How Outdoor Faucets Leak
When a hose or other restriction is left attached, the water cannot drain from the faucet properly. As the temperature drops below freezing, the water in the faucet begins to freeze. The freezing conditions are applied from the outside of the house back toward the interior as the water continues to freeze. Once the water has frozen into the faucet itself, if the faucet has been shut off, there is no relief from this expanding pressure. Eventually the copper tubing will burst to relieve the pressure. No noticeable damage is visible in the home at this time. Only a few drops of water will leak through this bulge at the time of the bursting. Once the weather warms, the water in the faucet will melt. Since the burst in the tubing is after the shut off valve, water will not leak out of the burst tubing until the water is turned on. Thus, there can be a considerable amount of time between the actual rupture of the tubing and the discovery of the problem.
This information courtesy of Woodford Mfg. For more information check out Woodford Mfg.
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