Plumbing notes · December to February

Keeping supply lines thawed through a Halton winter

The lake keeps Oakville a touch milder than towns above the escarpment, yet every few winters a run of minus-twenty nights finds every weakness in local houses. The pipes that seize are nearly always the same ones: lines inside outside walls, through garages, over crawlspaces and beneath cantilevered floors. Knowing where yours travel is most of the battle.

Call (365) 517-8536

A tree in a grassy field next to a lake — From the almanac guide on frozen pipes in a halton winter.

The usual casualties

Kitchen supplies tucked into outside walls of bungalows and backsplits
Lines to the hose bib that cross an unheated garage
Bathroom piping above a garage or porch roof
Supplies strung through split-level crawlspaces
Laundry lines pinned to a cold, poorly insulated foundation wall

When the forecast plunges

Swing open the cupboards beneath sinks that sit against exterior walls so room air can warm the pipes. Let the riskiest faucet dribble a stream about as thick as a pencil lead; moving water is slow to freeze and the open tap bleeds pressure if ice begins to form. Hold the thermostat steady overnight instead of setting it back, and keep the garage door down.

Heading south in January? Keep the furnace running, line up a neighbour to look in, and for a long absence think about shutting the house valve and draining the lines.

When ice wins anyway

Open the faucet that the frozen line feeds.
Feel along the pipe from that faucet backwards to find the cold stretch.
Warm it slowly with a hair dryer or heating pad and keep flames away.
Watch for drips as it clears, since a split only shows once water moves.
Cannot find or reach the cold stretch? Ring before it ruptures.

Curing the cause

Foam sleeves on exposed runs, sealing drafts around rim joists, and moving lines away from outside walls are the permanent fixes. Heat cable can help in garages and crawlspaces when installed to the maker’s instructions.