Whether you call it a spigot, hose bibb, or hose faucet, it can burst when frozen, leading to a nasty leak inside your wall. That’s not the Frozen your kids are infatuated with.
Winters in New Mexico are pretty mild compared to other states farther north, but there are still many below-freezing days and nights. If you don’t have an insulated faucet cover on your spigot, you’re at risk of a burst pipe. You may be at risk even if you have a frost-proof type spigot, if you didn’t disconnect the hose before winter. The freeze-proof faucet is designed to drain itself, which it can’t do with a hose attached.
Because of the way a hose faucet is designed, a burst pipe likely won’t cause a flood until you try to use your faucet when the weather warms up. When you get around to opening the valve, water may not come out where the hose attaches, your first sign that the pipe burst. Instead, the water will be shooting out full pressure inside the wall, and leaking out at floor level, or even shoot out of the wall when it dissolves the drywall or plaster.
A burst hose bibb can lead to flooding and water damage. It’s important to clean up all the water quickly, and thoroughly dry all damaged areas. Standing water or saturation can severely warp wood and laminate flooring, and lead to mold growth in your carpet, walls, flooring, insulation, and so on.
Should the flooding and damage happen to be more than you can deal with, call the experts at American Restoration Water & Fire. We are highly experienced and certified in water damage restoration and mold remediation, and will promptly take care of your home and walk you through the insurance claim process. We hope you don’t need us, but we’re standing ready 24/7 if you do.
