Please help - frozen pipe question

[geoffh]

I recently moved into a new house and this is my first winter here. I have a few questions relating to frozen pipes:

1) The hose bib on the front of the house has about 6-8" of exposed pipe. To get the accurate picture, it goes siding | pipe | facuet. Is this safe? There is also no shutoff nearby. We have temperatures in the -5F (-20F windchill). What can I do to protect this? I have wrapped the exposed part with a towel, covered it with plastic, and then taped over it with duct tape. Commercial bib covers are much too short to provide any protection.

How will I know if this becomes frozen?

2) My refrigerator backs up to an exterior wall. The refrigerator is brand new. I had a plumber install a waterline to this fridge. He used a flexible metal pipe. This morning, no water will come out of the fridge. There is a shutoff for the new waterline. Should I turn it off? Is this a frozen waterline or the fault of a too-cold refrigerator/freezer?

Thank you!

 

[IFIXH20]

EZ-flo makes a outdoor insulated faucet cover. If you turn your hose bibb on and no water pressure or the hose bibb handle will not turn there is a good possibility the hose bibb/water line is frozen. If the refrigerator water line is plumb inside an exterior wall it could be frozen as well. Did you leave a garden hose attach to the hose bibb ? If you have a basement or crawl space you can put electric heat tape around the pipe leading to the hose bibb. If the pipes are frozen you might want to have a plumber come out to thaw and make any piping repairs that are needed ( burst/split water lines and/or fitting).