TEXAS, USA — When we reach freezing temperatures, it's typically best practice to keep the water running in your home! Dripping faucets can prevent your pipes from freezing and bursting.
That had people wondering, do you have to drip every faucet to be safe or will one do the trick?
THE QUESTION
Do you have to trip every faucet during a freeze?
THE ANSWER
The question of dripping every faucet needs context. You can drip just one if it's further from the water line.
If you are unsure where that is, dripping all of them is a good option.
It might cost you extra on your water bill, but plumbing repair and damage of a busted pipe in your home could cost even more.
OUR SOURCES
Warren Stroud, Owner and Founder of Plumbing Outfitters and Shawn Kelley, Manager; Facilities, Safety and Support Services at Texas A&M University-Central Texas
WHAT WE FOUND
"Draining all of the faucets isn't necessarily going to prevent it from freezing," Kelley said.
It's more about finding the right faucet.
"That should probably be the faucet that is furthest from where the water comes into your house that keeps all the water in the house moving," Kelley added.
If you aren't sure where the water is entering your house, Kelley says to take a look at your curb.
"You'll see a W or an S etched into the curb or stamped into the curb," Kelley said. "That W means water and if you follow that perpendicular to the road straight to your house, that's probably where the water line comes into your house. Find the faucet that is furthest from and that's the one you probably want to leave running."
On the flip side, Stroud runs all faucets.
"We have ours going beyond the drip, a stream steady of water both hot and cold," Stroud said.
Stroud and his team says there are too many variables to say for certain that only dripping one will be sufficient. Variables include where the main waterline enters the house, where it branches off, if the water lines are ran on the exterior side of the house, or directly under the slab. Most homeowners are not equipped with this knowledge, and therefore dripping, the hot and cold side of every fixture is recommended.
Kelley still believes dripping all faucets can be wasteful. It will affect the pressure in the larger water system which could prevent fire departments from having the water pressured needed to put out fires.
Stroud says to conserve where you can. Try to capture water so that you can use it for washing hands, or flushing toilets or washing dishes.
The whole process of running every faucet can be costly too, but it could save you in the long run.
"An extra $50-$75 on your water bill is generally better than a plumbing repair, or the damage a busted pipe can do on the interior of your home," Stroud told 6 News.
Remember if the water does freeze, go ahead and turn it off.
If you live in a home, everyone should know how to turn off the exterior water valve in case of an emergency.
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