outdoor faucet or hose bib for the first time this season, we encourage you to test the fixture for leaks!

The winter weather temperatures may have caused some models of hose bibs (outdoor faucets) to crack. If the problem isn’t caught early enough, all that water leaking from your outdoor faucet can result in water damage and allow for mold to potentially grow inside your home…not to mention all the wasted water and energy!

Follow these simple steps to see if your hose bib was damaged this past winter:

1. Place your thumb over the spigot. If you have small thumbs, you may want to use your whole hand to cover the opening.
2. Turn the water on
3. If you can hold the water in, with your hand or thumb, that means there is a crack somewhere in the piping and water is leaking out.
4. However, if you feel a lot of pressure and you can’t hold back the water, you should be fine!

At Len The Plumber, we’ve seen all too often what can happen to outdoor faucets affected by cold winters, the problem doesn’t always reveal itself until spring. If you find an issue this weekend, it’s no problem. We provide Same Day Service, 7 Days A Week, with no additional charges for a Saturday or Sunday appointment.

Our technicians can perform every step of the hose bib replacement process, including:

• Draining the outdoor faucet
• Cutting the supply line
• Removing the old outdoor faucet and installing a new one
• Fitting and soldering the pipe connections
• Re-installing the stem assembly

If you want guaranteed worry-free protection for your home, call Len The Plumber today!  We will install a frost-proof outdoor hose faucet and our technician will teach you how to properly winterize your new fixture.