Outdoor faucet freeze protection: winterizing faucets and sprinklers in Abilene

Abilene's first freeze usually shows up around November 11, per the National Weather Service, and it's come as early as October 18. When it does, the first plumbing to feel it isn't inside the house. It's the faucet on the back wall with the hose still screwed on, and the sprinkler system out front. The Red Cross puts outdoor hose bibs and sprinkler lines at the top of its list of pipes that freeze most often.

The short answer: before the first freeze, take the hoses off, close the inside valve to each outdoor faucet if you have one, drain the faucet, and cover it. For the sprinklers, turn off the controller and the system's water supply, then drain and insulate the backflow assembly and any pipe that's above ground.

Why outdoor faucets and sprinklers freeze first

Water expands as it freezes, and the Red Cross points out that no pipe, metal or plastic, can hold it in. Inside, your heat's working for you. Outside, nothing is. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension puts the danger line for exposed pipes at 20°F or below, and an outdoor faucet is as exposed as plumbing gets: the house on one side of the wall, the north wind on the other.

Sprinklers have their own weak spot: the backflow assembly that keeps yard water from siphoning back into your drinking water. Under Texas irrigation rules, the pressure vacuum breaker type has to sit at least 12 inches above the highest sprinkler head. That's a fitting full of water up in the open air.

Standard hose faucet or frost-free? Know which one you've got

A standard outdoor faucet (plumbers call it a hose bib or sillcock) shuts the water off right at the handle, outside. The pipe behind it, through the wall, stays full of water all winter.

A frost-free faucet looks about the same from the yard, but its valve sits at the end of a long stem, back inside the heated wall. Watts, which makes them, says the valve shuts the water off inside the building, and the spout end is installed lower than the valve so the rest drains out.

Here's the catch: it only drains if the hose is off. Watts says it plainly: the hose must be removed to let the water drain. Leave a hose connected and the barrel stays full, freezes, and can split inside your wall. That part of the faucet only holds water when it's turned on, so you may not find out until the first time you open it in spring, when the water goes into the wall instead of the yard.

Not sure which kind you have? Treat it like a standard faucet. The steps below work for both.

A frost-free faucet with a hose left on isn't frost-free. It's a faucet that breaks inside the wall instead of outside it.

How to winterize an outdoor faucet

Do this before the first freeze shows up in the forecast, not the night of. The Red Cross and AgriLife lay out the same basic steps:

1. Take the hose off. Drain it and store it in the garage or shed. This is the one step that matters for every outdoor faucet, frost-free or not.
2. Close the inside valve, if there is one. Some homes have a shutoff for each outdoor faucet; check the garage wall, the utility room, or the nearest sink cabinet. Plenty of homes don't. AgriLife says “if possible” for a reason.
3. Open the outside faucet, let it drain, and leave it open. The Red Cross says that gives any water left in the pipe room to expand without breaking it. Only do this if you closed an inside valve; otherwise you're just watering the flower bed.
4. Cover it. AgriLife recommends an insulated hose bib cover, and the Texas Department of Insurance says to cover outdoor faucets when a freeze is in the forecast. A foam cover from the hardware store does the job.

Winterizing a sprinkler system in Abilene

Texas A&M's School of Irrigation says most Texas systems aren't designed for an air blow-out, the method used up north where the ground freezes down to the pipe. For most of Texas, it recommends four steps:

1. Turn off the controller.
2. Turn off the system's water supply. Most systems have an isolation valve for this near the water meter or the backflow assembly.
3. Insulate any PVC that's above ground.
4. Drain the above-ground parts, starting with the backflow assembly.

How you drain a backflow assembly depends on the type, so follow the installer's or manufacturer's directions, then wrap it in insulation or an insulated cover. Don't put antifreeze in sprinkler lines — the Red Cross warns it's harmful to people, pets, wildlife, and landscaping.

Those steps are meant for light to mild freezes. Abilene has seen worse: 252 straight hours at or below freezing in February 2021 (more in our frozen pipes guide). A backflow assembly out in the open with no way to drain it is worth a look before winter, not after.

If you turn the sprinklers back on for a dry, warm stretch, Abilene's year-round watering schedule still applies. Check your days and hours on the city's Save Abilene Water page, and shut everything back down before the next freeze.

After a freeze: how to tell something cracked

• The outdoor faucet. The first time you turn one on after a cold snap, check inside too. A damp spot on the wall behind it, water in the garage, or weak flow at the spout means shut it off and call.
• The backflow assembly. When you turn the sprinklers back on, water spraying or weeping from the assembly likely means a crack. Close the system's supply valve. Texas rules require a licensed tester to test an assembly after it's repaired or replaced, so the fix isn't done until it's tested.
• Water at the meter box or the street. That goes to the City of Abilene's 24-hour water line at (325) 676-6000.
• A water bill that jumps. A crack in a buried line can leak for a while before anything shows. Our hidden leak guide shows how one valve tells you whether a leak is inside the house or out in the yard.

When to call a plumber about outdoor faucets in Abilene

Most of this is a homeowner job. Call us when:

• An outdoor faucet won't shut off all the way, or it froze and split.
• You want an inside shutoff added for an outdoor faucet, or an old hose faucet swapped for a frost-free one. We'll quote it before we start.
• Your backflow assembly cracked, leaks, or needs replacing. We handle backflow repair, replacement, and certified testing in-house, and file the city paperwork for you.
• A freeze already split something and water's running. Shut it off and call our 24/7 emergency line.

We're owner-operated and licensed in Texas as a Master Plumber (M-18761). Real work, real people, no corporate runaround.

Call or text (325) 701-7017 or request service online.

Frequently asked questions

Do I really need to winterize my sprinkler system in Abilene?

If any part of it sits above ground, yes. Texas A&M's School of Irrigation recommends it for most of Texas: turn off the controller and the system's water supply, insulate exposed PVC, and drain above-ground parts like the backflow assembly. Our freezes are usually short, but one hard one is all it takes to crack a backflow assembly.

Do frost-free outdoor faucets need a cover?

The hose matters more than the cover. A frost-free faucet shuts off inside the wall and drains itself, but only with the hose disconnected. Watts, which makes them, says the hose must be removed so the water can drain. A cover won't hurt, and it's cheap protection on the coldest nights.

Should I leave my outdoor faucet open or closed for the winter?

Open, if you've closed an inside valve that feeds it. The Red Cross says to close the inside valve, drain the outdoor faucet, and leave it open so any water left in the pipe can expand without breaking it. If there's no inside valve, leave the faucet closed, take the hose off, and cover it.

Can I blow out my sprinkler lines with an air compressor?

You usually don't need to. Texas A&M's School of Irrigation says most Texas systems aren't designed for a blow-out, a method meant for places where the ground freezes down to the buried pipe. Here, draining the above-ground parts and insulating them is the normal approach. If you're set on a blow-out, hire a licensed irrigator who knows your system.