In a nutshell
Before the first hard frost, take every hose off, close the inside valve that feeds each outdoor tap, drain the short length of pipe, and leave the outside tap open until spring.
Why bother? Water expands by roughly a tenth as it freezes. In a short dead-end pipe with a closed valve at each end, that expansion has nowhere to go but through the wall of the pipe or the tap body. The split often stays hidden until spring, when someone turns on the garden hose and water pours into the basement wall cavity instead of out the spout. A few minutes of preparation in the fall is far cheaper than drywall, insulation and a new tap.
Working through it
1. Hoses off
Drain them and coil them in the garage or shed.
2. Find the inside valve
Look up in the basement joists close to the wall where the tap is mounted.
3. Close it
Turn it fully clockwise or set the lever across the pipe.
4. Drain the pipe
Open the outside tap; let it run until it stops.
5. Open the bleed cap
A small cap on the inside valve lets the last water out into a cup.
6. Leave the outside tap open
So any trapped water has room to expand.
Clues worth noticing
- A leak indoors the day the garden hose goes back on.
- Wet siding or brick near the tap. >
- A bib that keeps dribbling when shut. >
- A cracked or bulging tap body.
Signals that it needs a licensed plumber
If you find damage in spring, see outdoor faucet repair.
Calls we field, answered plainly
What date should I do it?
Usually by mid-October in Toronto, before overnight freezes.
Do frost-free taps need the inside valve closed?
It adds protection, but taking the hose off is the essential step.