11/02/2026
This is your annual reminder to disconnect the garden hoses.
Yes, even if the faucet says “frost-free.”
A frost-free faucet works by allowing the water inside it to drain away from the exterior wall. Leave a hose, splitter or timer attached and that water may not drain properly. Then it freezes, expands and occasionally introduces itself to the inside of your house in a very expensive way.
A few minutes now:
• Disconnect hoses, splitters and timers.
• Drain the hoses before storing them.
• If your house has a separate interior shutoff for the outdoor faucet, close it and drain the line according to the faucet’s design.
• If you aren’t sure what kind of faucet you have, find out before Central Ohio decides it is suddenly February.
Your outdoor faucet does not care that you were “probably going to get to it this weekend.”
Save this—or send it to the person whose garden hose is still attached.