Outdoor taps before the first frost: hose bibs, the garage tap and irrigation lines in the GTA

Every outdoor tap has to be shut down before the first night cold enough to freeze the pipe. Toronto Water puts it plainly: outdoor faucets are the first to freeze. In the Greater Toronto Area the first fall frost can arrive in late September in a cold year, and the average date at Pearson is 20 October, so a tap that is still live in the middle of October is overdue. Below is the order for each kind of tap, the one mistake that splits a frost-free hose bib, and where Halton, Peel and Toronto draw the line between your pipe and theirs.

Which kind of outdoor tap do you have?

There are two common kinds, and they shut down differently, so look before you start. Go to the basement and find the spot where the outdoor tap's pipe passes through the wall. Peel Region describes the shut-off valve for an outside tap as being inside, close to where the tap comes into the home.

Woodford, one of the manufacturers of frost-proof faucets, explains how theirs work: the valve that stops the water sits several inches into the home, where the house keeps it warm, and the length of tube outside that valve empties once it is shut. That self-draining design is why there is no separate inside valve to close.

Shutting down a standard outdoor tap, in order

1. 1Close the inside valveTurn the valve on the pipe feeding the outdoor tap until it stops. Peel Region says to do this in the fall, before the first frost. If the handle will not turn by hand, stop there: forcing an old valve can break it while the water is still on.
2. 2Unscrew the hoseEvery municipal checklist (Halton, Peel and Toronto) puts this step in. A hose left connected keeps water sitting in the tap and the end of the pipe.
3. 3Open the outside tap and let it run dryPeel and Toronto both say to open the outside tap after the supply is off, so the water left between the valve and the spout drains out. A short burst of water followed by silence is what you want to see.
4. 4Watch the tap for a minuteIf water keeps flowing steadily from the open tap long after the inside valve is closed, that valve is not sealing. The line is still live, so it can still freeze. That is a plumber's repair, and it should be booked before the cold rather than after.
5. 5Leave the outside tap openAn open tap gives any water that drips past the valve somewhere to go. Close it again in spring before you turn the inside valve back on.

Why a hose left on a frost-free hose bib can flood a wall in spring

A frost-free hose bib only works if it can drain. Woodford's own installation warning says the faucet must be installed with a downward pitch toward the nozzle, and the hose must be removed in freezing weather or the faucet may freeze and burst.

If a hose is attached during freezing weather, water is trapped inside the faucet which may cause the faucet to freeze and burst.

The damage is easy to miss. Woodford's diagram explains that the split happens in the tube past the shut-off valve, that nothing noticeable shows inside the home when it bursts, and that only a few drops leak at that moment. The problem appears the first time someone opens the tap in spring: the water now reaches a split tube inside the wall. So take the hose off every autumn, including the hose that is only there for the car or the planters.

If a frost-free hose bib still drips after you close it

Woodford's diagram shows correct installation needs a downward pitch, and that an incorrect installation traps water in the tube. If water pools at the spout end or the tap seems to hold water, ask a plumber to check the slope and the washer before the cold sets in. Wrapping it in a foam cover does not let trapped water out.

The garage tap, the meter and the pipes near outside walls

Halton Region's prevention checklist names the garage separately: shut off the outdoor water supply for outdoor taps and the garage. Toronto adds that garage doors should stay closed if there are water supply lines in the garage. A garage tap on an outside wall gets the same shutdown as the taps on the house.

• Insulate the exposed pipes. Halton and Toronto both list pipes near outside walls, in crawl spaces, the attic and the garage, and Toronto names foam pipe covers from a building supply or home improvement store.
• Toronto's list of air leaks to seal covers windows, doors, electrical wiring, dryer vents and the places where pipes pass through the wall. If you already sealed gaps against insects this fall, as in the autumn insects post, check the gap around the outdoor tap's pipe too.
• The water meter is yours to protect. Halton makes the homeowner responsible for making sure it does not freeze. Peel suggests foam pipe insulation, a low-wattage wrap heater, heat tape or thermostat-controlled heat cables on the meter's pipes, used only as directed and with a CSA or UL safety certification.
• Find the main shut-off now. Halton says it is usually beside the water meter. Toronto says it is typically in the basement on the foundation wall where the drinking water pipe enters the home.

How warm the house has to stay, and what each municipality says

The three municipalities give different minimum indoor temperatures, so follow the one where you live and treat the higher number as the safer one if your basement has cold corners.

What a frozen line costs in Halton

Halton publishes its thawing charges. If the frozen section of the buried service line is on Halton's property, there is no charge to the property owner. If it is only on private property, Halton charges $663.05 at the 2026 rate for a 15 to 25 mm service line, and the fee applies each time a line on private property is thawed. If freezing damages the water meter, the 2026 fee is $438.72 for a 15 to 25 mm meter. Where it is unclear which side froze, Halton does not charge.

If a line on your property has frozen before, Halton asks you to contact it, and says it can help prevent frozen lines. Toronto's page says that if crews find the pipes frozen on private property, you will be advised to contact a plumber.

Irrigation systems: what you can do and what to hand over

An in-ground sprinkler system holds water in buried pipes, valves and heads, and all of it has to come out before it freezes. Rain Bird, an irrigation manufacturer, lists four parts to the job. Two of them are homeowner tasks. The draining is the one it recommends handing to a local irrigation specialist because of the safety risks.

1. Shut off the system's water supply, then wrap the main shut-off valve for the irrigation system in foam insulation tape and a plastic bag. Rain Bird also says to insulate any above-ground piping.
2. Put the controller into rain mode, so the valves stop opening while the clock and the program are kept. Switching the power off works too, but Rain Bird notes you will have to reprogram it in spring.
3. Have the pipes drained. Rain Bird lists three methods: a manual drain valve, an automatic drain valve or a compressed-air blow-out. It recommends a local irrigation specialist for this step.
4. If the backflow preventer and valves are above ground, insulate them without blocking the air vents and drain outlets on the backflow preventer.

The draining has to be done before the first freeze, so call the specialist now if the system is still full. A system that has sat idle since the last summer watering, under rules like those in the Halton odd/even watering post, still holds water in its pipes and still needs draining.

Townhouses, condos and going away for the winter

In townhouse complexes and condos, Halton notes that the service line may split at the curb stop into several lines, jointly owned by the owner and residents or by the owner outright, sometimes through a property manager. Before you touch a shared outdoor tap, ask management who shuts it down.

If the house will be empty during cold weather, Halton, Peel and Toronto all say the same thing: close the main shut-off valve, drain the system from a tap on the lowest level, and have someone check the house regularly. Peel says daily. The rest of that checklist is in the post on leaving a property for a month.