How to Protect Your Outdoor Taps From Frost: Your outside tap is one of the most exposed parts of your plumbing. It sits on an external wall, fully open to wind, rain and freezing temperatures, with nothing but a short length of pipe between it and your home.

When the water inside freezes, it expands and can split the tap or the pipe feeding it. The real problem is that the damage often happens inside the wall, where you can’t see it. When the ice thaws, water can leak into your walls or kitchen for hours before anyone notices.

The good news is that protecting your outdoor tap takes about ten minutes and costs very little. Here’s how to do it.

Why Outdoor Taps Are So Vulnerable

Unlike the pipes inside your home, an outdoor tap gets no warmth from your heating. The water sitting in the tap and the pipe behind it is exposed to the full force of the cold, so it’s often the first part of your plumbing to freeze.

A garden hose left connected makes the risk even worse, as it traps water in the tap and stops it from draining.

How to Protect Your Outdoor Tap in 5 Steps

1. Find the Isolation Valve

Most outdoor taps have an isolation valve on the pipe inside your home. It’s usually under the kitchen sink or close to where the pipe passes through the wall. It may be a small lever or a valve with a slot you turn with a flat-head screwdriver.

2. Turn Off the Water Supply

Turn the valve so it sits across the pipe rather than in line with it. This cuts off the water to your outdoor tap while leaving the rest of your home unaffected.

3. Drain the Tap

Go outside and open the tap fully. Let any remaining water run out until it stops completely. Leaving the tap open over winter gives any trapped water room to expand without causing damage.

4. Disconnect Your Hose

Remove any hoses, connectors or fittings from the tap. Drain the hose and store it somewhere dry, such as a shed or garage, so it doesn’t crack in the cold.

5. Fit an Insulated Tap Cover

An insulated tap cover adds an extra layer of protection from frost. They’re cheap, widely available and simply fit over the tap. If the pipe leading to the tap is exposed on the outside wall, wrap it in foam pipe lagging too.

What If There’s No Isolation Valve?

Some older properties don’t have an isolation valve for the outside tap. Without one, the tap stays full of water all winter, and your only option to cut it off is to shut down the water to your entire home.

In this case, insulate the tap and exposed pipework as thoroughly as possible, and consider having an isolation valve fitted. It’s a quick, inexpensive job for a plumber and gives you proper protection every winter.

Consider a Frost-Proof Outdoor Tap

If you use your outside tap regularly through winter, or you’d rather not isolate it every year, a frost-proof tap is worth considering. These are designed so the valve sits inside the warmth of your home, keeping water out of the exposed section of pipe.

Signs Your Outdoor Tap Has Frozen or Split

Check your tap after a cold spell. Warning signs include:

  • No water coming out when the tap is turned on
  • Frost or ice on the tap or pipe
  • Visible cracks or bulges in the tap or pipework
  • Damp patches on the inside wall behind the tap
  • Dripping or leaking once the weather warms up

If you notice any of these, turn off the isolation valve or your main stopcock straight away and call a plumber.

Turning Your Tap Back On in Spring

Once the risk of frost has passed, turn the isolation valve back on, then close the outdoor tap. Check both the tap and the pipe inside for drips or damp over the next few days. Small leaks are much easier and cheaper to fix when spotted early.