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Angi How To Turn On Your Hose Bibb (Spigot)

Date Published: Nov. 12, 2019

Difficulty:66%
Time: 15 Minutes

The hose bibb, or spigot, is the faucet located on the outside of your house where you connect a garden hose. In winter, homeowners in colder climates need to turn off the water to their hose bibbs to prevent flooding. Now, it's time to open them so you can water your garden and wash your car!

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1 Do you have a frost-proof spigot?

Some homes have frost proof hose bibbs or spigots. Frost proof spigots do not need to be turned on or off in the fall/spring.

2 Tighten (close) the wheel/valve on the spigot(s).

You may have left them open during the winter, but close them for a moment because you are about to turn on the water and can cause a flood!

3 Next, locate your water shutoff valve.

 It is located inside your house, usually in the basement, crawl space or utility room. The valve will be connected to a pipe that leads to the outside where your spigot is connected to the house.

4 Open the valve to allow water to flow to the spigot.

Note: Most houses have at least two spigots, one in front and one in back. Each spigot will have its own shutoff valve, so make sure to open the valve for each spigot.

5 After opening the valves, tighten the bleeder valves.

You may have loosened them over the winter to allow water to drain, but they should be tightened in the spring to prevent leaks.

6 Turn on the spigots and...

...make sure they work properly before connecting the garden hose.

7 Turn off the spigot and...

...then connect the garden hose.