Dioclese wrote:


: A simple way to take up the ice expansion is to have a garden hose connected
: while the hose bib valve is open. The garden hose should have a simple
: valve on the end for open or closed. The hose's ability to expand will take
: most of the compression while the valve on the end of the hose is closed.

I am no great expert on the issue, but the following fact concerns me.
We all see potholes and damage to various surfaces from thawing and
freezing cycles. Now, it seems to me that this water was completely
open on one side. It could have just expanded into the air, but no, it
expanded in all directions and did the damage. So that worries me. Why
would the hose fare any better than a cavity in a brick or sidewalk?