How do I winterize an Outdoor Shower for cold climates?
Winterizing an outdoor shower takes about twenty minutes: shut the supply, drain every line, blow out what will not drain, and protect the fixture. Skip it and the first hard freeze splits a pipe or cracks a valve, and you find out in March when you turn the water back on. Here is the order I do it in, what you need, and the spring checklist that goes with it.
When to Do It
Before the first night that drops below freezing. In the northern half of the country that is late October. On the Gulf coast you may never need to, but a single hard freeze is enough to split a brass valve, so if your area gets one every few winters, do it anyway.
What You Need
- A hose-bib cap or an adjustable wrench, depending on the hookup
- A shop vac or a small air compressor with a blow-out plug
- Foam pipe insulation and an outdoor faucet cover
- A fitted cover for the enclosure, if it has one
How to Winterize an Outdoor Shower, Step by Step
1. Shut off the water
If the shower runs off a garden hose, disconnect the hose and drain it — see Can I Connect the Outdoor Shower to My Garden Hose? if yours isn't set up this way yet. If it is plumbed, close the shut-off valve on the supply line inside the house or at the manifold. Most plumbed outdoor showers have one; if yours does not, that is the first thing to add next spring.
2. Open everything
Open the shower valve, the hand-held sprayer and any foot wash so water can run out and air can get in.
3. Drain the lines
Open the drain valve at the low point of the supply line if there is one. Let it run until it stops. Hold the shower head down so the riser empties too.
4. Blow out what is left
Water that sits in a low spot of the pipe is what freezes and splits it. Connect a shop vac or a compressor at 40 psi or less to the supply fitting and push air through until only mist comes out of the shower head. Do not exceed 50 psi on plastic lines.
5. Protect the fixture
Remove the shower head and any hand-held hose and bring them inside. Wrap exposed pipe in foam insulation. Put a faucet cover over any hose bib. If the shower has a mixing valve, leave it open a quarter turn so any remaining water has room to expand.
6. Cover or clear the enclosure
Take fabric curtains down and store them dry. On a cedar enclosure, like the Aleko Crescent Curved Cedar Outdoor Shower, clear leaves from the floor so they do not hold water against the wood all winter. Put the cover on if you have one.
Extra Protection in Hard-Freeze Country
- Bury the supply line below the frost line when you install it, or run it with a slope back to the house so it self-drains.
- Add a frost-free hose bib at the house end.
- Heat tape on an exposed riser is a fallback, not a plan. It fails when the power does.
Spring Reopening Checklist
- Reinstall the shower head and hand-held hose.
- Close the drain valve and the shower valve.
- Open the supply slowly and walk the line listening for hissing.
- Run the shower for a minute to flush the line and check for drips at every joint.
- Clean the shower head in vinegar if the flow is weak.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I leave a hose-fed outdoor shower connected over winter?
No. Disconnect the hose, drain it and store it. A connected hose holds water right at the bib and freezes the valve.
What if I forgot and it froze?
Do not turn the water on to test it. Thaw the line slowly, then open the supply valve a little and look for leaks at the joints. A split usually shows up as a steady drip at a fitting.
Does a cedar enclosure need anything?
A rinse and a dry floor. Cedar handles winter on its own as long as water is not sitting on it. Stainless fixtures hold up even better — see Is the Outdoor Shower Kit Resistant to Rust and Corrosion?.
The Bottom Line
Shut it off, drain it, blow it out, protect the fixture. Twenty minutes in October saves a plumber in March. If you are shopping for the shower itself, the hose-fed kits in our outdoor shower kits collection are the easiest to winterize, because there is no buried line to worry about. See Do I Need Plumbing Experience to Install an Outdoor Shower Kit? if you haven't installed yours yet.