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[email protected] trader4@optonline.net is offline
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Default Wrapping outdoor faucets (hose bibs)

On Feb 1, 6:26*pm, Roy wrote:
On Feb 1, 3:07*pm, DerbyDad03 wrote:





On Feb 1, 3:37*pm, "Bob-tx" No Spam no contact wrote:


Getting mighty cold in central Texas. *Last couple days was 80+ degrees.
Got down to 40 at midnight last night and by 9:00 this morning, it was 32.
Going to be 17 degrees tonight, and 15 tomorrow night. *In fact, we may not
get above freezing until Saturday sometime. *It was a short summer.


Anyway, I went out and dutifully wrapped all our outdoor faucets; first with
a bath towel, then with two inch thick foam rubber, and taped it all tight
around the faucets.


But, I wonder why this keeps them from freezing. *Obviously, there is no
heat generated by wrapping them, and there is very little residual warmth in
the faucet / pipe stub. *A little residual warmth from the brick siding, but
that is all. *It seems to me that the bitter cold would soak through the
towel and foam rubber in a few hours. *Then, what good does it do to wrap
them?


I know it seems to help by wrapping the faucets, but I'm not sure why.. *Any
ideas?



I think the operative statement here is the last sentence. It seems
to help and it
does to a certain extent. It will shield and protect it and there is
always going to
be heat transfer from the pipe inside to out, throught the wall,
etc. How effective
it will be, to what extreme you can take it, for how long, is another
story.

Which is why I like frost proof sill cocks. Solves the problem once
and for all,
provided you remember to disconnect hoses or at least make sure they
are
drained of water.