Frozen outside faucet

[xnavy]

Hi, I just returned from out of town and while I was gone, the outside temp dropped from the 40s to below zero. I failed to remove my hose from the faucet before I left and I noticed this morning that there was a huge mass of ice on the side of the house below the faucet. I thnk that a neighborhood kid may have used my hose and left it on (the hose is solid ice). I cannot budge the valve on the faucet to see if its open or closed. The water pressure in the house is fine and I have no indication of a leak downstairs. My questions are; Do I have anything to worry about? Should I try to remove the hose and free the valve? I know as much about plumbing as I do about Carthigenian Mythology. I do know that there is a freeze-proof type of faucet but have no idea if this is one of them.Thanks in advance.dvh

[Don Van HookParticipant]

Mr. Van Hook:We are a manufacturer of Freezeless and Non-Freezeless Wall Hydrants.If your product is a Freezeless Hydrant, it is imperitave that you remove the hose before freezing temperatures, removing the hose lets the water drain from the freezeless hydrant. The shutoff point on a freezeless hydrant is inside the heated portion of the structure.It sounds as if you have an Angle Sill Faucet (non-freeze type). The water has frozen and the hose has split.You need to be sure it is not leaking in the basement now…or when the water thaws. I would try to remove the hose with some pliers. If the ice is solid, you will not be able to budge the valve. Your options are to let mother nature thaw it, or use a hairdryer (not a torch!).Stay warm…sounds like you are having the same weather we are having down here in Kansas City.Good Luck.Prier Products: Hi, I just returned from out of town and while I was gone, the outside temp dropped from the 40s to below zero. I failed to remove my hose from the faucet before I left and I noticed this morning that there was a huge mass of ice on the side of the house below the faucet. I thnk that a neighborhood kid may have used my hose and left it on (the hose is solid ice). I cannot budge the valve on the faucet to see if its open or closed. The water pressure in the house is fine and I have no indication of a leak downstairs. My questions are; Do I have anything to worry about? Should I try to remove the hose and free the valve? I know as much about plumbing as I do about Carthigenian Mythology. I do know that there is a freeze-proof type of faucet but have no idea if this is one of them.: Thanks in advance.: dvh

[Don Van HookParticipant]

Hi Nick,Thanks for the response. I really appreciate it. I got the hose off (with a wrench) and got the valve partially thawed. It appears to be in the off position now, although it only moved (inwards) a bit less than 1/4 inch. Unfortunately, this house was buikt oddly. Theres only one cut-off valve for the whole house and the outside faucets inner pipes are behind drywall downstairs. I guess all that I can do is wait and see what happens. Its supposed to be in the mid 30s this weekend and hopefully I can test the faucet then. Thanks again and I hope you have a Merry Christmas!P.S. I think you guys got it worse than we did, all we got was about 1/4 inch of snow and FRIGID cold.

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