Rockford Chamber of Commerce recently issued the following announcement.
Just a friendly reminder from your neighborhood plumbing company. Don't forget to bring your garden hose in and shut the water off to your outside faucets. Just follow the steps below to avoid freezing lines and a leaking pipes later.
1. Find the pipe inside your house that leads to your outside faucet. This may be in your basement, garage or crawl space.
2. Look along the length of pipe for the safety shut-off valve. Most valves are either round, metal knobs or straight handles that are 3 to 4 inches long. In some older homes, the shut-off valve may be a square post at the top of a pipe junction.
3. Shut off the water supply to your outside faucet by turning the round knob clockwise until it stops turning. Pull the handle of a lever-style valve a quarter turn to the "Off" position. If the "Off" position is not marked on the faucet, pull the handle clockwise until it stops. For valves without knobs or handles, clamp vise grips or pliers onto the square post, and turn it clockwise until it stops.
4. Go outside and turn on the exterior spigot until the water stops flowing. This releases water trapped in the pipe, reducing the chance of that pipe freezing and allowing you to safely repair the faucet if necessary.
Original source can be found here.
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