Why do you water in sips? With out plant type information the plant is dormant chances are better that a dormant plant doesn't need a big gulp. Why do you water in gulps, copiously? With out to much plant type naming the old wives tail is When it rains it pours when it pours water flows in all kinds of directions. When you do, what's your prceedure? With out mentioning specific plant types More by volume during signs of growth less by volume when growth is slow What kind of instrument do you use? The plant added with a dash of knowledge of how the plant grows experience. Do you water with rain water, tap, well, fresh, store bought, or facuet? If rain water is available then rain water is used I dont 100% completely depend on rain for water toward all my plants. The water in my tap or faucet is filtered well this water left in safe from freeze area in gallon jugs for use if or when there is no rain water available. Do you see any downside to any of the watering techniques and or positive ones? A misunderstanding question read by me Mike. The up side is all plants need water and it's good to see people are willing to water by what ever method they choose. The down side would be if they didn't water plants.

A big question hasn't been answered yet: why was it leaking. Was it a defective line, defective inlet connector on the fridge, or sloppy installation work? It will make a difference in who is responsible for the damages. It goes without saying that anytime a water line is connected or reconnected to pretty much anything, it should be monitored for a while to check for leaks. A cursory check when it is first hooked up isn't enough. Water pressure can vary through the day due to demand or pressure tank cycling. You have to make sure the connection has been monitored for leaks long enough to catch the peak pressure period, especially if the house isn't fitted with a pressure reducing valve (PRV).

In recent years there has been a big trend and sadly in some areas a code requirment to install "Frost proof" hydrant type hose bibbs. This then leaves the homeowner with the false illusion that the pipe cannot freeze and break. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. First of all, note that the faucett is listed as "Frost Proof" not "Freeze Proof". There is no such thing as a "Freeze Proof" faucett. In fact, the expansion of freezing water will rupture galvanized iron pipes and even a cast iron engine block, which explains why you put antifreeze in your car. A basic law of physics states that heat is a form of energy and cold is the absence of energy in the same manner as light is a form of energy and dark is the absence of light energy. When a pipe, such as a hose bibb is projected through a wall and exposed to the outdoor enviroment the heat energy in the faucett body and the water in the pipe is radiated to the air. As the heat radiates the faucett and the end of the pipe is now cold. The heat energy on the inside section of pipe now radiates toward the cold section and as it continues the pipe will get progressively colder inside the house as well. Generally it requires a very cold external temperature and considerable time for the pipe to cool sufficiently to be a problem inside the wall thus a frost proof faucett will provide a moderate protection for the occassional overnight freeze, but in a northern climate where we experience sub-freezing temps for days or months often the outer 24" to to 30" of the pipe will cool below freezing. For this reason most plumbing codes in cold climates require us to install a "line stop & waste valve" at least 3' inside the heated portion of the structure. For winterization the line stop is turned off and the hose bibb should be left open to permit any residual water in the line to flow out. All the pipe on the outside of the line stop should be pitched downward at 1/4" per foot to insure the line will drain.

You have to understand the physical properties of water on this one and while it is technically true that you have a leak, I doubt very seriously if it is a leak that requires any action on your part. Water reaches maximum density (8.34lbs/gallon)at 39degF and if heated or cooled from that temperature it expands. When heated from maximum density temp of 39degF water undergoes a fairly linear expansion up to about 10% by volume at the boiling temperature and when it flashes to steam it immediately expands another 1628 times by volume (1sq.in of water produces 1sq.ft of steam). The actual boiling temperature and rate of expansion is affected by the working pressure however I don't have the pressure temperature tables immediately at hand, and understanding that the working pressure can vary considerably from one location to another, for the sake of illustration allow us to use numbers that we are all familiar with. Water expands approximately 10% by volume from maximum density (39degF) to boiling temperature, which is 212degF at Standard Atmospheric Pressure) for a total differential of 173degF. Per code, we set our water heaters to 125degF therefore the temperature differential between cold water coming in at maximum density, again 39degF to the set point of 125 = 86degF. From this we can see that the differential between maximum density and the working temperature of our hot water system is approximately 50% of the total differential between maximum density and maximum expansion, therefore if we have a maximum expansion of 10% by volume, we could then say that the expansion in our hot water system is approximately 1/2 the maximum or 5% by volume. No let us put this all in perspective. If you have a 50gallon water heater and you fill it from a cold start with water at 39degF as the water heats up to the 125degF calling temperature the water will expand to approximately 55gal by volume. Under normal circumstances as the water expands the additional volume is compensated by water backflowing through the supply line to the municipal main or the well pressure tank. (This also explains why we are required to install an expansion tank near your water heater whenever we install a pressure reducing valve or a check valve on your water main.) Now in relation to the question at hand, how does air get in the lines? Under normal circumstances if we turn the water heater off the expanded hot water will slowly cool to room temperature thus the expanded hot water will contract. As the water contracts additional water will come in the supply line to maintain the total volume in the hot water system however, the post states that they turn the water heater off and close the house main water valve. Under these circumstances as the expanded hot water cools the supply has been closed off therefore as the hot water contracts it leaves a void in the pipes. We previously concluded that the amount of expansion was approximately 5gal by volume. A 1/2" pipe contains 1 gallon for every 98 linear feet of pipe and a 3/4" pipe contains 1 gallon for every 43.4 feet of pipe thus in all likelyhood 5gal by volume is greater than the total volume of all your hot water pipes in the structure. Now given that the water will contract and flow back to the water heater, the lines are then left with a vacuum and nature abhors a vacuum. Under these circumstances air will enter the pipes through microscopic pores or crevices or through faucet & valve mating surfaces which are no doubt to small to even pass a molecule of water. In this case it is enough to just understand what is happening and there is no further action required.