Disconnect garden hoses before the first freeze
Annual · typically October–November · weather can move it up
Why it matters
With around 60–120 freeze days a year in your county, this is the highest-value ten minutes on your calendar. A connected hose holds water inside the faucet body, right where the pipe passes through your wall. Water expands about 9% when it freezes. The pipe doesn't care that it was only one cold night.
We'll send you an alert when the first freeze shows up in your forecast — when that ping arrives, tonight's the night.
What skipping it costs
$500–$4,000
A hose left connected traps water in the faucet. It freezes, the pipe splits inside the wall, and it doesn't leak until the thaw — often weeks later, into the wall cavity. Typical repair with drywall: $500–$4,000.
Two ways to get it done
Do it yourself
You'll need: Foam faucet covers (optional, ~$5 each).
- Walk the outside of the house and disconnect every hose. Drain them and store them connected-end-down.
- Twist each faucet fully closed.
- If you have interior shutoffs for exterior faucets (common in basements and crawlspaces), close them and open the outside faucet to drain the stub.
- Foam covers are cheap insurance on older standard bibs. Frost-free sillcocks (the handle sits at an angle, body extends into the house) don't need them — as long as the hose is off.
Hire it out
$75–$150National fair range — local labor moves this number.
There's no service call for this one — it's genuinely just unscrewing hoses. If you want a pro involved, fold it into a fall plumbing visit ($75–$150 as a standalone trip charge, which is why we don't recommend it) and have them show you where your interior shutoffs are while they're there. That knowledge is worth the trip charge once.
Ask the tech
- Are my outdoor faucets frost-free sillcocks or standard bibs?
- Is there an interior shutoff for the exterior lines, and where is it?
Red flags you're being upsold
- Anyone quoting new 'freeze-proof' faucets on every spigot when a $5 foam cover and a disconnected hose do the same job.
The call
DIY, no exceptions — this is a ten-minute walk around the house. There's nothing to hire.