Why was water always the story on this slope?
The Avenues Historic District nomination explains that, unlike the East Bench, which flattens out partway up, the Avenues is relatively steep all the way to the crest of the foothills. The difficulty of getting water to that slope delayed settlement of most of the area until almost the end of the nineteenth century, and the area was known very early as the Dry Bench. In 1911 an 18-inch main was built from City Creek to Thirteenth Avenue, which temporarily solved the water problem for the upper Avenues and allowed rapid development of the area.
A century on, that water arrives under pressure at every outdoor faucet on the hill, which is exactly why the faucets need attention each fall.
What actually breaks at a hose bib?
USU Extension explains the mechanism: when an unprotected water line sits in freezing temperatures for several hours, the water freezes, expands and can crack or split the pipe. The damage shows up later, when the line thaws and the pressurized water starts leaking, and a leak inside a wall or under a floor is hard to reach and expensive to repair.
The hose is often the culprit. University of Illinois Extension advises removing and draining every hose from the spigots around the house and storing them somewhere sheltered, because a hose left attached can hold water in the line, and as ice forms it can work back into the spigot and perhaps into the house.
What should be done to the faucets and exposed pipe?
Disconnect and drain the hoses first, then cover the hose bibs. For water lines in places where temperatures commonly drop below freezing, USU Extension recommends pre-formed insulation sleeves or foil-faced fiberglass wrap. It says insulation must completely cover the exposed pipes, fittings and fixtures, fit snugly and be taped, and that the lines should be checked for leaks first so the insulation does not get soaked. It also warns that insulation alone will not protect a pipe from prolonged freezing unless there is some source of heat or periodic water flow.
Anything past the faucet or the insulation, such as a split pipe, a shutoff valve that will not close or new plumbing, is work for a licensed plumber.
When is it worth a call?
If the hose bibs are hard to reach on a steep lot, or the crawlspace lines have never been wrapped, 24/7 Express Handyman Service can fit faucet covers and pipe insulation in one visit on the Upper Avenues. The price for each is on its own page, linked below.