You can usually stop dripping your faucets once outdoor temperatures are safely above freezing and are expected to stay that way, especially overnight.

Quick Scoop: When can I stop dripping my faucets?

Think of dripping faucets as a temporary shield for your pipes during the coldest part of a cold snap. Once that danger window passes, you can turn them off to save water.

1. General rule of thumb

Most plumbing and home experts suggest:

  • Start dripping:
    • When temperatures are forecast to drop below about 20°F (around –6.6°C), especially for several hours or overnight.
* In older homes, poorly insulated homes, or if you’ve had frozen pipes before, you might start even when it’s just below 32°F (0°C).
  • You can usually stop dripping when:
    • The outside temperature is consistently above 32°F (0°C) and
    • Forecasts show daytime and nighttime temps staying above freezing for at least the next 24 hours.

If temps are bouncing just above freezing in the day but dipping well below at night, keep dripping through those colder nights.

2. Practical checklist (before you turn them off)

Ask yourself:

  1. What’s tonight’s low?
    • If it’s forecast well below freezing (especially into the 20s°F or lower), keep the drip going.
  1. Is the cold spell ending or just pausing?
    • If another strong freeze is coming in the next night or two, it’s often easier to keep dripping instead of cycling on/off every single day.
  1. How’s your house built?
    • Older homes, homes on crawlspaces, or with pipes on exterior walls or unheated garages are at higher risk and may need dripping longer than a newer, well‑insulated house.
  1. Any history of frozen pipes?
    • If you’ve had frozen or burst pipes before, be more cautious and keep dripping until temps are solidly above freezing for a while.

3. Indoor vs outdoor faucets

  • Indoor faucets
    • Let them drip during hard freezes.
    • Turn them off once outdoor temps stay above freezing and your home interior is warm as usual.
  • Outdoor faucets / hose bibs
    • These usually should NOT be left dripping all winter. Instead, they’re best:
      • Shut off from the interior valve,
      • Drained, and
      • Left off through the cold season to avoid freezing.

4. How much drip is enough?

If you’re still in freezing weather and wondering if you’re doing it right:

  • Aim for a light, steady drip or tiny trickle , not a full stream.
  • Roughly 1–2 drips per second is often recommended.
  • Choose the faucet farthest from your water meter so water moves through as much pipe as possible.

5. Example scenario

You’ve had several nights in the teens°F, so you’ve been dripping faucets. Now the forecast shows:

  • Today: 45°F high, 35°F low
  • Tomorrow: 48°F high, 38°F low
  • Next day: 50°F high, 40°F low

In this case, you can safely turn off the drips now , because both day and night temperatures are staying above freezing.

If instead the forecast showed another night at, say, 18°F in two days, you might keep dripping through that cold spell just to be safe.

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Learn when you can safely stop dripping your faucets, how cold is “too cold,” and how to protect your pipes during winter freezes without wasting water.

TL;DR

You can usually stop dripping your faucets when the forecast shows both days and nights staying above 32°F (0°C) for at least a day or two , and your home and pipes are not in a high‑risk situation.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.