Homeowner guide
Frozen and Burst Pipes: What to Do First
Shut the water off at the main first, then open a tap to drain the system, then call. Everything else, including finding the exact break, comes after the water stops.
A half-inch supply line can put hundreds of litres into a house in an hour. The difference between a repair and a renovation is usually how fast someone finds the main shut-off valve.
Read this before you need it, and go and locate your shut-off valve today.
First ten minutes of a burst pipe
- Close the main water shut-off valve, usually near the meter on the basement wall
- Open the lowest cold tap in the house to drain the remaining pressure
- If the leak is near lights, panels or outlets, cut power to that area
- If it is the hot side, shut off the water heater as well
- Move belongings clear and start removing standing water
- Photograph everything before cleanup for your insurer
Thawing a frozen line safely
- Open the tap that line feeds so meltwater has somewhere to go
- Warm the pipe gradually with a hair dryer or heat lamp, starting nearest the tap
- Never use a torch, propane heater or open flame on any pipe
- Warm the whole room if the frozen section is inside a wall or ceiling
- Watch for a leak the moment flow returns, because the split shows up then
- If no water returns within the hour, stop and call before the split thaws unattended
Preventing it next winter
The pipes that freeze in Ontario homes are the predictable ones: lines in exterior walls, in unheated crawl spaces and garages, and the outdoor hose bib that was left connected in October.
Insulating the vulnerable runs, fitting frost-free hose bibs, sealing the drafts that blow onto the pipe, and keeping the house above 13C when you travel handles almost all of it. On the coldest nights, a pencil-thin trickle from the most exposed tap is cheap insurance.
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