Fall Shutdown and Spring Startup for East Canton Outdoor Faucets

Your Fall Outdoor Faucet Checklist

Take care of this in autumn, before the first night that drops well below freezing. It only takes a few minutes per faucet.

• Disconnect and drain every garden hose, and store them inside
• Remove splitters, timers and quick-connect fittings from the spout
• For a standard hose bib, close its interior shutoff valve in the basement
• Open the outside faucet to let trapped water drain, and leave it open
• Open the small drain cap on the interior valve if it has one
• For a frost-free sillcock, simply make sure the hose is off and the faucet is closed
• Note any drips or stiff handles so they can be fixed before spring

Your Spring Startup Routine

When the weather warms, do not just hook up the hose and walk away. Freeze damage on a frost-free faucet hides inside the wall and only shows up once water flows.

Close the outdoor faucet first, then open the interior shutoff slowly if you closed it in fall. Have someone open the outdoor faucet while you watch the inside of the wall or basement ceiling where the pipe comes through. Look for drips, spraying water or damp insulation. Let it run for a minute, then shut it off and check again. If everything is dry, you are set for the season.

Problems We Fix Around East Canton

Most outdoor faucet calls fall into a few categories. A spigot that drips from the spout needs a new washer or seat. Water leaking around the handle stem means the packing is worn. A faucet that sprays into the basement in spring froze and split. And an interior shutoff valve that will not turn, or leaks at the stem when you close it, needs to be replaced.

Many homes on the rural edges of the township are on private wells, where a dripping outdoor faucet can make the well pump cycle more than it should. Fixing that drip saves wear on the pump as well as water.

Upgrading to a Frost-Free Faucet

If you are tired of the fall and spring routine, a frost-free sillcock removes most of it. The valve sits inside the heated house, so the faucet drains itself when closed. You still need to remove the hose for winter, but there is no interior valve to close and no faucet to leave open.

We replace standard hose bibs with frost-free models sized to your wall, connected to the existing copper or PEX. Our East Canton copper piping service handles any repairs to the line behind the faucet.

Working With Us

Every job starts with a free estimate. Once you approve the specifications, we complete the work and do a quality inspection, running water through the faucet and checking for leaks inside and out. If an outdoor faucet has already leaked into your home, our East Canton leak repair team can help, and emergency leak containment is available.

We also serve Louisville, Canton, Waynesburg, Malvern and North Canton. For more on outdoor faucet types, see our Stark County hose bib service page. Annual inspections through our maintenance agreement can include a look at outdoor faucets.