How to Prevent Frozen Pipes

Over the past month, a partner I work with and one of my nieces had pipes freeze and burst. The partner is based in Atlanta. My niece is in Raleigh, NC. Hardly areas where you’d expect super cold weather.

Here in Canada, frozen pipes are more common than we think and our cold winters are ideal conditions to trigger a frozen pipe. When water freezes, it expands, and this will stress the copper tubing in our plumbing to the point that it will rupture.

Frozen pipes are more than just a nuisance. They can damage possessions and furniture (usually) in your basement. Most homeowner insurance policies will cover at least a portion of the damage but, still, filing a claim just adds to the hassle.

Check out these suggestions:

• Locate your main water shut-off valve inside your home and add a tag or label to it, so it is easy to locate and turn off quickly if pipes burst in your home.
• Seal air leaks in your home and garage to stop cold air from getting in. Check around windows and doors, electrical wiring, dryer vents and pipes.
• Insulate pipes in your home most prone to freezing including near outside walls, in the basement, or in a garage with an outside water supply. Use foam pipe covers available from building supply or home improvement stores.
• Keep the house warm even if you’re away to prevent indoor plumbing from freezing, especially in the area near the water meter. 
• When temperatures are below -15C for a few days, you can choose to keep the water moving in your pipes by running a pencil-thin stream of cold water from a tap in the lowest point of the house e.g. a sink or tub in the basement. Ensure the drain is kept clear of debris to prevent overflowing or flooding. However, if you choose to take this step, you will be charged for the water you use. 
• One thing we tend to overlook is outside faucets. If the outside faucet is closed, and the water supply valve on the inside is also closed, sub-zero temperatures can cause the water in between the two valves to freeze and expand, which causes the pipe to burst. Best way to prevent this is to close the water supply valve inside and then open the outside faucet to allow any water to drain out, then keep the outside faucet open through the winter.

The City of Toronto has more suggestions on how to prevent pipes from freezing. Just visit toronto.ca/frozenpipes, where you’ll find all the details, plus a video to guide you through some of them.